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Record: 12-2-0, Finished 1st in NFC Central Division
NFL Season Summary
1973 NFC Champions
Scored 296 points (21.1/g), 9th of 26 in the NFL.
Allowed 168 points (12.0/g), 2nd.
Differential of 128 points (9.1/g), 5th.
Expected W-L: 11.1-2.9.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +10 (0.7/g), 5th.
Coached by Bud Grant (12-2-0)
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1973 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Fran Tarkenton | 33 | 12 | 14 | 169 for 274, 2,113 yards, 15 td, 7 int, & 41 rushes for 202 yards and 1 td | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 29th pick / 1961 |
| RB | Oscar Reed | 29 | 5 | 8 | 100 rushes for 401 yards, 3 td, & 19 catches for 122 yards and 0 td | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 167th pick / 1968 |
| FB | Chuck Foreman* | 23 | Rook | 11 | 182 rushes for 801 yards, 4 td, & 37 catches for 362 yards and 2 td | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 12th pick / 1973 |
| WR | Carroll Dale | 35 | 13 | 12 | 14 catches for 192 yards, 0 td | Los Angeles Rams / 8th / 86th pick / 1960 |
| WR | John Gilliam* | 28 | 6 | 14 | 42 catches for 907 yards, 8 td, & 5 rushes for 71 yards and 1 td | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1967 |
| TE | Stu Voigt | 25 | 3 | 13 | 23 catches for 318 yards, 2 td, & 1 rush for 2 yards and 0 td | Minnesota Vikings / 10th / 260th pick / 1970 |
| LT | Grady Alderman | 35 | 13 | 14 | Detroit Lions / 10th / 111th pick / 1960 |
|
| LG | Ed White | 26 | 4 | 14 | 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 39th pick / 1969 |
| C | Mick Tingelhoff | 33 | 11 | 14 | 1 fumble recovered | |
| RG | Milt Sunde | 31 | 9 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 20th / 271st pick / 1964 |
|
| RT | Ron Yary*+ | 27 | 5 | 14 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 1st pick / 1968 |
|
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Carl Eller*+ | 31 | 9 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 5th pick / 1964 |
| LDT | Gary Larsen | 33 | 9 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Los Angeles Rams / 10th / 133rd pick / 1964 |
| RDT | Alan Page*+ | 28 | 6 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 15th pick / 1967 |
| RDE | Jim Marshall | 36 | 13 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Cleveland Browns / 4th / 44th pick / 1960 |
| LLB | Roy Winston | 33 | 11 | 13 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | San Diego Chargers / 6th / 42nd pick / 1962 |
| MLB | Jeff Siemon* | 23 | 1 | 14 | 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 10th pick / 1972 |
| RLB | Wally Hilgenberg | 31 | 9 | 13 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 4th / 48th pick / 1964 |
| LCB | Nate Wright | 27 | 4 | 14 | 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | |
| RCB | Bobby Bryant | 29 | 5 | 14 | 7 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 167th pick / 1967 |
| SS | Jeff Wright | 24 | 2 | 14 | 3 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 15th / 388th pick / 1971 |
| FS | Paul Krause* | 31 | 9 | 14 | 4 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Washington Redskins / 2nd / 18th pick / 1964 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Fred Cox | 35 | 10 | 0 | 21 of 35 field goals & 33 of 33 extra points | Cleveland Browns / 8th / 110th pick / 1961 |
