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95-549: GMT900 had been called a " Hail Mary pass " for the General Motors Corporation ;— the company needed the revenue from these large trucks to ensure their financial solvency. The company's resources were focused exclusively on GMT900 development through 2005, delaying other programs like the GM Zeta platform . With the 2005 spike in gasoline prices, some analysts have questioned the wisdom of "betting

190-656: A cable television program set by a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys in 2008 (18.6 million viewers). The Vikings beat the New York Giants, 44–7, in Week 17 to help the team clinch the second seed in the conference and a first-round-bye with an Eagles loss later that same day. The Vikings ended the regular season with a 12–4 record, their best record since 2000 and

285-745: A "Hail Mary attack" will throw every exploit it has against a system to see whether any of them work. When the Pennsylvania Republican Party sold its headquarters in Harrisburg to the Catholic Church , this was described by The New York Times as "a real-life Hail Mary". After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Pope Francis ' attempts to stop the conflict by consecrating Russia and Ukraine to

380-408: A "Hail Mary" plan. This usage, however, did not refer to the plan's chances of success but to the movement of Coalition forces to the left side of the front lines prior to the attack, which reflected the formation for a Hail Mary pass in which all the offensive team's wide receivers line up on one side of the line of scrimmage. Various legal actions attempting to overturn Donald Trump 's defeat in

475-588: A .500 record (8–8) in the regular season and win a playoff game (The St. Louis Rams did the same thing only a day earlier). In the divisional round, the Vikings were defeated by the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles . On March 2, 2005, Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders' first-round draft pick. After struggling to

570-521: A 24–10 deficit in the final four minutes of regulation. Favre threw for a career-high 446 passing yards. The Vikings then went on to face the Chicago Bears , but were defeated, and then went on to be blown out 31–3 at home by the Packers the following game. Head coach Brad Childress was fired the following Monday. With Leslie Frazier filling in for the fired Childress, the Vikings won two games in

665-418: A 40-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime. The Vikings performed similarly in the 2010s, only making the playoffs four times and going 2–4 in those games. Additionally, there was inconsistency at the quarterback position, with thirteen quarterbacks starting at least one game for the team during this decade. Despite their performance, the team performed better in the regular season overall after

760-470: A 5–11 record in 2001. The team made the playoffs again in 2004, but did not win a divisional title again until 2008. Since the merger, the 2000s became the decade with the fewest playoff berths for the franchise. In 2000 , the Vikings went 11–5. The Vikings were 11–2 after 14 weeks, but slumped briefly, losing their last three to the Rams , Packers and Colts while starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper

855-477: A Hail Mary." Crowley often told the story of a game between Notre Dame and Georgia Tech on October 28, 1922, in which the Fighting Irish players said Hail Mary prayers together before scoring each of the touchdowns, before winning the game 13–3. According to Crowley, it was one of the team's linemen, Noble Kizer (a Presbyterian ), who suggested praying before the first touchdown, which occurred on

950-420: A disappointing 2–5 start to the 2005 season , Vikings lost quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a season-ending knee injury. This injury was a very significant part to this Minnesota Vikings team due to the fact they also lost Moss. The dynamic duo from years earlier was now gone and a new leader would eventually emerge. The Vikings finished the 2005 season with a 9–7 record. In October, 17 team members were part of

1045-616: A dominant 10-year run as a premier NFL defensive back. The Vikings beat the St. Louis Cardinals 28–10 on August 6, 1983, at Wembley Stadium in London in the first international game in the NFL. On January 27, 1984, Bud Grant retired as head coach of the Vikings. With a career regular-season record of 151–87–5 (.632) in 17 seasons with Minnesota, Grant led the franchise to 12 playoff appearances, 11 division titles, and four Super Bowls. Les Steckel , who

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1140-524: A fourth and goal play at the Georgia Tech 6-yard line during the second quarter. Quarterback Harry Stuhldreher , another of the Horsemen, threw a quick pass over the middle to Paul Castner for the score. The ritual was repeated before a third and goal play, again at Georgia Tech's 6-yard line, in the fourth quarter. This time Stuhldreher ran for a touchdown, which sealed the win for Notre Dame. After

