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1981 Minnesota Vikings
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Record: 7-9-0, Finished 4th in NFC Central Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 325 points (20.3/g), 13th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 369 points (23.1/g), 21st.
Differential of -44 points (-2.8/g), 18th.
Expected W-L: 6.8-9.2.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -15 (-0.9/g), 25th.
Simple Rating System: Total -2.0, Offense: 0.0, Defense: -2.1, SoS: 0.7, 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)
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Starters
ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),Hide Non-primary Starters
| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | ||||||
| QB | Tommy Kramer | 26 | 4 | 14 | 322 for 593, 3,912 yards, 26 td, 24 int, & 10 rushes for 13 yards and 0 td | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 27th pick / 1977 |
| RB | Rickey Young | 28 | 6 | 13 | 47 rushes for 129 yards, 0 td, & 43 catches for 296 yards and 2 td | San Diego Chargers / 7th / 164th pick / 1975 |
| FB | Ted Brown | 24 | 2 | 16 | 274 rushes for 1,063 yards, 6 td, & 83 catches for 694 yards and 2 td | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 16th pick / 1979 |
| WR | Ahmad Rashad* | 32 | 9 | 15 | 58 catches for 884 yards, 7 td | St. Louis Cardinals / 1st / 4th pick / 1972 |
| WR | Sammy White | 27 | 5 | 16 | 66 catches for 1,001 yards, 3 td, & 2 rushes for -1 yards and 0 td | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 54th pick / 1976 |
| TE | Joe Senser* | 25 | 1 | 16 | 79 catches for 1,004 yards, 8 td, & 1 rush for 2 yards and 0 td | Minnesota Vikings / 6th / 152nd pick / 1979 |
| LT | Steve Riley | 29 | 7 | 16 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1974 | |
| LG | Jim Hough | 25 | 3 | 13 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 100th pick / 1978 | |
| C | Dennis Swilley | 26 | 4 | 15 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 55th pick / 1977 | |
| RG | Wes Hamilton | 28 | 5 | 16 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 85th pick / 1976 | |
| RT | Ron Yary | 35 | 13 | 16 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 1st pick / 1968 | |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Mark Mullaney | 28 | 6 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1975 |
| NT | James White | 28 | 5 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1976 |
| RDE | Doug Martin | 24 | 1 | 9 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 9th pick / 1980 |
| LOLB | Matt Blair* | 31 | 7 | 16 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 51st pick / 1974 |
| LILB | Jeff Siemon | 31 | 9 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 10th pick / 1972 |
| RILB | Scott Studwell | 27 | 4 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 9th / 250th pick / 1977 |
| ROLB | Fred McNeill | 29 | 7 | 16 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 17th pick / 1974 |
| LCB | John Turner | 25 | 3 | 10 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 48th pick / 1978 | |
| RCB | Willie Teal | 24 | 1 | 16 | 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 30th pick / 1980 |
| SS | Tom Hannon | 26 | 4 | 16 | 4 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 83rd pick / 1977 |
| FS | Kurt Knoff | 27 | 4 | 16 | 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1976 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Rick Danmeier | 29 | 4 | 0 | 21 of 25 field goals & 34 of 37 extra points | |
| P | Greg Coleman | 27 | 4 | 0 | 88 punts for a 41.4 average, 0 blocked | Cincinnati Bengals / 14th / 398th pick / 1976 |
