Bud Grant

There are renowned names frozen for all time in Minnesota Vikings lore. Fran Tarkenton, the Purple People Eaters, Paul Krause. They are reminders locked in ...

The Vikings returned to the biggest game of them all for a fourth and final time in the '76 campaign, but this time were downed by the Oakland Raiders. The Vikings went 7-9 that year and Grant retired a coach for good, handing the reins to his longtime defensive coordinator, Jerry Burns. Grant became the second head coach in Vikings team history, succeeding Norm Van Brocklin, in 1967. Grant played two seasons with the Eagles before heading to play for the CFL's Blue Bombers. With the Lakers, Grant played two NBA seasons and was part of the 1950 NBA championship squad that featured the great George Mikan. History still holds Grant as the only person to have played in the NFL, CFL and National Basketball Association.

He took his Vikings, with Fran Tarkenton at quarterback and the famed Purple People Eaters defensive line, to four Super Bowls — although he lost each time.

coach of the year in 1965 and In 1951, he joined the Eagles. [becoming the first professional player to play out his option](https://web.archive.org/web/20070629071431/http://vikings.scout.com/2/11606.html) and leave for another team. By seventh grade, he was organizing football games between neighborhoods; in high school, he was a football, basketball and baseball star. He never finished his degree, opting instead for a career in sports. debut to play for the Minneapolis Lakers of the N.B.A. He had a regular-season record of 158-96-5, for a .621 winning percentage, the second-most victories for a Vikings coach. “Bud was a coach that would not get too close to the players, but he was a player’s coach,” Paul Krause, the longtime Vikings safety, wrote in The Times in 1990. He had a reputation for telling players only what he thought they needed to know, and he didn’t think they needed to know much. He quickly built it into a winner that, along with the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams, dominated the National Football Conference through most of the 1970s. “I happen to have been blessed with all three, and when I did happen to have any extra time I didn’t spend it with the quarterback.” A genial man in private, Grant often appeared silent and aloof at work.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Bud Grant, the stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who took the Minnesota Vikings and their mighty Purple People Eaters defense to four ...

When he turned 95 on May 20, 2022, the team organized a Zoom call for him and several of his former players. He became an ambassador of sorts for the Vikings in the community, sometimes lending his voice in the lobbying effort to replace the Metrodome, where the team played from 1982-2013. The Vikings maintained a spacious office for him at their suburban headquarters, continuing to list him as a consultant on all team directories. He strolled out for the pregame coin flip in a Vikings cap and a purple short-sleeved polo shirt, looking ready for a round of golf in defiance of temperatures of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 25 with the wind chill. [football](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/NFL), at TCF Bank Stadium in 2009, the Gophers named him and eight other former players an honorary captain. He was second in the NFL with 56 receptions and 997 yards in 1952, before a contract dispute steered him to Winnipeg in the CFL. On one particularly harrowing visit to hunt in Canada in 2015, Grant’s pilot safely belly-flopped a twin-engine plane after the landing gear and dashboard instruments failed. He infamously took the Vikings outdoors in the frigid winter for workouts and banned sideline heaters during games at Metropolitan Stadium. With such stars as Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Paul Krause and Ron Yary — all Pro Football Hall of Famers — Grant led the Vikings to 10 Central Division crowns in 11 seasons. He learned early about the coaching business after enlisting in 1945, and played on a team at the Great Lakes naval station outside Chicago run by Paul Brown, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL coach, executive and owner. He pursued basketball first, playing two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers and winning a title with them in 1950. “We are absolutely devastated to announce legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” the post said.

The football world today is celebrating the unique career of Bud Grant, a professional player in two sports who would become one of the winningest coaches ...

"Bud told me I was crazy, but the smell got worse and worse until I found three dead crows that he hid in the trunk of my car. "Luck is a big part of everything," Grant told the Star Tribune. After two seasons in the NBA, Grant contacted the Eagles, and they struck a deal for him to join the team for the 1951 season. Drafted by both the Lakers in the NBA and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, he jumped at the opportunity to join the Lakers when the 1949 football season ended. They lost to the Chiefs, 23-7, in Super Bowl IV, the last championship game before the merger of the AFL and NFL. Later that night, the plane those players would have been riding crashed, claiming the lives of five CFL players from Winnipeg and Saskatchewan and all 62 passengers and crew overall in one of Canada's worst aviation disasters. "Like the time he borrowed my car for the night. Over the next 10 years, he went from youngest coach in CFL history to its winningest. Sid Hartman, Grant's friend for 70 years and his Hall of Fame presenter, was a sportswriter in Minneapolis who wrote a regular column well into his 90s. He played two seasons with the Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA, winning a championship in the 1949-50 season. At the time of his retirement, Grant ranked in the top 10 for NFL coaching victories. Born May 20, 1927, as Harry Peter Grant Jr., Grant was nicknamed "Buddy Boy" by his mother and "Kid" by his father, Harry Sr., who on occasion practiced with Nevers and the Duluth Eskimos.