1235-623: A franchise in the new American Football League (AFL). Five months later, in January 1960, after significant pressure from the NFL, the ownership group, along with Bernard H. Ridder , reneged on its agreement with the AFL and then was awarded the National Football League's 14th franchise, with play to begin in 1961. Ole Haugsrud was added to the NFL team ownership because, in the 1920s, when he sold his Duluth Eskimos team back to

1330-482: A game Minnesota won, 7–3. The first touchdown in the new facility was scored by Joe Senser on an 11-yard pass from Tommy Kramer . The first regular-season game in the Metrodome was the 1982 opener on September 12, when the Vikings defeated Tampa Bay , 17–10. Rickey Young scored the first regular-season touchdown in the facility on a 3-yard run in the 2nd quarter. That year the defense led by Joey Browner began

1425-576: A little over a minute left in the game, but failed to get the ball into the end zone. The Vikings' hopes of a Super Bowl ended when Darrin Nelson dropped a pass from Wade Wilson on fourth down at the goal line. On October 12, 1989, the Vikings acquired Herschel Walker from Dallas. The final result of the trade gave the Vikings Walker, third-round choice Mike Jones, fifth-round choice Reggie Thornton and 10th-round choice Pat Newman in 1990 and

1520-403: A month later, Brett Favre 's NFL investigation for allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to Jets' employee Jenn Sterger while he was with the team in 2008, the Metrodome's collapse and resulting venue changes, and finally head coach Brad Childress ' firing on November 22 following a 31–3 loss at the hands of the rival Green Bay Packers . After serving as the interim head coach for

1615-432: A party of about 90 that went out on a pleasure cruise on local Lake Minnetonka . The incident erupted into scandal when media reported that a number of the players had performed sex acts and that prostitutes had been flown in. Four players were ultimately charged with misdemeanors related to the party. Mike Tice was fired by owner Zygi Wilf after the 2005 season and was replaced by Brad Childress . Minnesota began

1710-470: A powerful defense known as the Purple People Eaters , led by Alan Page , Carl Eller , Gary Larsen , and Jim Marshall . In 1968 , that stingy defense earned the Vikings their first Central Division title and their first playoff berth. In 1969 , the Vikings secured a 12–2 record. The team had 12 straight regular-season victories after a season-opening loss to the New York Giants, which

1805-743: A professional American football team based in Minneapolis . The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion team , the team began play the following year . They are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia , reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota . The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in

1900-804: A row. One against the Washington Redskins on the road, and a blowout win over the Buffalo Bills at home. After a winter storm dropped nearly 17 inches (430 mm) of snow in the Minneapolis/St Paul area the Saturday before the Vikings December 12 home game versus the New York Giants and 30 mph (48 km/h) gusts drove snow removers off the dome's roof overnight, several panels were damaged as

1995-495: A single extra point or field goal attempt the entire year), missed a 38-yard field goal attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining , the Falcons' ensuing drive tied the game. This led to a controversial decision by head coach Dennis Green to run out the clock and let the game go to overtime. Though the Vikings won the coin toss, Atlanta went on to win it 30–27 in overtime on Morten Andersen 's 38-yard field goal. The Vikings became

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2090-421: A third-round choice Jake Reed in 1991. Dallas received Issiac Holt, David Howard, Darrin Nelson, Jesse Solomon, Alex Stewart, a first-, second- and a sixth-round choice in 1990, first- and second-round choices in 1991 and a first-, second- and third-round choice in 1992. Two of those selections turned into Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson . Walker's performance fell short of expectations in his three seasons with

2185-680: A trade with the New England Patriots . Even with the addition of Moss, the Vikings lost to the New York Jets 29–20 in Week 5. The Vikings won a crucial victory against another struggling team in the form of the Dallas Cowboys 24–21, but in Week 7 the Vikings lost to the arch-rival Green Bay Packers 28–24. In Week 9, the Vikings played the Arizona Cardinals at home and won 27–24 in overtime, coming back from

2280-529: Is a very long forward pass in American football , typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion . Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catholic " Hail Mary " prayer for strength and help. The expression goes back at least to the 1930s, when it was used publicly by Elmer Layden and Jim Crowley , two former members of

2375-484: The 1978 Washington Redskins . In 2004 , Daunte Culpepper amassed MVP-like statistics, throwing for 4,717 passing yards (leading the NFL), 39 passing touchdowns (a Viking record), and 5,123 total yards (an NFL record). In the wild card game, the Vikings defeated the rival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in their first-ever playoff meeting, 31–17. In doing so, the Vikings became the second team in NFL history to have

