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1961 Minnesota Vikings season
NFL team season (inaugural) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 1961 season was the Minnesota Vikings' first in the National Football League (NFL) after being created as an expansion franchise to become the league's fourteenth team. Their inaugural regular season game was a 37–13 victory at home to the Chicago Bears; rookie quarterback Fran Tarkenton came off the bench to toss four touchdown passes and run for another.[1] However, under head coach Norm Van Brocklin, the Vikings won just two of their remaining 13 games, including a seven-game losing streak, and finished the season with a 3–11 record.
The Vikings' defense surrendered 5.41 rushing yards per attempt in 1961, the fifth-most of all time.[2]
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Offseason
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Although the NFL originally had no interest in expanding, after Max Winter and Bill Boyer agreed to start an American Football League (AFL) franchise in Minnesota, the NFL approached them to change leagues. The "Vikings" name was given to the team by Ole Haugsrud, who had been given a 10% stake in the franchise as a result of having sold the Duluth Eskimos back to the league in the 1920s.[3]
1961 draft
Pro Bowler | |
Hall of Famer |
1961 expansion draft
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Roster
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Preseason
Regular season
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Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 1: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 52,364
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
This was the first regular season game in Vikings history. George Shaw started the game at quarterback for the Vikings, but he was soon replaced by rookie Fran Tarkenton, who threw four touchdown passes and ran for another as the Vikings won 37–13.[1] They were the last expansion team to win their first game until the 1996 Baltimore Ravens.
Week 2: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
- Date: September 24
- Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 3: at Baltimore Colts
Week 3: Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
- Date: October 1
- Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 4: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 4: Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: October 8
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 5: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 5: San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: October 15
- Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 6: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 6: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: October 22
- Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Week 7: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Date: October 29
- Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 8: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 8: Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
- Date: November 5
- Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 9: vs. Baltimore Colts
Week 9: Baltimore Colts at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: November 12
- Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 10: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: November 19
- Game weather: 23 °F (−5 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 11: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California
- Date: November 26
- Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week 12: Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: December 3
- Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 13: at Detroit Lions
Week 13: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary
at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: December 10
- Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 14: at Chicago Bears
Week 14: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary
at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: December 17
- Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Standings
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
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Awards and honors
Both halfback Hugh McElhenny and receiver (end) Jerry Reichow were voted to the East–West Pro Bowl game, played January 14, 1962, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The coach for the West squad was Vikings head coach Norm Van Brocklin. McElhenny scored a third-quarter touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr, and the West won the game 31–30.[4]
Statistics
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Team leaders
Note that sack totals from 1960 to 1981 are considered unofficial by the NFL.[5]
League rankings
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References
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