1975 Minnesota Vikings season
| 1975 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Mike Lynn |
| Head coach | Bud Grant |
| Home field | Metropolitan Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–2 |
| Division place | 1st NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Cowboys) 14–17 |
| Pro Bowlers | CB Bobby Bryant RB Chuck Foreman WR John Gilliam S Paul Krause DT Alan Page LB Jeff Siemon QB Fran Tarkenton G Ed White T Ron Yary |
| AP All-Pros | RB Chuck Foreman (1st team) QB Fran Tarkenton (1st team) T Ron Yary (1st team) DT Alan Page (1st team) S Paul Krause (1st team) |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 1975 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 15th in the National Football League.
The Vikings began with a 10-game win streak before losing by one point to the Washington Redskins, though there was generally very little expectation they would equal the 1972 Dolphins' perfect season.[1] The 1975 Vikings had an even easier schedule than the often-criticized one of the unbeaten Dolphin team, and in fact had according to Eddie Epstein clearly the easiest schedule of any team between 1950 and 2001, with their fourteen opponents having a winning percentage excluding Vikings games of .346.[2] According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, only the Super Bowl-winning 1999 Rams have since had a weaker schedule than the 1975 Vikings, playing only one opponent with a winning record during the regular season.[3] Nine of fourteen opponents finished 4–10 or worse, and like the 1972 Dolphins only two had winning records.[4] Football journalists noted during their streak how the Vikings had been playing very weak schedules for several seasons and flattered thereby.[5]
The Vikings’ 10–0 start was not subsequently equaled until the 1984 Miami Dolphins began 11–0.[6] They sealed their third straight NFC Central title on Thanksgiving Day in this same week when the Detroit Lions lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Vikings finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses, before losing to the Dallas Cowboys, 17–14 in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at home due to a play known as the "Hail Mary". Earlier in the season, the New York Jets made their first appearance in Minnesota in a much-anticipated match between Super Bowl quarterbacks Fran Tarkenton and Joe Namath, in what had been the first regular season game sold out during the summer.[7]
Third year halfback Chuck Foreman became the first Vikings running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
Offseason
[edit]1975 Draft
[edit]- ^[a] The Vikings originally held the 51st overall selection but passed, allowing Pittsburgh to move up before making their pick 52nd overall.
- ^[b] The Vikings traded CB Charlie West to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Detroit's third-round selection (63rd overall).
- ^[c] The Vikings traded the third-round selection they acquired from Detroit (63rd overall) to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for OL Andy Maurer.
- ^[d] The details of this trade are unknown.
- ^[e] The Vikings originally held the 259th overall selection but moved up to 258th overall when the Oakland Raiders passed.
- ^[f] The Vikings originally held the 337th overall selection but moved up to 336th overall when the Washington Redskins passed on the 334th overall selection and allowed Miami, San Diego, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Miami, Baltimore, Atlanta, Cleveland, Chicago, and New Orleans to move up.
- ^[g] The Vikings originally held the 389th overall selection but moved up to 388th overall when the Oakland Raiders passed.
- ^[h] The Vikings originally held the 415th overall selection but moved up to 414th overall when the Baltimore Colts passed and allowed Minnesota and Pittsburgh to move up.