2470-569: The 2006 season 4–2 (with Childress becoming the first Vikings coach to start his career 2–0), but finished the year at 6–10, receiving the 7th pick in the NFL draft ; with it, the Vikings selected Adrian Peterson out of the University of Oklahoma . Peterson's first career touchdown was a 60-yard screen pass against the Atlanta Falcons in his first career game. When the Vikings played

2565-468: The 2012 NFL draft , the team selected USC lineman Matt Kalil with the 4th overall pick after a trade with the Cleveland Browns , and Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith in the first round. Both players were instrumental in helping the Vikings reach the playoffs for the 27th time in franchise history, as was fellow draftee, sixth-round kicker Blair Walsh . After beating the Packers in

2660-647: The 2013 season , including an NFC Championship appearance in 2017 . In the first week of the 2010 NFL regular season, the Vikings played the defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints. The Vikings lost 14–9. In Week 2, the Vikings played the Miami Dolphins and lost 14–10. The Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions 24–10 in the third week of the season. After a week four bye-week, the Vikings received star wide receiver Randy Moss in

2755-508: The 2020 U.S. presidential election , in particular the Texas v. Pennsylvania Supreme Court lawsuit, were described as "Hail Marys". There are similar usages in other fields, such as a "Hail Mary shot" in photography where a photographer holds the view finder of an SLR camera away from the eyes (so unable to compose the picture), usually high above the head, and takes a shot. This is often used in crowded situations. In computer security ,

2850-506: The Chicago Bears in Week 6, Peterson broke the record for single-game All-Purpose (rushing, receiving, kick returning) yards (361 total yards, 224 rushing). In Week 9, Peterson broke the NFL single-game rushing record set by Jamal Lewis in 2003 by rushing for 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers . Despite a strong push in the middle of the season, winning five straight games, the Vikings lost their final two games to finish

2945-601: The Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs , 17–14, on a controversial touchdown pass from the Cowboys' quarterback Roger Staubach to wide receiver Drew Pearson that became known as the Hail Mary . The touchdown was controversial because many felt that Pearson pushed off on Vikings defensive back Nate Wright , committing pass interference . As the Metropolitan Stadium crowd was stunned to learn that no penalty

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3040-531: The Downtown East section of Minneapolis. The Vikings have an all-time overall record of 523–435–11 , the highest regular season and combined winning percentage among NFL franchises who have not won a Super Bowl , in addition the most playoff runs, division titles, and (tied with the Buffalo Bills ) Super Bowl appearances. They also have the most conference championship appearances of non-winning Super Bowl teams, with them being one of four (along with

3135-641: The Immaculate Heart of Mary was called the "Pope's Hail Mary pass". At the end of the NASCAR Cup Series ' 2022 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway , Ross Chastain 's wall-ride move to get the positions he needed to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 was given the name "Hail Melon", combining the name of the football pass play with Chastain's association with watermelons. Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are

3230-612: The Los Angeles Rams 14–10 in frozen Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings played in their second straight Super Bowl, Super Bowl IX (3rd overall), losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers , 16–6, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12, 1975. Led by Tarkenton and running back Chuck Foreman , the 1975 Vikings got off to a 10–0 start and easily won another division title. However, the Vikings lost to

3325-562: The NFL Most Valuable Player Award given by the Associated Press . He was the first defensive player to win the award. On January 27, 1972, the Vikings traded Norm Snead , Bob Grim, Vince Clements and first-round draft picks in 1972 and 1973 to the New York Giants to reacquire the popular Fran Tarkenton. While the acquisitions of Tarkenton and wide receiver John Gilliam improved the passing attack,

3420-560: The New York Giants 20–19 in Week 17, when kicker Ryan Longwell made the game-winning field goal. Peterson had 19 carries for 109 yards and added a touchdown during the game. On January 4, 2009, the Vikings hosted the Philadelphia Eagles for the wild-card round, their first home playoff game in eight years. The Eagles led the Viking 16–14 at halftime and, coming off a 44–6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys , went on to defeat

3515-492: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish 's Four Horsemen . Originally meaning any sort of desperation play, a Hail Mary pass gradually came to denote a long, low-probability pass, typically of the " alley-oop " variety, attempted at the end of a half when a team is too far from the end zone to execute a more conventional play, implying that it would take a miracle for the play to succeed. For more than 40 years, use of