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Sunday afternoon that legendary coach Bud Grant has passed away at the age of 95. "We are absolutely devastated to ...

He followed his NFL tenure with four seasons with the Winnepeg Blue Bomers of the Canadian Football League. He played two years with the Minneapolis Lakers and was a member of the 1950 championship team. Grant coached the Vikings for 18 seasons from 1967 through 1985, amassing a 158-96-5 regular-season record and a 10-12 record in the playoffs.

Cuando se retiró Grant era el octavo entrenador con más victorias de la NFL.

Guio a los Vikings entre 1967 y 1985 con un descanso en 1984 y terminó con marca de 158-96-5, 11 campeonatos divisionales en 18 campañas. Siempre portando la gorra morada de los Vikings y con su actitud dura, su semblante inquebrantable se convirtió en la imagen de sus equipos. “Estamos absolutamente devastados de anunciar que el legendario entrenador de los Vikings y Salón de la Fama Bud Grant falleció esta mañana a los 95 años”, indicaron en la publicación.

Los Vikings de Minnesota están de luto. La franquicia dio a conocer que Bud Grant, su histórico excoach y miembro del Salón de la Fama, falleció este sábado ...

La trayectoria de Bud Grant nos lleva a hablar de la NFL; sin embargo, también pasó por la NBA. “Estamos completamente devastados por anunciar que el legendario coach de los Vikings, Bud Grant, falleció esta mañana a los 95 años. La franquicia dio a conocer que Bud Grant, su histórico excoach y miembro del Salón de la Fama, falleció este sábado 11 de marzo por la mañana.

Bud Grant, the Hall of Fame coach who led the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances, has died at the age of 95.

We join members of the Vikings organization, the generation of players Bud impacted, the people of Minnesota and the entire NFL in mourning this monumental loss. "We cherished the times we had together, listening to his tremendous stories and soaking up his knowledge of the game," the Wilfs said in their statement. His amazing life was one of a kind, being a multi-sport athlete at his beloved University of Minnesota, getting drafted in both the NFL and the NBA, playing in both leagues and ultimately becoming a hall of fame head coach in both the CFL and NFL. The Vikings went 8-6 in 1968 to win the division and make their first playoff appearance. "Most importantly, we are thankful we were able to get to know Bud on a personal level and see first-hand his love for his family. He was one of the most innovative, talented and wise people in the history of the NFL," Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in a statement. Grant was the first person to be inducted into both the CFL Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He caught 56 passes for 997 yards and seven touchdowns in 1952, then left to play for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He chose basketball at first and was a member of the Lakers' 1949-50 championship team. Before joining the Vikings, I had long known the legacy of Bud Grant, the Minnesota icon who carried himself with class and integrity. "A once-in-a lifetime man, Bud will forever be synonymous with success, toughness, the north and the Vikings." However, none of those titles came in the NFL, as he became the first coach to lose four Super Bowls.

Grant was one of the greatest athletes to come through Minnesota, then its greatest football coach.

“Bud was gracious with his time, meeting in his office weekly to discuss football and life,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said in a statement. He quickly became one of the CFL’s most productive wide receivers, and also played defense, a trait he picked up in the NFL. But his athleticism was first on display with the Gophers, where Grant was the rare three-sport Division I athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. He led the Vikings for 18 seasons, including 17 straight starting in 1967, and finished with a 158-96-5 record, which earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame. He arrived in 1953 after two successful NFL seasons with the Grant’s influence in Minnesota athletics remained after he stepped away from the Vikings. In short, he was the Vikings. As a coach, he won more with the Vikings than anyone before or after him and became the only one to guide the team to the Super Bowl. He stalked the sidelines with a whistle around his neck, guiding with a no-nonsense presence. He preached discipline and turned that mentality into four Canadian Football League championships as a head coach and four Super Bowl appearances with the Heck, he wore short sleeves to a playoff game when he was 88 and it was six-below outside. Grant was one of the greatest athletes to come through Minnesota, then its greatest football coach.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on the passing of legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and NFL Hall of ...