| KR | Eddie Payton | 30 | 4 | 0 | 39 kick returns for a 23.0 average and 1 td | |
| KR | Eddie Payton | 30 | 4 | 0 | 39 kick returns for a 23.0 average and 1 td |
| No. | Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | AV | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | Matt Blair* | 31 | LOLB | 16 | 16 | 232 | 6-5 | Iowa St. | 9/20/1950 | 7 | 9 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 51st pick / 1974 |
| 62 | Brent Boyd | 24 | g | 3 | 3 | 268 | 6-3 | UCLA | 3/23/1957 | 1 | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 68th pick / 1980 |
| 23 | Ted Brown | 24 | FB | 16 | 16 | 206 | 5-10 | North Carolina St. | 2/15/1957 | 2 | 11 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 16th pick / 1979 |
| 82 | Bob Bruer | 28 | 15 | 0 | 235 | 6-5 | Mankato St. | 5/22/1953 | 2 | 1 | Houston Oilers / 9th / 221st pick / 1975 | |
| 8 | Greg Coleman | 27 | P | 15 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Florida A&M | 9/9/1954 | 4 | 0 | Cincinnati Bengals / 14th / 398th pick / 1976 |
| 7 | Rick Danmeier | 29 | K | 16 | 0 | 194 | 6-0 | Sioux Falls | 4/8/1952 | 4 | 0 | |
| 12 | Steve Dils | 26 | qb | 2 | 2 | 190 | 6-1 | Stanford | 12/8/1955 | 2 | 2 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 97th pick / 1979 |
| 65 | Neil Elshire | 23 | 4 | 0 | 260 | 6-6 | Oregon | 3/8/1958 | Rook | 0 | ||
| 32 | Tony Galbreath | 27 | rb | 14 | 1 | 228 | 6-0 | Missouri | 1/29/1954 | 5 | 2 | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 32nd pick / 1976 |
| 61 | Wes Hamilton | 28 | RG | 16 | 16 | 261 | 6-3 | Tulsa | 4/24/1953 | 5 | 6 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 85th pick / 1976 |
| 45 | Tom Hannon | 26 | SS | 16 | 16 | 193 | 5-11 | Michigan St. | 3/5/1955 | 4 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 83rd pick / 1977 |
| 36 | Sam Harrell | 24 | 4 | 0 | 217 | 6-2 | East Carolina | 2/7/1957 | Rook | 0 | Minnesota Vikings / 11th / 288th pick / 1980 | |
| 75 | Randy Holloway | 26 | RDE | 16 | 8 | 250 | 6-5 | Pittsburgh | 8/26/1955 | 3 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 21st pick / 1978 |
| 51 | Jim Hough | 25 | LG | 16 | 13 | 267 | 6-2 | Utah St. | 8/4/1956 | 3 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 100th pick / 1978 |
| 56 | Dave Huffman | 24 | 13 | 0 | 280 | 6-6 | Notre Dame | 4/4/1957 | 2 | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1979 | |
| 76 | Tim Irwin | 23 | 7 | 0 | 300 | 6-7 | Tennessee | 12/13/1958 | Rook | 0 | Minnesota Vikings / 3rd / 74th pick / 1981 | |
| 52 | Dennis Johnson | 23 | lb | 16 | 1 | 234 | 6-3 | USC | 6/19/1958 | 1 | 2 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 92nd pick / 1980 |
| 53 | Henry Johnson | 23 | 16 | 0 | 235 | 6-1 | Georgia Tech | 3/20/1958 | 1 | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 7th / 174th pick / 1980 | |
| 25 | Kurt Knoff | 27 | FS | 16 | 16 | 191 | 6-2 | Kansas | 4/6/1954 | 4 | 7 | Denver Broncos / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1976 |
| 9 | Tommy Kramer | 26 | QB | 14 | 14 | 200 | 6-2 | Rice | 3/7/1955 | 4 | 10 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 27th pick / 1977 |
| 58 | Jim Langer | 33 | c | 9 | 1 | 250 | 6-2 | South Dakota St. | 5/16/1948 | 11 | 1 | |
| 80 | Terry LeCount | 25 | wr | 16 | 2 | 178 | 5-10 | Florida | 7/9/1956 | 3 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers / 4th / 91st pick / 1978 |
| 87 | Leo Lewis | 25 | wr | 4 | 1 | 170 | 5-8 | Missouri | 9/17/1956 | Rook | 1 | |
| 79 | Doug Martin | 24 | RDE | 16 | 9 | 260 | 6-3 | Washington | 5/22/1957 | 1 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 9th pick / 1980 |
