Every football club has its greats, from quarterbacks, to running back, passers, defense players, to coaches and even trainers. Everybody, including managers and the organization, are to an extent included and have an influence on how a team will perform.
The Minnesota Vikings, just like the rest of the football teams, have their own important Vikings, or rather, people who took part in making the team better. Here are the Minnesota Vikings’ best people, in no particular order.
Bud Grant – The Best Coach
Bud Grant has done many great things over the course of his career with the Vikings.
He had a total of 28 seasons with the Vikings and took them further than any other coach did. He made four Super Bowls which unfortunately for him and the team and fans, the Vikings never won. Consequently, the Vikings never reached another Super Bowl after he moved on, in 1985.
He has a lot of victories with the Vikings, but more importantly, many great memories.
He was inducted in the Vikings’ Ring of Honor in 1998. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame, both in the NFL and in Canada. He is considered one of the most important coaches in general and not just for the Vikings.
Fran Tarkenton – The Quarterback
There have been plenty of quarterbacks in the Vikings’ history, but none of them as valuable as Fran Tarkenon was and still is to the team. Brought to the team in 1961, he played for the Vikings until 1978, excluding three years from 1968 until 1971 when he played for the Giants. With the Vikings, however, he made three Super Bowls, missing only the first one in 1970.
He was a spectacular player, leading the league often. He was named MVP in 1975. He is also in the Ring of Honor, among other great Vikings. He is, of course, in the Hall of Fame, being one of the most notable quarterbacks.
Fred Zamberletti – The Trainer
There have been many Vikings who stuck by the team for a while but none like Fred Zamberletti, the Coach for Life, who stood by the team until he retired (into another role within the team, one not as difficult). Born in 1932, he joined the Vikings in 1961 and stayed with the team as head athletic coach until 1998. He then had other roles in the team, until 2018, the year he passed away. He is known by many nicknames in the team, such as The Man and Mr. Viking.
Carl Eller – The Defense
Carl Eller was with the Vikings in all four of the Super Bowl attendances. He spent most of his field days in the Vikings. The team won plenty of titles with him as one of the defense players. With the rest of the people mentioned above, he was responsible for arguably the best success the Vikings had in their history.
The Vikings have plenty of important people who played their part in making the team better. These are some of them and the rest, you can find in the Ring of Honor.