But above all, Bud was devoted to his family. The first few times it happened I would earnestly explain that my name wasn’t “Jim,” but after a while I got the drill, and I would just run to get my dad. “While I am saddened by the loss of our dear coach Bud Grant, we must also celebrate his long and storied career.

Bud Grant, the stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who took the Minnesota Vikings and their mighty Purple People Eaters defense to four Super Bowls in ...

He became an ambassador of sorts for the Vikings in the community, sometimes lending his voice in the lobbying effort to replace the Metrodome, where the team played from 1982-2013. When he turned 95 on May 20, 2022, the team organized a Zoom call for him and several of his former players. He strolled out for the pregame coin flip in a Vikings cap and a purple short-sleeved polo shirt, looking ready for a round of golf in defiance of temperatures of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 25 with the wind chill. The Vikings maintained a spacious office for him at their suburban headquarters, continuing to list him as a consultant on all team directories. On one particularly harrowing visit to hunt in Canada in 2015, Grant’s pilot safely belly-flopped a twin-engine plane after the landing gear and dashboard instruments failed. He was second in the NFL with 56 receptions and 997 yards in 1952, before a contract dispute steered him to Winnipeg in the CFL. He infamously took the Vikings outdoors in the frigid winter for workouts and banned sideline heaters during games at Metropolitan Stadium. With such stars as Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Paul Krause and Ron Yary — all Pro Football Hall of Famers — Grant led the Vikings to 10 Central Division crowns in 11 seasons. He learned early about the coaching business after enlisting in 1945, and played on a team at the Great Lakes naval station outside Chicago run by Paul Brown, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL coach, executive and owner. He pursued basketball first, playing two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers and winning a title with them in 1950. After starring as a two-way player for the Blue Bombers, once snagging five interceptions in a playoff game, he became their coach and took them to six Grey Cup games —- winning the title in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962. “We are absolutely devastated to announce legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” the post said.

Longtime Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant died Saturday at 95, the "absolutely heartbroken" team said in a statement.

Grant left the NBA to join the NFL as a player for the Philadelphia Eagles. In short, he was the Vikings. Grant coached the Vikings for 18 seasons from 1967 through 1983 and again in 1985.

Grant joined the Vikings as head coach in 1967 and stayed on for 18 seasons, eventually retiring in 1985.

[consultant](https://www.vikings.com/team/front-office-roster/) for the Vikings team. He then went on to play for four seasons with a Canadian team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he also coached after retiring as a player. Grant, who was born Harry Peter "Bud" Grant, Jr., had been immersed in the sports world for much of his life — participating in basketball, baseball, and football. He also made it to the Vikings Hall of Fame, in addition to being inducted into the [Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/bud-grant/) in 1994. [said](https://www.vikings.com/news/longform/bud-grant-head-coach-obituary-memoriam) on the Viking's memorial page for Grant, he was an "emotion-filled human being." [home](https://www.vikings.com/news/bud-grant-head-coach-legends-legacy-quotes), the team [announced](https://twitter.com/Vikings/status/1634604808320557056?s=20) in a tweet Saturday, adding that it is "absolutely devastated" about the loss.

Stoic Hall of Fame football coach Bud Grant has died at the age of 95. The Vikings announced his death on Saturday. Grant took the Minnesota Vikings to four ...

When he turned 95 on May 20, 2022, the team organized a Zoom call for him and several of his former players. He became an ambassador of sorts for the Vikings in the community, sometimes lending his voice in the lobbying effort to replace the Metrodome, where the team played from 1982-2013. "Bud was gracious with his time, meeting in his office weekly to discuss football and life. He strolled out for the pregame coin flip in a Vikings cap and a purple short-sleeved polo shirt, looking ready for a round of golf in defiance of temperatures of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 25 with the wind chill. The Vikings maintained a spacious office for him at their suburban headquarters, continuing to list him as a consultant on all team directories. He was second in the NFL with 56 receptions and 997 yards in 1952, before a contract dispute steered him to Winnipeg in the CFL. On one particularly harrowing visit to hunt in Canada in 2015, Grant's pilot safely belly-flopped a twin-engine plane after the landing gear and dashboard instruments failed. He infamously took the Vikings outdoors in the frigid winter for workouts and banned sideline heaters during games at Metropolitan Stadium. With such stars as Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Paul Krause and Ron Yary — all Pro Football Hall of Famers — Grant led the Vikings to 10 Central Division crowns in 11 seasons. He learned early about the coaching business after enlisting in 1945, and played on a team at the Great Lakes naval station outside Chicago run by Paul Brown, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL coach, executive and owner. He pursued basketball first, playing two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers and winning a title with them in 1950. "The only reason I can see for a head coach getting credit for something good is that he gets so much blame when something is bad," Grant once said.

