Franchise Index: Previous Season / Next Season
Record: 9-7-0, Finished 1st in NFC Central Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 317 points (19.8/g), 15th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 308 points (19.2/g), 11th.
Differential of 9 points (0.6/g), 14th.
Expected W-L: 8.3-7.7.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +12 (0.8/g), 3rd.
Simple Rating System: Total -0.3, Offense: -0.0, Defense: -0.3, SoS: -0.9, versus averages of 0.0.
Coached by
Bud Grant
Offensive Coordinator: Jerry Burns
Defensive Coordinator: Bob Hollway
Training Camp: Minnesota State University, Mankato (Mankato, Minnesota)
Sponsor this page for $20 and help Pro-Football-Reference.com provide this service. Your message will replace this ad.
| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | ||||||
| QB | Tommy Kramer | 25 | 3 | 15 | 299 for 522, 3,582 yards, 19 td, 23 int, & 31 rushes for 115 yards and 1 td | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 27th pick / 1977 |
| RB | Rickey Young | 27 | 5 | 16 | 130 rushes for 351 yards, 3 td, & 64 catches for 499 yards and 2 td | San Diego Chargers / 7th / 164th pick / 1975 |
| FB | Ted Brown | 23 | 1 | 16 | 219 rushes for 912 yards, 8 td, & 62 catches for 623 yards and 2 td | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 16th pick / 1979 |
| WR | Ahmad Rashad* | 31 | 8 | 16 | 69 catches for 1,095 yards, 5 td, & 1 rush for 8 yards and 0 td | St. Louis Cardinals / 1st / 4th pick / 1972 |
| WR | Sammy White | 26 | 4 | 16 | 53 catches for 887 yards, 5 td, & 4 rushes for 65 yards and 0 td | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 54th pick / 1976 |
| TE | Bob Tucker | 35 | 10 | 13 | 15 catches for 173 yards, 1 td | |
| LT | Steve Riley | 28 | 6 | 16 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1974 | |
| LG | Jim Hough | 24 | 2 | 10 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 100th pick / 1978 | |
| C | Dennis Swilley | 25 | 3 | 16 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 55th pick / 1977 | |
| RG | Wes Hamilton | 27 | 4 | 13 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 85th pick / 1976 | |
| RT | Ron Yary | 34 | 12 | 14 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 1st pick / 1968 | |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Mark Mullaney | 27 | 5 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1975 |
| LDT | Doug Sutherland | 32 | 10 | 14 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New Orleans Saints / 14th / 348th pick / 1970 |
| RDT | James White | 27 | 4 | 16 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1976 | |
| RDE | Randy Holloway | 25 | 2 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 21st pick / 1978 |
| LLB | Matt Blair*+ | 30 | 6 | 14 | 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 51st pick / 1974 |
| MLB | Scott Studwell | 26 | 3 | 14 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 9th / 250th pick / 1977 |
| RLB | Fred McNeill | 28 | 6 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 17th pick / 1974 |
| LCB | John Turner | 24 | 2 | 16 | 6 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 48th pick / 1978 |
| RCB | Bobby Bryant | 36 | 12 | 12 | 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 167th pick / 1967 |
| SS | Tom Hannon | 25 | 3 | 16 | 4 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 83rd pick / 1977 |
| FS | Kurt Knoff | 26 | 3 | 16 | 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1976 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Rick Danmeier | 28 | 3 | 0 | 16 of 26 field goals & 33 of 38 extra points | |
| P | Greg Coleman | 26 | 3 | 0 | 81 punts for a 38.8 average, 0 blocked | Cincinnati Bengals / 14th / 398th pick / 1976 |
