Bud Grant epitomized Minnesota toughness. 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 Vikings. He enjoyed fishing and hunting. Heck, he wore short sleeves to a playoff game when he was 88 and it was six-below outside.
Advertisement
Grant was one of the greatest athletes to come through Minnesota, then its greatest football coach. 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. As a player, he was a three-sport standout with the University of Minnesota Gophers, then a professional in both the NBA and NFL.
On Saturday morning, Grant died at the age of 95, the Vikings announced.
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. We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news. pic.twitter.com/z2NNlNAY44 — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 11, 2023
Few in this state can match the resume Grant put together in his decades involved in Minnesota sports, highlighted by his run with the Vikings.
He took over a downtrodden franchise in 1967 that had posted just one season with a record above .500 and quickly brought them success similar to how he had done with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The turnaround under Grant was quick. Beginning in his second year at the helm, the Vikings won four straight division titles and 10 of 11, the most successful stretch in franchise history.
Grant took the Vikings to four Super Bowls from 1969 to 1976, including three in a four-year span starting in 1973. They lost all four.
But Grant’s mark in making the Vikings one of the most legitimate franchises in the NFL was made. 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. More than five decades after his start in Minnesota, Grant still ranks 17th in all-time NFL wins as a head coach.
Advertisement
His run in the CFL was even more successful. After four years as a player in Winnipeg, the Blue Bombers made Grant the youngest coach in CFL history and he was on the sideline at 30 years old for his first game. His impact was swift.
Grant’s Blue Bombers reached the Grey Cup in his first year as coach capping a 12-4 season, then followed it with four Grey Cup titles in the next five years, knocking off the Hamilton Tiger-Cats each time.
He left the Blue Bombers for the Vikings after the 1966 season with a 102-56-2 regular-season record and even more impressive 13-4 mark in the playoffs.
Grant got the job in Winnipeg by impressing the team with his ability as a player. He arrived in 1953 after two successful NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles but bolted for the CFL over contract disputes with the Eagles.
He quickly became one of the CFL’s most productive wide receivers, and also played defense, a trait he picked up in the NFL. With the Eagles, Grant led the team in sacks his first season, then moved to receiver and led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns.
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 was a first-round pick of the Eagles, but played in the NBA for Sid Hartman and the Minneapolis Lakers for two years.
Grant had six children with his wife Pat, who died in 2009. His son, Mike, has won more than 300 games and 11 state titles as the football coach at Eden Prairie High School, and his grandson, Ryan Grant, was a linebacker for the Gophers from 2008-12.
Grant’s influence in Minnesota athletics remained after he stepped away from the Vikings. He remained a consultant with the team and maintained an office at the team’s practice facility. He held regular garage sales to offer his belongings and memorabilia to fans. And he appeared at games, including the Vikings’ playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2016 when Grant wore short sleeves onto the field despite the sub-zero temperature.
GO DEEPER Metrodome pieces, hotel soap and duck decoys galore at Bud Grant’s garage sale
(Photo: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)
Bud Grant, legendary Vikings coach and Minnesota sports figure, dies at 95
- Advertisment - 
Recent Comments
on Iowa State starting RB Jirehl Brock among latest college football players charged in gambling probe
on The Rev. Al Sharpton to lead protest after Florida governor’s ban of African American studies course
on Sports World Hails ‘Superwoman’ Lindsey Vonn for Her Grand Comeback Despite Career-Changing Injury
on San Mateo County Community College District sues five companies over role in ‘pay to play’ scandal
on Saipan, placid island setting for Assange’s last battle, is briefly mobbed – and bemused by the fuss
on ‘Pokémon Scarlet’ and ‘Violet’ Fan Theories Suggest Legendary Time Travel, Alternate Dimension Plot
on Joe Manchin and Tommy Tuberville introduce bill on name, image and likeness rules for college sports
on Inside the Michael Jordan ‘Air’ movie, plus why NFL, others are buying into the sports film industry
on If you’re a frequent traveler, these wrap tops from Aday will revolutionize your on-the-go wardrobe
on How Does Jack Nicklaus Travel? Exploring the Private Jets Owned by the ‘Golden Bear’ Over the Years
on Hollywood Reporter: Tom Cruise negotiated with movie studios over AI before the actors strike began
on Ford Blue Cruise: US regulators investigate fatal crashes involving hands-free driving technology
on Dozens of boats cruise the Seine in a rehearsal for the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on July 26
on Devout athletes find strength in their faith. But practicing it and elite sports can pose hurdles
on Despite strong Lunar New Year holiday data, consumer spending in China isn’t roaring back just yet
on David and Victoria Beckham so ‘Charmed’ by Tom Cruise They Have His Photos on Display at Their Home
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on CBS Sports announces Matt Ryan will join NFL studio show. Longtime analysts Simms and Esiason depart
on Boston College vs. Army live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on Boise State vs. Air Force live stream, odds, channel, prediction, how to watch on CBS Sports Network
on Biden to tout bill’s prescription drug prices, energy provisions in pitch to Americans, aide says
on After UFC Fallout, Conor McGregor Offers a Valuable Piece of Advice to Free Agent Francis Ngannou
on 2024 Super Bowl: CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports HQ to combine for 115 hours of weeklong coverage
on ‘Best Intention’: Chris Kirk Has Absolute Trust in Jay Monahan and PGA Tour’s Widely Debated Model
on 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team: CBS Sports draft expert, former GM unveil league’s best first-year players
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CBS Sports announces Matt Ryan will join NFL studio show. Longtime analysts Simms and Esiason depart
on Carlos Sainz’s Soccer Fanboy Emerges as Spaniard Shares Defining Moment With This Real Madrid Legend
on Biden: ‘At this point I’m not’ planning to visit East Palestine, Ohio, after toxic train derailment
on ‘Best Intention’: Chris Kirk Has Absolute Trust in Jay Monahan and PGA Tour’s Widely Debated Model
on Ahead of big sports weekend, dispute with Disney leaves millions of cable subscribers in the dark
on A heavy wave of Russian missile attacks pounds areas across Ukraine, killing at least 4 civilians
on 2024 Super Bowl: CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports HQ to combine for 115 hours of weeklong coverage
on 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team: CBS Sports draft expert, former GM unveil league’s best first-year players
on Army vs. Coastal Carolina live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez Spreads Joy and Sportsmanship to the Youth of Loma de Cabrera
on After UFC Fallout, Conor McGregor Offers a Valuable Piece of Advice to Free Agent Francis Ngannou
on Dubai International Airport sees 41.6 million passengers in first half of year, more than in 2019
on Devout athletes find strength in their faith. But practicing it and elite sports can pose hurdles
on Despite strong Lunar New Year holiday data, consumer spending in China isn’t roaring back just yet
on Dave Portnoy: Taylor Swift’s security should ‘drag Kim Kardashian to jail’ if she attends Eras Tour
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CBS Sports, Serie A announce new TV rights deal; Paramount+ to air over 400 Italian soccer matches
on Cam Newton’s Violent Public Incident Draws Hilarious Reaction From 3x All-Star: “Where Do I Sign Up
on Boston College vs. Army live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on Angel Reese Launches Foundation Dedicated To Empowering Women Through Sports & Financial Literacy
on A weaker dollar, skyrocketing prices and ‘record’ visitor numbers: Good luck in Europe this summer