Bud Grant, the stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who took the Minnesota Vikings and their mighty Purple People Eaters defense to four Super Bowls in ...

He became an ambassador of sorts for the Vikings in the community, sometimes lending his voice in the lobbying effort to replace the Metrodome, where the team played from 1982-2013. When he turned 95 on May 20, 2022, the team organized a Zoom call for him and several of his former players. He strolled out for the pregame coin flip in a Vikings cap and a purple short-sleeved polo shirt, looking ready for a round of golf in defiance of temperatures of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 25 with the wind chill. The Vikings maintained a spacious office for him at their suburban headquarters, continuing to list him as a consultant on all team directories. On one particularly harrowing visit to hunt in Canada in 2015, Grant’s pilot safely belly-flopped a twin-engine plane after the landing gear and dashboard instruments failed. He was second in the NFL with 56 receptions and 997 yards in 1952, before a contract dispute steered him to Winnipeg in the CFL. He infamously took the Vikings outdoors in the frigid winter for workouts and banned sideline heaters during games at Metropolitan Stadium. With such stars as Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Paul Krause and Ron Yary — all Pro Football Hall of Famers — Grant led the Vikings to 10 Central Division crowns in 11 seasons. He learned early about the coaching business after enlisting in 1945, and played on a team at the Great Lakes naval station outside Chicago run by Paul Brown, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL coach, executive and owner. He pursued basketball first, playing two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers and winning a title with them in 1950. After starring as a two-way player for the Blue Bombers, once snagging five interceptions in a playoff game, he became their coach and took them to six Grey Cup games —- winning the title in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962. “We are absolutely devastated to announce legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” the post said.

"We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news," Grant's former team wrote on Twitter Saturday.

No single individual more defined the Minnesota Vikings than Bud Grant. A once-in-a-lifetime man, Bud will forever be synonymous with success, toughness, ...

When he turned 95 on May 20, 2022, the team organized a Zoom call for him and several of his former players. He became an ambassador of sorts for the Vikings in the community, sometimes lending his voice in the lobbying effort to replace the Metrodome, where the team played from 1982-2013. “Bud was gracious with his time, meeting in his office weekly to discuss football and life. The Vikings maintained a spacious office for him at their suburban headquarters, continuing to list him as a consultant on all team directories. He strolled out for the pregame coin flip in a Vikings cap and a purple short-sleeved polo shirt, looking ready for a round of golf in defiance of temperatures of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 25 with the wind chill. He was second in the NFL with 56 receptions and 997 yards in 1952, before a contract dispute steered him to Winnipeg in the CFL. On one particularly harrowing visit to hunt in Canada in 2015, Grant’s pilot safely belly-flopped a twin-engine plane after the landing gear and dashboard instruments failed. He infamously took the Vikings outdoors in the frigid winter for workouts and banned sideline heaters during games at Metropolitan Stadium. With such stars as Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Paul Krause and Ron Yary — all Pro Football Hall of Famers — Grant led the Vikings to 10 Central Division crowns in 11 seasons. He learned early about the coaching business after enlisting in 1945, and played on a team at the Great Lakes naval station outside Chicago run by Paul Brown, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL coach, executive and owner. He pursued basketball first, playing two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers and winning a title with them in 1950. “The only reason I can see for a head coach getting credit for something good is that he gets so much blame when something is bad,” Grant once said.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on the passing of legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and NFL Hall of Famer, Bud Grant. “While I am saddened by the loss of our dear coach Bud Grant, ...

But above all, Bud was devoted to his family. The first few times it happened I would earnestly explain that my name wasn’t “Jim,” but after a while I got the drill, and I would just run to get my dad. “While I am saddened by the loss of our dear coach Bud Grant, we must also celebrate his long and storied career.