Every football team has had its moments of glory. Most have seen their share of success, except for four teams that have never made it to the Super Bowl. The Vikings are among those teams that have been there more than once, keeping fans interested and occasionally betting on their games (funny enough, I’ve picked up quite a bit about sports betting during this time, so when someone asks me about things like “what does moneyline mean,” I can easily explain or point them to the right website). But let’s be honest, their success story isn’t quite as epic as we’d all like it to be. The Vikings have had their hardships and their glory years, but during all of that time, they also had some successes. Here are the Vikings’ biggest successes so far.
The 1970 Super Bowl
Whenever a team makes it to the Super Bowl, it is a big deal, especially to the fans.
The Vikings made four Super Bowls and that is considered their pinnacle. Their 1970 Super Bowl trip was the first of the four (all of which took place in the same decade). They lost the match 23 to 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dave Osborn, fullback for the Vikings scored the only touchdown in the game for the Vikings.
The interesting fact about this match is that the Chiefs’ coach Hank Stram wore a microphone for the first time in a Super Bowl. He was being recorded (in secret) for a documentary.
The 1974 Super Bowl
The Vikings did not fare any better during their second Super Bowl appearance. They also scored 7 points as in the first one. The opposing team, the Miami Dolphins, scored 24 points, a single point more than the Chiefs who beat the Vikings in 1970.
The Vikings had a touchdown scored, as in the previous Super Bowl, this time, Fran Tarkenton being the one to score. Tarkenton is a legend among football players. However, his play could not make the difference against the Dolphins on that day.
The 1975 Super Bowl
Two consecutive Super Bowl attendances are amazing, or at least, they had been for the fans prior to witnessing the match.
This game, against the Pittsburgh Steelers was not any better than the previous games in the Super Bowl. In fact, it was a worse game by the Vikings. The only points that they got were through Terry Brown, who blocked a punt in the fourth quarter. They lost the match 16 to 6 to the steelers. Compared to their previous performances, this one was a bit more lacking and even though it was their consecutive Super Bowl attendance and a third one in total, they still failed to take home the prize.
The 1977 Super Bowl
This Super Bowl appearance was arguably the Vikings’ best collective effort at trying to take home a trophy. They did not manage to do it, but it was their best performance. The game had two touchdowns from the Vikings, one by Sammy White in the third quarter and another by Stu Voigt in the fourth.
The two touchdowns and successful kicks by Fred Cox (he made successful kicks in the previous Super Bowl appearances) amounted to the 14 points that the Vikings had. The opposing Oakland Raiders had 32 points and despite the Vikings’ good showing, they still lost the match.
The Vikings have had a plethora of success stories but their most successful ones were in the 1970s, while Bud Grant was their coach and when Fran Tarkenton was playing, among other great players of the 1970s rosters. Will we see more success from our Vikings? Time will tell.