Roster
[edit]Preseason
[edit]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 9 | New York Jets | L 15–20 | 0–1 | Sun Devil Stadium, (Tempe, AZ) | 51,323 |
| 2 | August 17 | at New England Patriots | L 10–36 | 0–2 | Schaefer Stadium | 40,218 |
| 3 | August 23 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 16–13 | 1–2 | Texas Stadium | 45,395 |
| 4 | September 1 | Miami Dolphins | W 20–7 | 2–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,653 |
| 5 | September 6 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 6–13 | 2–3 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,975 |
| 6 | September 13 | at San Diego Chargers | T 14–14 (OT) | 2–3–1 | San Diego Stadium | 31,642 |
Regular season
[edit]Schedule
[edit]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | San Francisco 49ers | W 27–17 | 1–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,479 |
| 2 | September 28 | at Cleveland Browns | W 42–10 | 2–0 | Cleveland Stadium | 68,064 |
| 3 | October 5 | Chicago Bears | W 28–3 | 3–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,578 |
| 4 | October 12 | New York Jets | W 29–21 | 4–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,739 |
| 5 | October 19 | Detroit Lions | W 25–19 | 5–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,872 |
| 6 | October 27 | at Chicago Bears | W 13–9 | 6–0 | Soldier Field | 51,259 |
| 7 | November 2 | at Green Bay Packers | W 28–17 | 7–0 | Lambeau Field | 57,267 |
| 8 | November 9 | Atlanta Falcons | W 38–0 | 8–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 43,751 |
| 9 | November 16 | at New Orleans Saints | W 20–7 | 9–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 52,765 |
| 10 | November 23 | San Diego Chargers | W 28–13 | 10–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 43,737 |
| 11 | November 30 | at Washington Redskins | L 30–31 | 10–1 | RFK Stadium | 54,498 |
| 12 | December 7 | Green Bay Packers | W 24–3 | 11–1 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,147 |
| 13 | December 14 | at Detroit Lions | L 10–17 | 11–2 | Silverdome | 73,130 |
| 14 | December 20 | at Buffalo Bills | W 35–13 | 12–2 | Rich Stadium | 54,993 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
Game summaries
[edit]Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
[edit]| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Vikings | 3 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: September 21, 1975
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
- Game attendance: 46,479
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standings
[edit]| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(1) | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 5–1 | 8–2 | 377 | 180 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 6–5 | 245 | 262 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 191 | 379 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 1–5 | 4–7 | 226 | 285 | W1 |
Postseason
[edit]Schedule
[edit]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 28 | Dallas Cowboys (4) | L 14–17 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,425 |
Game summaries
[edit]NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (#4) Dallas Cowboys
[edit]| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
- Date: December 28
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C)
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender, Johnny Unitas
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Awards and records
[edit]- Fran Tarkenton, Bert Bell Award,[9] and AP MVP
- AP First Team All-Pro selections: RB Chuck Foreman, S Paul Krause, DT Alan Page, QB Fran Tarkenton and T Ron Yary
- Chuck Foreman, set an NFL record with 73 receptions, most by a running back
- DE Jim Marshall, recovered 26th fumble, a new league record
- Pro Bowl selections: Bobby Bryant, Chuck Foreman, John Gilliam, Paul Krause, Alan Page, Jeff Siemon, Fran Tarkenton, Ed White and Ron Yary
Statistics
[edit]Team leaders
[edit]| Category | Player(s) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | Fran Tarkenton | 2,994 |
| Passing touchdowns | Fran Tarkenton | 25 |
| Rushing yards | Chuck Foreman | 1,070 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Chuck Foreman | 13 |
| Receiving yards | John Gilliam | 777 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Chuck Foreman | 9 |
| Points | Chuck Foreman | 132 |
| Kickoff return yards | Brent McClanahan | 360 |
| Punt return yards | Bobby Bryant | 125 |
| Interceptions | Paul Krause | 10 * |
* Vikings single season record.
League rankings
[edit]| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 26) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 2,861 | 204.4 | 3rd |
| Rushing offense | 2,094 | 149.6 | 10th |
| Total offense | 4,955 | 353.9 | 5th |
| Passing defense | 1,621 | 115.8 | 1st |
| Rushing defense | 1,532 | 109.4 | 1st |
| Total defense | 3,153 | 262.2 | 1st |
References
[edit]- ^ Lowitt, Bruce (November 7, 1975). "Streaking Vikings Meet Old Nemesis in Falcons". Star-Banner. Ocala, Florida. p. 7B.
- ^ Epstein, Eddie (2002). Dominance: The Best Seasons of Pro Football's Greatest Teams. Washington, D.C.: Brassey’s, Inc. p. 171. ISBN 9781574884661.
- ^ "1999 Rams Against Opponents with Winning Record". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "1975 Minnesota Vikings". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Donovan, Mark (September 22, 1975). "National Central". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Last Undefeated NFL Team in Each Season". Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ Kallestad, Brent; "Fran, Joe Square Off First Time"; in The Evening News; October 10, 1975; p. 7B
- ^ "1975 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".
- ^ "Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2010.