| P | Mike Eischeid | 33 | 7 | 0 | 66 punts for a 39.8 average, 0 blocked | |
| PR | Bobby Bryant | 29 | 5 | 14 | 25 punt returns for a 5.6 average and 0 td | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 167th pick / 1967 |
| KR | Brent McClanahan | 22 | Rook | 0 | 16 kick returns for a 25.6 average and 0 td | Minnesota Vikings / 5th / 118th pick / 1973 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grady Alderman | 35 | T-G | 14 | 14 | 247 | 6-2 | Detroit Mercy | 12/10/1938 | 13 | Detroit Lions / 10th / 111th pick / 1960 |
| Gary Ballman | 33 | FL-TE-SE-WR | 5 | 0 | 215 | 6-1 | Michigan State | 7/6/1940 | 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 8th / 104th pick / 1962 |
| John Beasley | 28 | TE | 5 | 0 | 228 | 6-3 | California | 4/6/1945 | 6 | Minnesota Vikings / 8th / 197th pick / 1967 |
| Bob Berry | 31 | QB | 6 | 0 | 185 | 5-11 | Oregon | 3/10/1942 | 8 | Philadelphia Eagles / 11th / 142nd pick / 1964 |
| Bill Brown | 35 | RB | 14 | 0 | 228 | 5-11 | Illinois | 6/29/1938 | 12 | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 20th pick / 1961 |
| Terry Brown | 26 | DB | 14 | 0 | 205 | 6-0 | Oklahoma State | 1/9/1947 | 4 | St. Louis Cardinals / 3rd / 73rd pick / 1969 |
| Bobby Bryant | 29 | DB | 14 | 14 | 170 | 6-1 | South Carolina | 1/24/1944 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 167th pick / 1967 |
| Fred Cox | 35 | K | 14 | 0 | 200 | 5-11 | Pittsburgh | 12/11/1938 | 10 | Cleveland Browns / 8th / 110th pick / 1961 |
| Carroll Dale | 35 | WR-TE-FL | 13 | 12 | 200 | 6-2 | Virginia Tech | 4/24/1938 | 13 | Los Angeles Rams / 8th / 86th pick / 1960 |
| Rhett Dawson | 25 | WR | 2 | 0 | 185 | 6-1 | Florida State | 12/22/1948 | 1 | Houston Oilers / 10th / 240th pick / 1972 |
| Mike Eischeid | 33 | K | 14 | 0 | 190 | 6-0 | Upper Iowa | 9/29/1940 | 7 | |
| Carl Eller*+ | 31 | DE | 14 | 14 | 247 | 6-6 | Minnesota | 2/25/1942 | 9 | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 5th pick / 1964 |
| Chuck Foreman* | 23 | RB | 12 | 11 | 210 | 6-2 | Miami (FL) | 10/26/1950 | Rook | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 12th pick / 1973 |
| Frank Gallagher | 30 | G | 4 | 0 | 245 | 6-2 | North Carolina | 3/2/1943 | 6 | |
| John Gilliam* | 28 | WR-FL | 14 | 14 | 195 | 6-1 | South Carolina State | 8/7/1945 | 6 | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1967 |
| Charles Goodrum | 23 | G-T | 10 | 0 | 256 | 6-3 | Florida A&M | 1/11/1950 | Rook | Minnesota Vikings / 9th / 232nd pick / 1972 |
| Wally Hilgenberg | 31 | LB-G | 13 | 13 | 229 | 6-3 | Iowa | 9/19/1942 | 9 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 48th pick / 1964 |
| Doug Kingsriter | 23 | TE | 11 | 0 | 222 | 6-2 | Minnesota | 1/29/1950 | Rook | Minnesota Vikings / 6th / 139th pick / 1973 |
| Paul Krause* | 31 | DB-WR | 14 | 14 | 200 | 6-3 | Iowa | 2/19/1942 | 9 | Washington Redskins / 2nd / 18th pick / 1964 |
| Gary Larsen | 33 | DT | 14 | 14 | 261 | 6-5 | Concordia (IL) | 3/13/1940 | 9 | Los Angeles Rams / 10th / 133rd pick / 1964 |
| Jim Lash | 22 | WR | 9 | 0 | 200 | 6-1 | Northwestern | 11/12/1951 | Rook | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 65th pick / 1973 |