3610-709: The Pittsburgh Steelers , Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams ) to appear in a conference championship every decade since the 1970s. Professional football in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area (the "Twin Cities") began with the Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets , an NFL team that played intermittently in the 1920s and 1930s. However, a new professional team in the area did not surface again until August 1959, when Minnesota businessmen Bill Boyer , H. P. Skoglund , and Max Winter were awarded

3705-598: The Pro Football Hall of Fame . The team was officially named the Minnesota Vikings on September 27, 1960; the name is partly meant to reflect Minnesota's place as a center of Scandinavian American culture. From the start, the Vikings embraced an energetic marketing program that produced first-year season ticket sales of nearly 26,000 and an average home attendance of 34,586, about 85 percent of Metropolitan Stadium 's capacity of 40,800. Eventually,

3800-515: The Ravens 19–3. Tice was named the permanent coach after the season, but he would not lead the Vikings back to the playoffs until 2004. In 2002, as part of the league's realignment with the addition of the Houston Texans , the Vikings and their other traditional NFC Central rivals became part of the newly formed NFC North . During the 2003 season , the Vikings came close to getting into

3895-628: The St. Louis Rams in the Divisional matchup. The game was a shootout that Minnesota led 17–14 at halftime, but the Rams outscored Minnesota 35–20 in the second half to win 49–37. The Vikings entered the decade by winning the divisional championship and an appearance in the NFC Championship game, where they were defeated 41–0 by the New York Giants. The following season, they struggled by posting

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3990-522: The Twin Cities under the condition that his visit was to be kept secret from his current employer. His cover was blown by local columnist Sid Hartman , who reported the visit and forced Parseghian to issue denials. Philadelphia Eagles assistant Nick Skorich and a man with Minnesota ties who was working in the CFL , Bud Grant , were also candidates until a different Eagle, quarterback Norm Van Brocklin ,

4085-418: The goal line to keep the receivers in front of them without covering a post route behind them. Miami's defense was based on the assumption that the five-foot-nine-inch Flutie could not throw the ball as far as the end zone: instead, Flutie hit Phelan in stride against a flatfooted defense a yard deep in the end zone as time expired. To commemorate the play, a statue of Flutie in his Hail Mary passing pose

4180-642: The 1922 Georgia Tech game, afterwards called it a "Hail Mary" play. An early appearance of the term was in an Associated Press story about the upcoming 1941 Orange Bowl between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Georgetown Hoyas . The piece appeared in several newspapers including the December 31, 1940, Daytona Beach Morning Journal under the headline, "Orange Bowl: [Georgetown] Hoyas Put Faith in 'Hail Mary' Pass". As

4275-501: The 1960s as the Vikings had a combined record of 32 wins, 59 losses, and 7 ties in their first seven seasons with only one winning season (8–5–1 in 1964). On March 7, 1967, quarterback Fran Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants for a first-round and second-round draft choice in 1967, a first-round choice in 1968 and a second-round choice in 1969. With the picks, Minnesota selected Clinton Jones and Bob Grim in 1967, Ron Yary in 1968 and Ed White in 1969. On March 10, 1967,

4370-656: The Central Division with a 9–5 record and advanced to their 4th NFC Championship Game in 5 years, but were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl Champion Cowboys , 23–6, at Texas Stadium . By 1978 , age was taking its toll on the Vikings, but they still made the playoffs with an 8–7–1 record. There was no more playoff magic as the Rams finally defeated the Vikings, 34–10 in Los Angeles after having lost in their previous four playoff matchups (in 1969, '74, '76 and '77). Quarterback Fran Tarkenton retired following

4465-598: The Divisional Playoff game, they beat the 13–2 San Francisco 49ers 36–24 at Candlestick Park . During that game, Anthony Carter set the all-time record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 227 yards. The Vikings played the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship Game on January 17, 1988, at RFK Stadium . Trailing 17–10, the Vikings drove to the Redskins' 6-yard line with

4560-492: The Metrodome on December 29, 2013, defeating the Detroit Lions 14–13 to end the season. Since the team's first season in 1961, the Vikings have had one of the highest winning percentages in the NFL. As of 2022, they have won at least three games in every season except in 1962 , and are one of only seven NFL teams to win at least 15 games in a regular season. The Vikings have won one NFL Championship , in 1969 , before