| 88 | Mardye McDole | 22 | 9 | 0 | 198 | 5-11 | Mississippi St. | 5/1/1959 | Rook | 0 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 39th pick / 1981 | |
| 54 | Fred McNeill | 29 | ROLB | 16 | 16 | 229 | 6-2 | UCLA | 5/6/1952 | 7 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 17th pick / 1974 |
| 77 | Mark Mullaney | 28 | LDE | 15 | 15 | 242 | 6-6 | Colorado St. | 4/30/1953 | 6 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1975 |
| 49 | Keith Nord | 24 | 16 | 0 | 197 | 6-0 | St. Cloud St. | 3/3/1957 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 31 | Eddie Payton | 30 | KR | 16 | 0 | 175 | 5-8 | Jackson St. | 8/3/1951 | 4 | 1 | |
| 28 | Ahmad Rashad* | 32 | WR | 16 | 15 | 205 | 6-2 | Oregon | 11/19/1949 | 9 | 7 | St. Louis Cardinals / 1st / 4th pick / 1972 |
| 22 | Jarvis Redwine | 24 | 3 | 0 | 203 | 5-10 | Oregon St.,Nebraska | 5/16/1957 | Rook | 0 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 52nd pick / 1981 | |
| 78 | Steve Riley | 29 | LT | 16 | 16 | 258 | 6-5 | USC | 11/23/1952 | 7 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1974 |
| 89 | Ken Sanders | 31 | 9 | 0 | 240 | 6-5 | Howard Payne | 8/22/1950 | 9 | 1 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 65th pick / 1972 | |
| 57 | Robin Sendlein | 23 | 16 | 0 | 225 | 6-3 | Texas | 12/1/1958 | Rook | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 45th pick / 1981 | |
| 81 | Joe Senser* | 25 | TE | 16 | 16 | 235 | 6-4 | West Chester | 8/18/1956 | 1 | 9 | Minnesota Vikings / 6th / 152nd pick / 1979 |
| 50 | Jeff Siemon | 31 | LILB | 16 | 15 | 235 | 6-2 | Stanford | 6/2/1950 | 9 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 10th pick / 1972 |
| 55 | Scott Studwell | 27 | RILB | 16 | 16 | 228 | 6-2 | Illinois | 8/27/1954 | 4 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings / 9th / 250th pick / 1977 |
| 29 | John Swain | 22 | db | 12 | 1 | 195 | 6-1 | Miami (FL) | 9/4/1959 | Rook | 2 | Minnesota Vikings / 4th / 101st pick / 1981 |
| 67 | Dennis Swilley | 26 | C | 16 | 15 | 253 | 6-3 | Texas A&M,North Texas | 6/28/1955 | 4 | 6 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 55th pick / 1977 |
| 37 | Willie Teal | 24 | RCB | 16 | 16 | 195 | 5-10 | LSU | 12/20/1957 | 1 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 30th pick / 1980 |
| 27 | John Turner | 25 | LCB | 13 | 10 | 197 | 6-0 | Miami (FL) | 2/22/1956 | 3 | 4 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 48th pick / 1978 |
| 72 | James White | 28 | NT | 16 | 16 | 265 | 6-3 | Oklahoma St. | 10/26/1953 | 5 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 25th pick / 1976 |
| 85 | Sammy White | 27 | WR | 16 | 16 | 190 | 5-11 | Grambling St. | 3/16/1954 | 5 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 2nd / 54th pick / 1976 |
| 44 | Walt Williams | 27 | lcb | 16 | 5 | 185 | 6-1 | Ashland,New Mexico St. | 7/10/1954 | 4 | 3 | Detroit Lions / 2nd / 42nd pick / 1977 |
| 11 | Wade Wilson | 22 | 3 | 0 | 210 | 6-3 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 2/1/1959 | Rook | 0 | Minnesota Vikings / 8th / 210th pick / 1981 | |
| 91 | Ray Yakavonis | 24 | 15 | 0 | 250 | 6-4 | East Stroudsburg | 1/20/1957 | Rook | 1 | Minnesota Vikings / 6th / 148th pick / 1980 | |
| 73 | Ron Yary | 35 | RT | 16 | 16 | 255 | 6-5 | USC | 8/16/1946 | 13 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 1st pick / 1968 |
| 34 | Rickey Young | 28 | RB | 16 | 13 | 196 | 6-2 | Jackson St. | 12/7/1953 | 6 | 3 | San Diego Chargers / 7th / 164th pick / 1975 |
| Team Total | 26.3 | 16 | 223.9 | 6-1.9 | 3.5 |
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