Happy Trails “Old Trapper”–Legendary Vikings Coach Bud Grants Passes Away
Joe Oberle
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Vikings Territory Breakdown:
The news in Purple Nation was devastating this past week. Reports of favorite players released, others’ contracts restructured and even more wanting to move on from the Vikings put a dour note on an already difficult offseason. But the sad news reached a zenith as we learned on March 11 that legendary and iconic Vikings head coach Bud Grant had passed away at the age of 95. The chilly and overcast Saturday turned a bit colder as we heard Bud’s final gun had sounded.
No man, player, coach or staff member has more represented the franchise than Harry Peter “Bud” Grant, as he walked the sidelines of Met Stadium with an icy glare and frozen steam billowing above his head. A native of Superior, Wisconsin, Bud was synonymous with the northland to all who knew the league during the Purple’s heydays of the 1970s. He led them to dominance in the division and NFC conference (including four Super Bowl appearances) without the aid of heaters or gloves on that frigid field in Bloomington and then headed to the north woods to hunt and fish. He encapsulated for so many what life was like and what we aspired to be here in Minnesota: successful, stoic and a great friend and neighbor to everyone he met.
Bud had a long and wonderful life and a sporting career that matched—winning an NBA Championship with the Minneapolis Lakers, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles (the only athlete to ever play for both professional leagues) and coaching the Winnipeg Bombers to four Grey Cup titles in the Canadian Football League. Though never winning that elusive NFL title, Bud lived his life joyously on his terms and leaves the world as an emblem of the state and an icon for all who call themselves Minnesotans. Though with us for nearly a century, he was active to the end and seemed to promise even more to come—he will be greatly missed.
We will remember the “Old Trapper” on this week’s installment of the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast, with stories of Bud and a look at his long and laudable legacy with the Vikings. We also examine the massive changes taking place on the current Vikings roster, as another Minnesotan, Adam Thielen, moves on from the Purple. Tune into VT Breakdown podcast for the latest.
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