Hall Of Fame coach, Cowboys nemesis, Grant Dies

Former Minnesota Vikings coach, Bud Grant, passed away at the age of 95 on Saturday per the Vikings on Twitter. Grant was inducted into both the Pro Football and CFL Hall of Fames.

He is most noted as being the first head coach to lose four Super Bowls between the 1969 and 1976 seasons. Grant was named head coach of the Vikings in 1967, succeeding Norm Van Brocklin, after coaching the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1957-1966.

While Grant failed to capture a victory in a Super Bowl, he did lead the Blue Bombers to four Grey Cup wins in six tries. Grant coached Minnesota through the 1985 season and finished 158-96-5 in regular season play and 10-12 in the playoffs with four NFC championships.

Versus the Cowboys

Grant’s record against the Cowboys was 5-7 overall, and only 1-3 in the playoffs. Two of the playoff games came in the NFC Championship game with the teams splitting the series.

The first game was the 1973 title game, won by the Vikings, 27-10. Minnesota dominated the game played at Texas Stadium. Golden Richards’ 63-yard punt return accounted for the lone Dallas touchdown.

The second game came in 1977 title game, won by Dallas 23-6. The Cowboys held Minnesota to a pair of Fred Cox field goals. Robert Newhouse and Tony Dorsett wore down the Vikings defense, both reaching double-digits in carries in the game.

The Hail Mary Game

But the most infamous game played between Grant’s Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys is the 1975 Hail Mary game. The Divisional Round playoff game was played at old Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis with a wind chill of 17 degrees.