4655-409: The NFL announced that the game versus the Philadelphia Eagles was being postponed to Tuesday, December 28, 2010, because of blizzard conditions . This marks the third consecutive venue or date change for a Vikings game and was the first NFL game played on a Tuesday since 1964. The Vikings proceeded to upset the dynamic Eagles offense, led by a resurgent Michael Vick , 24–14 with rookie Joe Webb at

4750-586: The SUV plant in Janesville, Wisconsin , consolidating SUV production in Arlington, Texas . The related Silverado and Sierra pickups started production in late 2006. The Hummer H2 was meant to move to the new platform in the next few years, but has since been cancelled (although the engines and gauge cluster shape has been carried over). Due to a long-lasting downturn in sales of full-size trucks and SUVs in

4845-1023: The SWB versions began at Janesville Assembly in Janesville, Wisconsin in early January 2006. Production of long wheelbase trucks ( Suburban / Yukon XL ) begins in Janesville and at Silao Assembly in Silao, Guanajuato , in March. The Avalanche will be produced only in Silao, and Escalade production began in March 2006, with the ESV being produced in Arlington and the EXT being produced in Silao. The SUVs began to show up at dealers in January 2006. Sales initially exceeded expectations, but by 2008, General Motors announced they were significantly cutting back production. GM has closed

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4940-524: The United States (up to a 30% down through the first nine months of 2008), General Motors cancelled the next-generation CXX truck program in May 2008. Along with it, the replacements for the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and their siblings at GMC and Cadillac. The automotive press has speculated that some GMT900 SUV models may move to the GM Lambda platform . On January 14, 2010, General Motors announced that they will resume development of full-size trucks and SUVs. Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass

5035-404: The Vikings 26–14. Since 2006, the Vikings have been known especially for their strong run defense (#1 in the NFL in 2006, 2007, and 2008; they are the first NFL team to accomplish this since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970), anchored by the Williams Wall consisting of defensive tackle Kevin Williams and nose tackle Pat Williams (no relation). With the addition of sack-leader Jared Allen in 2008,

5130-414: The Vikings hired new head coach Bud Grant to replace Van Brocklin, who had resigned on February 11, 1967. Grant came to the Vikings from the Canadian Football League as head coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers , whom he led to four Grey Cup Championships in 10 years. Replacing Tarkenton at quarterback was eight-year CFL veteran and Grey Cup champion Joe Kapp . During the late 1960s, the Vikings built

5225-431: The Vikings, while the Cowboys rode their draft picks to three Super Bowl victories in the early-to-mid-1990s. On December 3, 1991, Jerry Burns announced his retirement effective at the end of the 1991 season. In six seasons as head coach of the Vikings, Burns compiled a career record of 52–43 (.547). He also led Minnesota to three playoff appearances, including a division title and an NFC Championship Game. Dennis Green

5320-399: The Vikings. On October 5, 2009, the Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers as Favre played his former team for the first time. With a 30–23 victory on Monday Night Football , the Vikings moved to a 4–0 record. Favre became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 current teams as a starter. Over 21.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the game, beating the previous record for

5415-406: The article explained, "A 'hail Mary' pass, in the talk of the Washington eleven, is one that is thrown with a prayer because the odds against completion are big." During an NBC broadcast in 1963, Staubach, then a Navy quarterback, described a pass play during his team's victory over Michigan that year as a "Hail Mary play". He scrambled to escape a pass rush, nearly getting sacked 20 yards behind

5510-430: The capacity of Met Stadium was increased to 47,900. Bert Rose , former public relations director for the Los Angeles Rams , was appointed the team's first general manager. The search for the first head coach saw the team court then- Northwestern University head coach Ara Parseghian , who, according to Minneapolis Star writer Jim Klobuchar —the Vikings' first beat reporter for that newspaper—visited team management in

5605-485: The company" on a line of large trucks. Sales were initially brisk, but later dropped off as the market moved to more fuel-efficient unibody vehicles. The GMT900 series features standard vehicle stability control . Original plans called for American Axle 's "I-Ride" independent suspension module in the rear, but was never used. Tahoe production began at GM's Arlington Assembly plant in Arlington, Texas on December 1, 2005, six weeks ahead of schedule. Production of