| KR | Eddie Payton | 29 | 3 | 0 | 53 kick returns for a 22.3 average and 0 td | |
| KR | Eddie Payton | 29 | 3 | 0 | 53 kick returns for a 22.3 average and 0 td |
| No. | Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | AV | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | Nick Bebout | 29 | 1 | 0 | 261 | 6-5 | Wyoming | 5/5/1951 | 7 | 0 | Atlanta Falcons / 6th / 142nd pick / 1973 | |
| 59 | Matt Blair*+ | 30 | LLB | 14 | 14 | 232 | 6-5 | Iowa St. | 9/20/1950 | 6 | 12 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 51st pick / 1974 |
| 62 | Brent Boyd | 23 | LG | 16 | 9 | 268 | 6-3 | UCLA | 3/23/1957 | Rook | 4 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 68th pick / 1980 |
| 23 | Ted Brown | 23 | FB | 16 | 16 | 206 | 5-10 | North Carolina St. | 2/15/1957 | 1 | 12 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 16th pick / 1979 |
| 82 | Bob Bruer | 27 | 12 | 0 | 235 | 6-5 | Mankato St. | 5/22/1953 | 1 | 1 | Houston Oilers / 9th / 221st pick / 1975 | |
| 24 | Larry Brune | 27 | 16 | 0 | 202 | 6-2 | Rice | 5/4/1953 | Rook | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 206th pick / 1976 | |
| 20 | Bobby Bryant | 36 | RCB | 14 | 12 | 170 | 6-1 | South Carolina | 1/24/1944 | 12 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 167th pick / 1967 |
| 26 | Marvin Cobb | 27 | 2 | 0 | 189 | 6-0 | USC | 8/6/1953 | 5 | 0 | Cincinnati Bengals / 11th / 276th pick / 1975 | |
| 8 | Greg Coleman | 26 | P | 16 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Florida A&M | 9/9/1954 | 3 | 0 | Cincinnati Bengals / 14th / 398th pick / 1976 |
| 7 | Rick Danmeier | 28 | K | 16 | 0 | 194 | 6-0 | Sioux Falls | 4/8/1952 | 3 | 0 | |
| 12 | Steve Dils | 25 | qb | 16 | 1 | 190 | 6-1 | Stanford | 12/8/1955 | 1 | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 97th pick / 1979 |
| 61 | Wes Hamilton | 27 | RG | 13 | 13 | 261 | 6-3 | Tulsa | 4/24/1953 | 4 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 85th pick / 1976 |
| 45 | Tom Hannon | 25 | SS | 16 | 16 | 193 | 5-11 | Michigan St. | 3/5/1955 | 3 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 83rd pick / 1977 |
| 75 | Randy Holloway | 25 | RDE | 16 | 16 | 250 | 6-5 | Pittsburgh | 8/26/1955 | 2 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 21st pick / 1978 |
| 51 | Jim Hough | 24 | LG | 10 | 10 | 267 | 6-2 | Utah St. | 8/4/1956 | 2 | 4 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 100th pick / 1978 |
| 56 | Dave Huffman | 23 | g | 16 | 2 | 280 | 6-6 | Notre Dame | 4/4/1957 | 1 | 2 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1979 |
| 52 | Dennis Johnson | 22 | lb | 12 | 2 | 234 | 6-3 | USC | 6/19/1958 | Rook | 2 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 92nd pick / 1980 |
| 53 | Henry Johnson | 22 | 16 | 0 | 235 | 6-1 | Georgia Tech | 3/20/1958 | Rook | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 174th pick / 1980 | |
| 25 | Kurt Knoff | 26 | FS | 16 | 16 | 191 | 6-2 | Kansas | 4/6/1954 | 3 | 6 | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1976 |
| 9 | Tommy Kramer | 25 | QB | 15 | 15 | 200 | 6-2 | Rice | 3/7/1955 | 3 | 12 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 27th pick / 1977 |
| 58 | Jim Langer | 32 | 13 | 0 | 250 | 6-2 | South Dakota St. | 5/16/1948 | 10 | 1 | ||
| 80 | Terry LeCount | 24 | 16 | 0 | 178 | 5-10 | Florida | 7/9/1956 | 2 | 2 | San Francisco 49ers / 4th / 91st pick / 1978 | |
| 57 | Derrel Luce | 28 | 4 | 0 | 226 | 6-3 | Baylor | 9/29/1952 | 5 | 0 | Baltimore Colts / 7th / 168th pick / 1975 | |
| 79 | Doug Martin | 23 | de | 11 | 1 | 260 | 6-3 | Washington | 5/22/1957 | Rook | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 9th pick / 1980 |