| Steve Lawson | 24 | G | 2 | 0 | 265 | 6-3 | Kansas | 1/4/1949 | 2 | Cincinnati Bengals / 2nd / 41st pick / 1971 |
| Bob Lurtsema | 31 | DT-DE | 14 | 0 | 250 | 6-6 | Michigan Tech,Western Michigan | 3/29/1942 | 6 | |
| Ed Marinaro | 23 | RB | 13 | 0 | 212 | 6-2 | Cornell | 3/31/1950 | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 50th pick / 1972 |
| Jim Marshall | 36 | DE | 14 | 14 | 248 | 6-4 | Ohio State | 12/30/1937 | 13 | Cleveland Browns / 4th / 44th pick / 1960 |
| Amos Martin | 24 | LB | 14 | 0 | 228 | 6-3 | Louisville | 1/30/1949 | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 6th / 154th pick / 1972 |
| Brent McClanahan | 22 | RB | 13 | 0 | 202 | 5-10 | Arizona State | 9/21/1951 | Rook | Minnesota Vikings / 5th / 118th pick / 1973 |
| Dave Osborn | 30 | RB | 11 | 0 | 208 | 6-0 | North Dakota | 3/18/1943 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 13th / 176th pick / 1965 |
| Alan Page*+ | 28 | DT | 14 | 14 | 245 | 6-4 | Notre Dame | 8/7/1945 | 6 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 15th pick / 1967 |
| Ron Porter | 28 | LB | 13 | 0 | 232 | 6-3 | Idaho | 7/27/1945 | 6 | Baltimore Colts / 5th / 126th pick / 1967 |
| Al Randolph | 29 | DB | 11 | 0 | 205 | 6-2 | Iowa | 7/8/1944 | 7 | San Francisco 49ers / 3rd / 37th pick / 1966 |
| Oscar Reed | 29 | RB | 12 | 8 | 222 | 6-0 | Colorado State | 3/24/1944 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 167th pick / 1968 |
| Jeff Siemon* | 23 | LB | 14 | 14 | 235 | 6-2 | Stanford | 6/2/1950 | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 10th pick / 1972 |
| Milt Sunde | 31 | G | 14 | 8 | 250 | 6-2 | Minnesota | 2/1/1942 | 9 | Minnesota Vikings / 20th / 271st pick / 1964 |
| Doug Sutherland | 25 | DT-G-DE | 9 | 0 | 250 | 6-3 | Wisconsin-Superior | 8/1/1948 | 3 | New Orleans Saints / 14th / 348th pick / 1970 |
| Fran Tarkenton | 33 | QB | 14 | 14 | 190 | 6-0 | Georgia | 2/3/1940 | 12 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 29th pick / 1961 |
| Mick Tingelhoff | 33 | C | 14 | 14 | 237 | 6-2 | Nebraska | 5/22/1940 | 11 | |
| Stu Voigt | 25 | TE | 13 | 13 | 223 | 6-1 | Wisconsin | 8/12/1948 | 3 | Minnesota Vikings / 10th / 260th pick / 1970 |
| John Ward | 25 | G-DE-C | 8 | 0 | 258 | 6-4 | Oklahoma State | 5/27/1948 | 3 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1970 |
| Charlie West | 27 | DB | 5 | 0 | 197 | 6-1 | Angelo State (TX),Texas-El Paso | 8/31/1946 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1968 |
| Ed White | 26 | G-T | 14 | 14 | 269 | 6-1 | California | 4/4/1947 | 4 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 39th pick / 1969 |
| Roy Winston | 33 | LB | 13 | 13 | 222 | 5-11 | LSU | 9/15/1940 | 11 | San Diego Chargers / 6th / 42nd pick / 1962 |
| Jeff Wright | 24 | DB | 14 | 14 | 190 | 5-11 | Minnesota | 6/13/1949 | 2 | Minnesota Vikings / 15th / 388th pick / 1971 |
| Nate Wright | 27 | DB | 14 | 14 | 180 | 5-11 | San Diego State | 12/21/1946 | 4 | |
| Ron Yary*+ | 27 | T | 14 | 14 | 255 | 6-5 | USC | 8/16/1946 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 1st pick / 1968 |
| Godfrey Zaunbrecher | 27 | C | 5 | 0 | 240 | 6-2 | LSU | 12/17/1946 | 2 | Minnesota Vikings / 11th / 286th pick / 1970 |
| Team Total | 28.5 | 14 | 222.4 | 6-1.7 | 5.8 |