NFL Team by Team Guide: Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings franchise was founded in 1960 as an expansion team. Minnesota began play in the NFL in 1961 season. Like most expansion teams, the early years were rough, but the Vikings managed to win a division title in 1968 and an NFL championship in 1969.
The Vikings have won 20 division titles and have made 30 playoff appearances since their inception. Minnesota is arguably the most successful franchise to never have won a Super Bowl. The Vikings are one of just four teams that have appeared in at least one conference championship game in every decade since the 1970s.
Minnesota is an attractive draw for national broadcasts like Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. National and regional telecasts of Vikings games can be watched on FOX Sports, CBS, ESPN, and the NFL Network. Minnesota fans can watch virtually the complete Vikings schedule using a live streaming service such as fuboTV, HULU, or CBS All Access.
Home of the Vikings
The Vikings original home was the old Metropolitan Stadium where they stayed until 1981. Minnesota then moved indoors into the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in 1982. Vikings owners wanted a new outdoor stadium in the 2010s, but state and local governments would only provide funding for an indoor venue that could host events like the Final Four and Super Bowl. The Vikings moved into US Bank Stadium in 2013. It has a capacity of 66,860 and is expandable to 73,000.
Championship History
The Vikings have had a successful run in the NFL with 30 appearances in the NFL playoffs, the most recent of which was in 2019. As mentioned, Minnesota has won 20 division titles and four conference championships.
Minnesota won the NFL championship in 1969, the year before the NFL merger. The Vikings have played in four Super Bowls but have lost each time.
Best of the Vikings
Fran Tarkenton did two stints with the Vikings for a total of 13 years. He was known as one of the best scrambling quarterbacks of all-time. Tarkenton was selected to nine Pro Bowls and was both the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and MVP in 1975. He led the NFL that season with 25 touchdown passes and when he retired in 1978, Tarkenton owned most every major NFL quarterback record.
Defensive tackle Alan Page played most of his NFL career (1967-78) with the Vikings. He went to nine Pro Bowls and earned nine first- or second-team All-Pro honors. Twice, Page was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and in 1971 he became the first defensive player to win the league MVP. Page selected to the Hall of Fame in 1988 and eventually became a Minnesota state Supreme Court justice.
Defensive end Chris Doleman was the fourth overall pick in the 1985 draft. He would play nine seasons with the Vikings. He led the NFL in sacks in 1989 and was the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1992. Doleman also earned five All-Pro honors with Vikings. He finished his Hall of Fame career with 150.5 sacks.
Wide receiver Randy Moss played the first seven seasons of his NFL career with the Vikings. He was the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1998 and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns three times while in Minnesota. He earned five of his six Pro Bowl berths while a Viking and is a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time team.
Author: Dan Anderson