Bud Grant, Former Vikings Coach And NFL Hall Of Famer, Dead At 95

EAGAN, MN — Bud Grant, former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and member of the NFL Hall of Fame, died Saturday morning, the NFL confirmed. He was 95.

"We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95," the Vikings said in a statement Saturday. "We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news."

Grant became the second head coach in Vikings team history when he succeeded Norm Van Brocklin in 1967. Grant coached 18 NFL seasons — all with the Vikings — and compiled a 158-96-5 record, making him the winningest coach in franchise history.

In his time with Minnesota, Grant's Vikings earned 12 playoff berths and won 11 division titles.

Grant retired following the 1983 season but returned in 1985 to coach one season before handing the reins to his longtime defensive coordinator, Jerry Burns.

Grant was eighth on the NFL's all-time victory list when he retired.

Wearing his trademark purple Vikings cap and a stone-faced demeanor, Grant's steely sideline gaze became synonymous with his teams. He was a mainstay among coaches of his era, a decorated group that included Don Shula, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, John Madden and Hank Stram. Grant, however, had little interest in accolades.

"The only reason I can see for a head coach getting credit for something good is that he gets so much blame when something is bad," Grant once said. "The whole secret, I think, is to not react to either the good or the bad."

After replacing Brocklin, Grant assembled the revered defensive line dubbed the Purple People Eaters. The line — whose motto was "Meet at the quarterback" — was joined by a potent offense that helped Minnesota reach the Super Bowl in 1970, the final edition of the big game before the AFL-NFL merger.

The heavily favored Vikings fell 23-7 to Kansas City, setting a tone for the infamous run of title game losses to Miami, Pittsburgh and Oakland from the perceived lesser conference following the 1973, 1974 and 1976 seasons.

"If you're going to succeed, survive is maybe a better word," Grant said during his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech in 1994 in Canton, Ohio. "You've got to handle losing. You die every time you lose, but you've got to get over it."

Born May 20, 1927, in Superior, Wisconsin, Harold Peter Grant Jr. — who was nicknamed Bud by his mother — was "a stellar multisport athlete," according to the NFL.

At the University of Minnesota, Grant earned nine letters in three sports – baseball, basketball and football.

Grant played two NBA seasons with the Lakers and was part of the 1950 NBA championship squad with George Mikan. Grant also was selected in the 1950 NFL Draft's first round by the Eagles but didn't join them until 1951. Grant played two seasons with the Eagles before heading to play for the CFL's Blue Bombers.

From 1957-1966, Grant coached the Blue Bombers, winning four Grey Cups during a career that led to a statue being erected in his honor outside of Winnipeg's IG Field, according to the NFL.

Disciplined to the core and insisting on sharp mental focus, Grant went so far as to have his players practice standing at attention during the national anthem. He infamously took the Vikings outdoors in the frigid winter for workouts and banned sideline heaters during games at Metropolitan Stadium.

On Jan. 10, 2016, when the Vikings staged the coldest game in franchise history in the first round of the playoffs against Seattle, at the university’s outdoor stadium while their building was being built, Grant served as an honorary captain. He strolled out for the pregame coin flip in a Vikings cap and a purple short-sleeved polo shirt, looking ready for a round of golf in defiance of temperatures of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 25 with the wind chill.

The Vikings maintained a spacious office for him at their suburban headquarters, continuing to list him as a consultant on all team directories. Whenever a new coach or executive was hired, Grant was usually one of the first people the Vikings made sure to introduce.

He is survived by his partner, Pat Smith, six children, 19 grandchildren and, as of 2021, 13 great-grandchildren. His wife of 59 years, Pat, died in 2009.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.