5700-401: The dominant front four began being called by several nicknames, including "Thunder and Plunder" and "Shock and AWE" (an acronym of their surname initials). On August 18, 2009, after months of speculation and negotiations, twice-retired veteran quarterback Brett Favre , who until 2007 had played 16 years for division archrival Green Bay Packers , signed a two-year, $ 25 million deal with

5795-421: The final game of 2012 to reach the playoffs as the NFC's sixth seed, the Vikings lost 24–10 to the Packers in the rematch at Lambeau Field in the wild-card round. The team was forced to play backup Joe Webb during the game after Ponder was sidelined due to an arm injury sustained from the previous week. Peterson was later named the league's MVP , after rushing for 2,097 yards, the second most rushing yards in

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5890-435: The final six games of the season (finishing with a 3–3 record), defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was officially named the head coach on January 3, 2011, after signing a three-year contract. On January 17, Brett Favre retired for the third, and officially last, time, leaving the team in search of a long-term replacement at the quarterback position. Wasting no time after being appointed head coach, Frazier began to restructure

5985-401: The first 11-plus win season since their record-setting 1998 campaign. The Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round on January 17, 2010, and won the game by a score of 34–3, advancing the Vikings to the NFC Championship game, the ninth in franchise history. This would also be the first NFC Championship game for the team since the 2000 season. Minnesota would travel to New Orleans

6080-413: The first 15–1 team to fail to reach the Super Bowl. Cunningham resumed duties again in 1999, but after a lukewarm 2–4 start, Jeff George replaced him as starting quarterback. He finished the season with an 8–2 record, and led the Vikings into the postseason once again, with an overall team record of 10–6. Minnesota beat Dallas in the Wild Card game 27–10, and faced playoff newcomer Kurt Warner and

6175-413: The following week to face the top-seeded Saints in the first conference championship game held at the Superdome . Despite out-gaining the Saints on offense by nearly a twofold margin, the Vikings were severely hindered by five turnovers, including a Favre interception in the final minute of the fourth quarter in Saints territory. They were ousted in overtime, 31–28, as the Saints won the coin toss and kicked

6270-451: The game, Kizer exclaimed to Crowley, "Say, that Hail Mary is the best play we've got." Crowley related this story many times in public speeches beginning in the 1930s. On November 2, 1935, with 32 seconds left in the so-called " Game of the Century " between Ohio State and Notre Dame, Irish halfback Bill Shakespeare found receiver Wayne Millner for a 19-yard, game-winning touchdown. Notre Dame head coach Elmer Layden , who had played in

6365-450: The helm. The Vikings finished the season 6–10 with a 20–13 loss against the Detroit Lions. The 2010–11 season was a step down for the Minnesota Vikings. After coming within a few plays of Super Bowl XLIV , Minnesota ended the 2010 season with a 6–10 record and a last place finish in the NFC North for the first time since 1990. During the season, the Vikings had many distractions, including trading for Randy Moss and then waiving him only

6460-461: The league's merger with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970. Since the merger, the team has qualified for the playoffs 28 times, third-most in the league (trailing only the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers ). The team played in Super Bowls IV , VIII , IX and XI , but failed to win any of them. In addition, they have lost in their last six NFC Championship Game appearances, stretching back to 1978. The Vikings have 15 members in

6555-472: The league, the agreement allowed him 10 percent of any future Minnesota team. The teams from Ole Haugsrud's high school, Central High School in Superior, Wisconsin , were also called the Vikings and had a similar purple-and-yellow color scheme. From the team's first season in 1961 to 1981 , the team called Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington home. The Vikings conducted summer training camp at Bemidji State University from 1961 to 1965. In 1966,

6650-443: The line of scrimmage before completing a desperation pass for a one-yard gain. Arguably the most memorable and replayed Hail Mary walk-off touchdown pass came on November 23, 1984, in a game now known as " Hail Flutie ". Boston College was trailing Miami (FL) 45–41 with six seconds left, when their quarterback Doug Flutie threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan , succeeding primarily because Miami's secondary stood on

6745-405: The majority of his career with the Vikings to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Following the strike -shortened 1987 season , the 8–7 Vikings, who had finished 8–4 in regular games but 0–3 using strike-replacement players, pulled two upsets in the playoffs. They defeated the 12–3 New Orleans Saints 44–10 at the Louisiana Superdome in the Wild Card game. The following week, in

