BUD GRANT
Game 58 | February 20, 1957 | Bud Grant, Wayne Robinson, Bob Hobert
Hobert, a Gopher football All-American and Phi Beta Kappa selection the year before, followed Grant and Robinson from Minnesota to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. All three are members of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. Robinson, like Grant, became the Blue Bombers head coach. Grant would return to succeed Norm VanBrocklin as coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 1967.
Game 151 | April 26, 1967 | Bud Grant, Clint Jones
In trading Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants, the Minnesota Vikings acquired a first-round draft choice they used to select Michigan State running back Jones. The second choice overall, Jones became a fixture in the Vikings backfield for the next six years. For most of his career he teamed with either Bill Brown or Dave Osborn. He led the team in rushing in 1971, but was traded to San Diego when the Vikings needed to make room for Chuck Foreman.
Game 326 | July 31, 1985 | Bud Grant
The Vikings were in desperate need of a coach following the unsuccessful Les Steckel experiment in 1984. Grant, who had coached the team to four Super Bowls between 1967 and 1983, agreed to return for the 1985 season. Under Grant's steady hand the team improved from 3-13 to 7-9, and Bud retired for good at the end of the season in favor of long-time friend and assistant Jerry Burns.
Game 454 | March 1, 1994 | Bud Grant
During his 18 years as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Grant led the team to four Super Bowls. In 1994 he was honored by the National Football League as a new member in its Hall of Fame. Grant was introduced by long-time friend Sid Hartman. Despite his best efforts to remain stoic, Grant temporarily broke down during his remarks when he talked about how proud his parents would have been.
Game 703 | September 13, 2007 | Bud Grant
The Minnesota Vikings in 2007 celebrated the 40th anniversary of Grant's being named their head coach. A Terry Fogarty lithograph was commissioned with proceeds going to the Vikings Children's Fund. Grant told Dunkers that there were a number of things in pro football he would change, including making it mandatory to return punts and kickoffs, making the point after touchdown more difficult and changing the number of points on a field goal to correspond to the distance of the kick.
Game 814 | September 19, 2013 | Bud Grant
The third winningest coach in professional football history behind only Don Shula and George Halas, Grant shared stories about his brief career with the Minneapolis Lakers, his near miss on a fatal airplane crash in Canada and his induction into the pro football Hall of Fame. His appearance came the same week as the release of his new book, "I Did It My Way," in which he suggested both scoring and rule changes to make professional football more interesting.
Game 956 | October 26, 2021 | Remembering Sid: Erik Eskola, Jeff Day, Bud Grant, Bob Hagan, Dave Mona, Patrick Reusse
In a meeting dominated by poignant and funny stories, Sid was remembered by former colleagues Patrick Reusse, Dave Mona, Jeff Day , Bob Hagan and Eric Eskola. Guest Bud Grant, who described Sid as his best friend for more than 70 years, joined into the conversation when prompted by panelist Bob Hagan.
(LtoR) Patrick Reusse, Jeff Day, Lea B Olsen, Bob Hagan, Dave Mona, Eric Eskloa (moderator)
(LtoR) Bob Hagan, Jeff Day, Dave Mona, Patrick Reusse, Eric Eskola
(LtoR) Mike Grant, Bud Grant
