1969 Minnesota Vikings are My Favorite Team Ever

The Minnesota Vikings have had many stellar teams during their 63-year history in the NFL. No Super Bowl champions, mind you, but many competitive and entertaining squads. Certainly, the three NFC Championships teams in the 1970s would be included on this list. As would the Randy Moss/Cris Carter scoring machine team of 1998.

Old-timers like me would also add the 1975 Fran Tarkenton-led Purple, who were eliminated from the playoffs that year due to an offensive pass inference (push-off) no-call by Drew Pearson of the Dallas Cowboys. BOOOOOOOO! And the Vikings were a Darin Nelson dropped ball away from winning the 1987 NFC Championship Game.

My Favorite Minnesota Vikings Team

But my all-time favorite Minnesota Vikings team is the 1969 Bud Grant-led squad. Yes, the original Purple People Eaters. As tough and gritty a bunch of players as you will ever see. None of this indoor football for them.  No, these Vikings played at a baseball park, Metropolitan Stadium, where they and their opponents were exposed to all of the elements. In fact, the team considered the harsh weather to be like a twelfth man on their side.

1969 was the first year that I really paid attention to team sports. I could’ve picked a better time to become a fan. Besides the Vikings, Billy Martin and the brawling Minnesota Twins captured the American League West title. And the Minnesota North Stars hockey club made it to the playoffs before bowing out to the eventual Stanley Cup runner-up, the St. Louis Blues.

Great Year for Sports

It was also a landmark year in the national sports scene. “The Amazing Mets” improbably beat the Baltimore Orioles to become World Series Champs. And Bobby Orr and Willis Reed would lead the Boston Bruins and New York Knicks, respectively, to their sports’ league championships the following spring. Also, Mario Andretti electrified the racing world with his victory at the Indianapolis 500.

The Minnesota Vikings team that season was led by their swashbuckling, tough-as-nails quarterback, Joe Kapp. Kapp was an All-American quarterback at the University of California but was not drafted by an NFL team. He signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. After being traded to the British Columbia Lions in 1961, Kapp led the Lions to the 1964 Grey Cup Championship.

Joe Kapp Comes to the Minnesota Vikings

When Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants after the 1967 season, Kapp was brought in by new general manager Jim Finks to lead the team. His offensive lineman loved him. He never tried to avoid a tackler or run out of bounds to avoid getting hit. He was a full-contact quarterback.

Kapp was joined on offense by two hardy running backs, Dave Osborn and Bill “Boomer” Brown. Brown and Kapp had similar running styles, and Brown was known for always having a crewcut hairstyle. The talented Gene Washington and the tight end, John Beasley, led the receiving core. Up front, the stalwart offensive line was led by All-Pros, center Mick Tingelhoff and tackles Grady Alderman and Ron Yary.

But this team was known for its defense. And what a defense it was. The Minnesota Vikings finished first in team defense, only surrendering 133 points for the entire season. In addition, they finished first in passing defense, intercepting a league-high 30 passes and recording 49 sacks. And they finished second in rushing defense for the season where they allowed opposing teams an average of 77.5 yards a game.

Purple People Eaters

The centerpiece of this team was their defensive line. The line consisted of Hall of Famers Alan Page and Carl Eller, future Hall of Famer Jim Marshall, and the bruising tackle Gary Larsen. Their motto was “Let’s Meet at the Quarterback,” and they proceeded to lay waste to enemy backfields all year long. Eller was the co-leader in league sacks that year with 15 sacks, and Marshall was right behind them with 14.

As a testament to their greatness, they were all selected to represent the Vikings at the NFL Pro Bowl that season. Behind them, linebackers Roy Winston, Lonnie Warwick, and Wally Hilgenberg scooped up any ball carriers that the front four missed. The defensive backfield was represented by the All-Time NFL leader in interceptions, Paul Krause, the hard-hitting duo of Bobby Bryant and Karl Kassulke, and the steady Earsell Mackbee.

1969 Minnesota Vikings Regular Season

The 1969 Minnesota Vikings season started surprisingly with a loss to the New York Giants in New York. What followed was pure magic. The Vikings proceeded to reel off 12 consecutive wins before losing to Atlanta in the league’s final week.

Here are some of the highlights of the regular season. Joe Kapp’s league-tying seven touchdown passes in week two against the Baltimore Colts catapulted Minnesota to a 52-14 rout. In Week 6, they leveled second place Detroit 24-10, sparked by Mackbee’s three interceptions.

Strong Finish to the Regular Season

Week 8 looked like a tough matchup for the Purple as the Century Division-leading Cleveland Browns strode into town. What followed was a blowout, as Kapp hit Washington for three touchdown passes and Bobby Bryant added three picks. A Week 10 shellacking of the Pittsburgh Steelers, highlighted by wide receiver John Henderson’s two touchdown receptions, set up a Week 11 match-up against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

The snowy game was never in doubt as the Minnesota Vikings rolled to a 17-0 lead after three quarters. But in the fourth quarter, Marshall intercepted a Greg Landry pass and sprinted down the sidelines toward the end zone. When it looked like Lions running back Nick Eddy would stop him; he pitched a no-look lateral to Page, who carried it the rest of the way for the score. This led to a 27-0 Minnesota Vikings victory and a clinch of the Central Division title.

The Playoffs Arrive

This team’s legend only grew larger during their playoff run, in the first round. The Los Angeles Rams came to town with their MVP quarterback Roman Gabriel. After the Vikings had a first-half touchdown called back, the Rams’ offense found their rhythm and marched to a 17-3 halftime.

With Minnesota still trailing in the fourth quarter 20-14, Kapp headed towards the end zone only to be confronted by Rams’ cornerback Jim Nettles. Instead of going through or around him, Kapp hurdled over Nettles into the end zone to put the Vikings up by one. Minnesota clinched it with an Eller safety and a Page interception as they defeated the Rams 23-20.

Minnesota Vikings Defeated Cleveland

Next, Cleveland came to town for the NFL, and there was significant buzz coming out of the Browns’ camp due to a prediction by Cleveland linebacker Jim Houston. Houston claimed that he was going to knock Kapp out of the game if he got a chance.

Well, Joe got the last laugh. With the Minnesota Vikings leading 24-0 in the third quarter, Kapp ran around the right end and was confronted by Houston. As Houston went in for the tackle, Kapp’s knee hit Houston’s helmet, and the Cleveland linebacker went down. He was carried off the field and taken to the hospital for observation and as it turns out, frostbite. Minnesota went on to a 27-7 victory.

Disappointing Super Bowl

Every Minnesota Vikings fan knows what happened next. The Vikings traveled to New Orleans to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl four. The result of the game was a 23-7 drubbing by the Hank Stram-led Chiefs. The Chiefs were the better and smarter team that day. They used Minnesota’s defensive pursuit and speed against the Vikings with a series of traps, misdirections, and end-arounds.

But that loss did not diminish the greatness of this team. They dominated the NFL for sixteen weeks and gave their fans a lifetime of memories. Individually, besides Eller, Page, Larsen, and Marshall, Krause, Kapp, Washington, and Alderman were also selected to play in the Pro Bowl. And Eller and Tingelhoff were named 1^st Team All-Pros.

Great Minnesota Vikings Memories

I believe that Joe Kapp best captured the essence of this team. Speaking at a team banquet where he turned down the team’s MVP award for the season, Kapp remarked, “There is no one most valuable Viking. “Just 40 most valuable Vikings.” He’d coined the phrase 40 for 60. That meant the 40 players battling the entire 60 minutes of the game.