6840-471: The playoffs. However, the Arizona Cardinals completed a game-winning touchdown on 4th-and-28 with 0:00 left, knocking the Vikings out of the playoffs. The moment of Arizona's touchdown was actually the first moment the entire season in which the Vikings hadn't led their division. The Vikings became the second team in football history to miss the playoffs after getting off to a 6–0 start, following

6935-423: The regular season in the 1990s. 1998 was a year to remember for the franchise. With a spectacular offense led by quarterback Randall Cunningham (who replaced an injured Brad Johnson ), running back Robert Smith , veteran wide receiver Cris Carter , and explosive rookie Randy Moss , the Vikings set a then-NFL record by scoring a total of 556 points, never scoring fewer than 24 in a game. The Vikings finished

7030-401: The running game was inconsistent and the Vikings finished with a disappointing 7–7 record. The Vikings addressed the problem by drafting running back Chuck Foreman with their first pick in the 1973 draft . Co-owner Bill Boyer died on February 19, 1973 and was replaced on the team's board of directors by his son-in-law Jack Steele. The Vikings won their first nine games of 1973 and finished

7125-485: The season 15–1, their only loss was to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27–24 in Week 9. In the playoffs, the Vikings rolled past the Arizona Cardinals 41–21, and came into the Metrodome heavily favored for their NFC title showdown with the Atlanta Falcons , who had gone 14–2 in the regular season. After kicker Gary Anderson , who had just completed the first perfect regular season in NFL history (not missing

7220-533: The season at 8–8 and missed the playoffs. In Week 13 of the 2008 season against the Bears , Gus Frerotte hooked up with Bernard Berrian and set the record for longest play in franchise history with a 99-yard touchdown pass. In the 2009 season, Adrian Peterson led the NFL with 1760 rushing yards, breaking the franchise record. The Vikings clinched the NFC North championship for the first time after defeating

7315-453: The season holding league passer records in attempts (6,467), completions (3,686), yards (47,003), and touchdowns (342). In December 1979, ground was broken for construction of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. On May 15, 1981, the Vikings moved into a new facility in suburban Eden Prairie that housed the team's offices, locker room and practice fields. The complex

7410-528: The season with a 12–2 record. They then advanced to their second Super Bowl in franchise history, Super Bowl VIII , against the Miami Dolphins at Rice Stadium in Houston , Texas ; however, the Dolphins prevailed, 24–7. The Vikings won the Central Division again in 1974 with a 10–4 record. In the playoffs they built on their cold-weather reputation, defeating both the St. Louis Cardinals 30–14 and

7505-522: The team moved to their training camp to Minnesota State University in Mankato . The training camp at Minnesota State was one of the longest continuously running training camp events in the NFL and is remembered as part of the golden era history of the team. The Vikings played their home games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis from 1982 to 2013. The Vikings played their last game at

7600-422: The team's coaching staff, including letting go of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and hiring Mike Singletary as linebackers coach and Bill Musgrave as the new offensive coordinator. Their first-round draft pick was Christian Ponder , a quarterback from Florida State University . The team finished with a 3–13 record, tied with the 1984 Vikings for the second-worst record in franchise history. During

7695-477: The term was largely confined to Notre Dame and other Catholic universities. The term became widespread after an NFL playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings on December 28, 1975 (see Cowboys–Vikings rivalry ), when Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach (a devout Catholic) said about his game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson , "I closed my eyes and said

7790-442: The third round. Notable veterans acquired in the offseason were George Shaw and Hugh McElhenny . The Vikings won their first regular-season game, defeating the Chicago Bears 37–13 on Opening Day 1961 ; Tarkenton came off the bench to throw four touchdown passes and run for another to lead the upset. Reality set in as the expansion team lost its next seven games on their way to a 3–11 record. The losing continued throughout much of

7885-500: The weight of the snow caused the roof to collapse. After viewing the damage, Vikings management and the NFL decided to move the game to Monday and play it at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Because of ongoing repairs to the roof of the Metrodome, the Vikings played their December 20 game versus the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium . Favre threw the final touchdown pass of his career (to Percy Harvin ) in this game. On December 26,

