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Bud Grant, the Hall of Famer and head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for 18 seasons, passed away on Saturday morning, the team announced. He was 95.
“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,” the Vikings wrote on Twitter. “We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news.”
Grant was the most successful coach in Vikings history, and the fifth most successful professional football coach overall with a combined 286 wins in the NFL and Canadian Football League. He was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
“Grant built the Vikings into a dominant bunch of marauders where the NFL/NFC Central was concerned. In an 11-season span from 1968-1978, Grant's Vikings sailed to 10 Central Division titles,” wrote NFL.com's Grant Gordon on Saturday.
“In total, Grant coached 18 NFL seasons — all with the Vikings — and compiled a 158-96-5 record to stand as the winningest coach in franchise history. In his time with Minnesota, Grant's Vikings earned 12 playoff berths and won 11 division titles. Synonymous with the Vikings as their legendary coach, Grant was also a historically gifted athlete in his own right and an all-time great in the Canadian Football League coaching ranks.”
Bud Grant remains the only person to have played in the NFL, CFL and NBA after he was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1950. He played for both teams before a stint with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL.
After retiring, he coached the Bombers to six Grey Cup appearances and four wins; he was the first to coach teams to a Grey Cup and Super Bowl and remains just the second coach in history.
“The open air above them, the frozen ground below, these Vikings were emblematic of their coach,” wrote Gordon. “They were tough, they were enduring, and they were winners.”