| 54 | Fred McNeill | 28 | RLB | 16 | 16 | 229 | 6-2 | UCLA | 5/6/1952 | 6 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 17th pick / 1974 |
| 87 | Kevin Miller | 25 | 4 | 0 | 180 | 5-10 | Louisville | 3/21/1955 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 35 | Robert Miller | 27 | 16 | 0 | 204 | 5-11 | Kansas | 1/9/1953 | 5 | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 5th / 129th pick / 1975 | |
| 68 | Melvin Mitchell | 27 | 6 | 0 | 260 | 6-3 | Tennessee St. | 2/21/1953 | 4 | 0 | Miami Dolphins / 4th / 98th pick / 1976 | |
| 77 | Mark Mullaney | 27 | LDE | 16 | 15 | 242 | 6-6 | Colorado St. | 4/30/1953 | 5 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1975 |
| 49 | Keith Nord | 23 | 16 | 0 | 197 | 6-0 | St. Cloud St. | 3/3/1957 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 40 | Doug Paschal | 22 | 16 | 0 | 217 | 6-2 | North Carolina | 3/5/1958 | Rook | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 5th / 121st pick / 1980 | |
| 31 | Eddie Payton | 29 | KR | 16 | 0 | 175 | 5-8 | Jackson St. | 8/3/1951 | 3 | 0 | |
| 28 | Ahmad Rashad* | 31 | WR | 16 | 16 | 205 | 6-2 | Oregon | 11/19/1949 | 8 | 10 | St. Louis Cardinals / 1st / 4th pick / 1972 |
| 78 | Steve Riley | 28 | LT | 16 | 16 | 258 | 6-5 | USC | 11/23/1952 | 6 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1974 |
| 76 | Dave Roller | 31 | dt | 15 | 2 | 270 | 6-2 | Kentucky | 10/28/1949 | 9 | 2 | New York Giants / 13th / 330th pick / 1971 |
| 89 | Ken Sanders | 30 | 6 | 0 | 240 | 6-5 | Howard Payne | 8/22/1950 | 8 | 0 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 65th pick / 1972 | |
| 81 | Joe Senser | 24 | 16 | 0 | 235 | 6-4 | West Chester | 8/18/1956 | Rook | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 6th / 152nd pick / 1979 | |
| 50 | Jeff Siemon | 30 | lb | 16 | 2 | 235 | 6-2 | Stanford | 6/2/1950 | 8 | 2 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 10th pick / 1972 |
| 55 | Scott Studwell | 26 | MLB | 16 | 14 | 228 | 6-2 | Illinois | 8/27/1954 | 3 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 9th / 250th pick / 1977 |
| 69 | Doug Sutherland | 32 | LDT | 16 | 14 | 250 | 6-3 | Wisc-Superior | 8/1/1948 | 10 | 7 | New Orleans Saints / 14th / 348th pick / 1970 |
| 67 | Dennis Swilley | 25 | C | 16 | 16 | 253 | 6-3 | Texas A&M,North Texas | 6/28/1955 | 3 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 55th pick / 1977 |
| 38 | Bob Tucker | 35 | TE | 16 | 13 | 230 | 6-3 | Bloomsburg | 6/8/1945 | 10 | 4 | |
| 27 | John Turner | 24 | LCB | 16 | 16 | 197 | 6-0 | Miami (FL) | 2/22/1956 | 2 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 48th pick / 1978 |
| 71 | John Vella | 30 | 8 | 0 | 258 | 6-4 | USC | 4/21/1950 | 8 | 1 | Oakland Raiders / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1972 | |
| 83 | Stu Voigt | 32 | te | 3 | 3 | 223 | 6-1 | Wisconsin | 8/12/1948 | 10 | 0 | Minnesota Vikings / 10th / 260th pick / 1970 |
| 72 | James White | 27 | RDT | 16 | 16 | 265 | 6-3 | Oklahoma St. | 10/26/1953 | 4 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1976 |
| 85 | Sammy White | 26 | WR | 16 | 16 | 190 | 5-11 | Grambling St. | 3/16/1954 | 4 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 54th pick / 1976 |
| 43 | Nate Wright | 34 | db | 16 | 4 | 180 | 5-11 | San Diego St. | 12/21/1946 | 11 | 3 | |
| 73 | Ron Yary | 34 | RT | 14 | 14 | 255 | 6-5 | USC | 8/16/1946 | 12 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 1st pick / 1968 |
| 34 | Rickey Young | 27 | RB | 16 | 16 | 196 | 6-2 | Jackson St. | 12/7/1953 | 5 | 7 | San Diego Chargers / 7th / 164th pick / 1975 |
| Team Total | 27.1 | 16 | 224.0 | 6-1.9 | 4.3 |