7980-503: Was Joe Kapp, who threw for seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Colts – still an all-time NFL record; however, Kapp refused to accept the award, stating, "There is not one most valuable Viking... there are 40 most valuable Vikings!" The team continued to dominate in 1970 (moving into the newly formed NFC Central) and 1971 , reaching the playoffs behind the stubborn "Purple People Eaters" defensive line. In 1971, Alan Page won

8075-414: Was an offensive assistant with the Vikings for 5 seasons, was then named the 3rd head coach in franchise history. Steckel, who came to the Vikings in 1979 after working as an assistant with the 49ers, was the youngest head coach in the NFL in 1984 at age 38. However, the Vikings lost a franchise-worst 13 games. After the season Steckel was fired, and on December 18, 1984, Bud Grant came out of retirement and

8170-653: Was called, debris was thrown on the field for several minutes. A Corby's Whiskey bottle struck game official Armen Terzian , rendering him unconscious. The Vikings played in Super Bowl XI , their third Super Bowl (fourth overall) in four years, against the Oakland Raiders at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California , on January 9, 1977. The Vikings, however, lost 32–14. In 1977 , the Vikings again won

8265-593: Was hampered by injury. Nonetheless, the Vikings made the playoffs for the fifth straight year. After easily beating the Saints in the Divisional game 34–16, they traveled to New York City to face the Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Though they were the road team, the Vikings were favored to win the game (since most considered their 11–2 record with Culpepper more indicative than their 0–3 record when he

8360-486: Was hired on January 18, 1961. Van Brocklin had just finished his career as a player on a high note, having defeated the Green Bay Packers in the 1960 NFL Championship Game . As a new franchise, the Vikings had the first overall selection in the 1961 NFL draft , and they picked running back Tommy Mason of Tulane . They also took a young quarterback from the University of Georgia named Fran Tarkenton in

8455-444: Was later named the fifth head coach in team history, after turning around a struggling Stanford University football program as head coach from 1989 to 1991. In his 10 seasons as the coach of the Vikings, Green won four NFC Central division titles, had eight playoff appearances, two NFC Championship Game appearances and an all-time record of 97–62. The Vikings therefore had the fifth highest winning percentage among all NFL teams during

8550-550: Was named "Winter Park" after Max Winter , one of the Vikings' founders, who served as the team's president from 1965 to 1987. The Vikings played their final game at Metropolitan Stadium on December 20 to conclude the 1981 NFL season by losing to the Kansas City Chiefs , 10–6. The Vikings played their first game at the Metrodome in a preseason matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on August 21, 1982, in

8645-554: Was named the fourth head coach in team history on January 7, 1986. He served as the Vikings' offensive coordinator from 1968 to 1985, when the team won 11 division titles and played in four Super Bowls. In his first season, the Vikings, led by the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Tommy Kramer, went 9–7, their first winning record in four years. On August 2, 1986, Fran Tarkenton was the first player who played

8740-423: Was out); instead, the Vikings were defeated 41–0, their worst defeat in playoff history. Robert Smith, who ran for 1,521 yards that season, retired at the end of the year after only playing eight NFL seasons. In 2001 , after a disappointing 5–11 season, the Vikings bought out the contract of Dennis Green , despite his successful coaching tenure with the team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, losing to

8835-425: Was rehired as the head coach of the Vikings. On January 6, 1986, following the 1985 season , Bud Grant re-retired, this time permanently, as head coach of the Vikings. At the time of his retirement he held the 6th best winning record for a coach in NFL history with 168 career wins, including playoffs. In 18 seasons, he led the Vikings to a 158–96–5 regular-season record. Longtime Vikings assistant coach Jerry Burns

8930-505: Was the longest single-season winning streak in 35 years. The Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns 27–7 in the last pre-merger NFL Championship Game on January 4, 1970, at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings became the first modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game , and earned a berth in Super Bowl IV ; however, the heavily favored Vikings lost that game to the Kansas City Chiefs , 23–7. The team MVP that season

9025-540: Was unveiled outside Alumni Stadium at Boston College on November 7, 2008. Other noteworthy examples include: The term "Hail Mary" is sometimes used to refer to any last-ditch effort with little chance of success. In military uses, General Norman Schwarzkopf described his strategy during the Persian Gulf War to bypass the bulk of Iraqi forces in Kuwait by attacking in a wide left sweep through their rear as

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