- 1961
- 1982
- 1998
- 2005
- 2016
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Minnesota Vikings Team Formation
The team was officially named the Minnesota Vikings on September 27, 1960; the name is partly meant to reflect Minnesota’s place as a center of Scandinavian American culture. From the start, the Vikings embraced an energetic marketing program that produced first-year season ticket sales of nearly 26,000 and an average home attendance of 34,586, about 85 percent of Metropolitan Stadium’s ... -
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome – Vikings
As the stadium was designed first and foremost for the Minnesota Vikings, they had the fewest problems. However, the economics of 21st century professional sports meant that the Vikings owners wanted more luxury suites and better concessions. Renovations were rejected twice, with the 2001 price tag at $269 million. The Vikings played their first game at the Metrodome in a ... -
Red McCombs Owner
In 1998, Red McCombs bought the Minnesota Vikings for US$250 million. After an unsuccessful attempt to replace the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, McCombs sold the team to new owner Zygi Wilf before the 2005 football season. -
Zygi Wilf Owner
Wilf and five partners purchased the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League from Red McCombs in 2005 for a reported US$600 million. Forbes estimates the 2014 value of the franchise at US$1.007 billion or 21st of the 32 NFL teams. For several years the Vikings and Wilf have stated that their former home, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was ... -
U.S. Bank Stadium Opens
U.S. Bank Stadium is a fixed-roof stadium located in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, on the former site of Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. U.S. Bank Stadium serves as the home of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) and the Minnesota Golden Gophers Baseball Team (NCAA). The Vikings played at the Metrodome from 1982 ...
History of the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are an American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for the 1961 season. The team competes in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division; before that, the Vikings were in the NFC Central, and before that, they were in the NFL's Western Conference Central Division. The team has played in four Super Bowl games, but lost each one. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis.
The Vikings have an all-time overall record of 516–442–11, the highest regular season and combined winning percentage among NFL franchises who have not won a Super Bowl, in addition to the most playoff runs, division titles, and (tied with the Buffalo Bills) Super Bowl appearances. They also have the most conference championship appearances of non-winning Super Bowl teams, with them being one of three (along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams) to appear in a conference championship every decade since the 1970s. The only NFL franchise with a winning regular season and combined records to not win a Super Bowl, the Vikings hold the NFL franchise record for most playoff losses in league history at 30.
Established
1961
City
Minneapolis
League History
1961 - Present / National Football League
Team History
1961 - Present / Minnesota Vikings
Nickname
Vikings - Bert Rose, Minnesota’s general manager when it joined the NFL in 1961, recommended the nickname to the team’s Board of Directors because “it represented both an aggressive person with the will to win and the Nordic tradition in the northern Midwest.” The expansion franchise also became the first pro sports team to feature its home state, rather than a city, in the team name.
Championship
Super Bowl 0
Stadium
2016 - Present / U.S. Bank Stadium
2014 - 2015 / TCF Bank Stadium
1982 - 2016 / Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
1961 - 1981 / Metropolitan Stadium
Owner
2005 - Present / Zygi Wilf and family, and Reggie Fowler
1998 - 2005 / Red McCombs
1991 - 1998 / Roger Headrick
1988 - 1991 / Skoglund, Winter, Ridder, Carl Pohlad, and Irwin Jacobs
1976 - 1988 / Skoglund, Winter, and Ridder
1972 - 1976 / Skoglund, Winter, Ridder, and Haugsrud
1961 - 1972 / Bill Boyer, H. P. Skoglund, Max Winter, Bernie Ridder, and Ole Haugsrud
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
10 / Fran Tarkenton
53 / Mick Tingelhoff
70 / Jim Marshall
77 / Korey Stringer
80 / Cris Carter
88 / Alan Page
*Blue is this team’s history