S'kol Vikings Let's Go! The Minnesota Vikings Franchise has been Minnesota's NFL team since it's origination on September 27, 1960. The name reflects the heavy Scandinavian presence in the state. During the late 1960s, the Vikings were building a powerful defense known as the Purple People Eaters, led by Alan Page, Carl Eller, Gary Larsen, and Jim Marshall. In 1968, that powerhouse defense earned the Vikings their first Central Division Title and their first NFL playoff appearance.
From the start, the Minnesota Vikings Franchise embraced an energetic marketing program that produced a first-year season ticket sales of nearly 26,000 and an average home attendance of 34,586, about 85 percent of the capacity of 40,800 for Metropolitan Stadium. In 1969, the Vikings went 12-2, the best record in the NFL. Vikings tickets were hard to come by in the Twin Cities and the team had 12 straight victories, the longest single-season winning streak in 35 years. The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns, 27-7, in the NFL Championship Game on Jan. 4, 1970, at Metropolitan Stadium. Minnesota became the first modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game, and earned a berth in Super Bowl IV. The heavily favored Vikings lost that game to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7.
The Vikings played in Super Bowl XI, their third Super Bowl (4th overall) in 4 years, against the Oakland Raiders at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California,on January 9, 1977. The Minnesota Vikings, however, couldn't break their bad luck in the Super Bowl. Minnesota lost, 32-14.
On May 15, 1981, the Vikings moved into a new facility in suburban Eden Prairie Minnesota that houses the team's offices, locker room and practice fields. The complex was named "Winter Park" after Max Winter, one of the Vikings' founders. Also that year, the Vikings played their final game at Metropolitan Stadium on December 20th to conclude the 1981 NFL season by losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, 10-6.
The Vikings played their first game at the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome in a preseason matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on August 21, 1982 in a game the MinnesotaVikings Roster won, 7-3. The first touchdown in the new facility was scored by Joe Senser on an 11 yard pass from Tommy Kramer. The first regular-season game in the Metrodome was the 1982 opener on September 12, when the Vikings defeated Tampa Bay, 17-10. Rickey Young scored the first regular-season touchdown in the facility on a 3 yard run in the 2nd quarter.
The year 1998 was one to remember for the Vikings franchise. With a spectacular offense led by quarterback Randall Cunningham, who had his best NFL season ever, running back Robert Smith, veteran wide receiver Cris Carter, and explosive rookie Randy Moss, the Vikings set an NFL record by scoring a total of 556 points, never scoring fewer than 24 in a game. The Vikings finished the season 15-1, their only loss by 3 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week nine. Minnesota Vikings tickets were not cheap that year as fans clamored to the dome to see the can't lose team.
In the playoffs, the Vikings rolled past the Arizona Cardinals 41-21, and came into the HHH Metrodome heavily favored for their NFC title showdown with the Atlanta Falcons. However, kicker Gary Anderson, who had just completed the first perfect regular season in NFL history (not missing a single extra point or field goal attempt the entire year), missed a 38 yard attempt with less than 2 minutes remaining. That allowed the Falcons to tie the game. Though the Vikings won the coin toss, Atlanta went on to win it 30-27 in overtime on Morten Andersen's field goal, which was, coincidentally, also a 38-yarder. The Vikings became the first 15-1 team to fail to reach the Super Bowl.
After a disappointing 5-11 season in 2001, the Vikings bought out the contract of head coach Dennis Green, who had become a polarizing presence in the Viking fan base despite his successful coaching tenure with the team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, losing to the Baltimore Ravens. Tice was named the permanent coach after the season, but he would not lead the Vikings back to the playoffs until 2004.
In 2004, Daunte Culpepper amassed MVP-like statistics, throwing for 4,717 passing yards (leading the NFL), 39 passing touchdowns (a Viking record), and 5,123 total yards (an NFL record). In the NFL wild card matchup, the Vikings defeated the rival Green Bay Packers in their first-ever playoff meeting, 31-17. In doing so, the Vikings became the second team in NFL history to have a .500 record (8-8) in the regular season and win a playoff game. In the divisional round, the Vikings were defeated by the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Tice was let go after the 2005 season and was replaced by Brad Childress. This was one of many significant front office moves made by the new ownership team, led by Zygi Wilf. Minnesota began the 2006 season 4-2 (and Childress becoming the first coach in Vikings history to start 2-0 in his first year), but would finish the year at 6-10, tying for the 7th worst record in the NFL and receiving the 7th pick in the NFL Draft; with it, the Vikings selected Adrian Peterson out of the University of Oklahoma. In Week 9 of the 2007 season, Peterson would go on to break the NFL record set by Jamal Lewis in 2003 for most rushing yards in one game (296 rushing yards against the San Diego Chargers). The next big shock to the Minnestoa Vikings Roster would come in 2009 when the Minnesota Vikings signed Brett Favre, the former Green Bay Packers Star. Minnesota Vikings fans were torn between a feeling of "sticking it" to the Packers for signing their Golden Boy and unease of signing a football player who was as old as Brett Favre was. The gamble worked, not only did Brett Favre hand it to the Green Bay Packers twice that season, he also led the Minnesota Vikings Roster all the way to the NFC Championship. The Vikings lost the division title to the New Orelans Saints who went on to win the Super Bowl.
With plenty of talent on the Vikings roster, and a close shot at another SuperBowl, Minnesota Vikings tickets continue to be a hot commodity in the Minneapolis/St Paul area. The Twin Cities have a love hate relationship with their Vikings, but continue to fill the Metrodome to cheer the team. The hottest game of the season is always the Vikings Packer game and football fans will want to buy tickets early or be left out in the cold! S'kol Vikings!
