Guest Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 I started following the Vikings in 1968 when I was 7 years old. I became a student of the game in the 1970's when the Vikings and the Cowboys were NFC dynasties. One of the reasons, is both teams had stability at Quarterback. To illustrate the Vikings dominance of their division I have listed starting qb's (those that started the majority of the games during a season) of the old NFC Central division (The Black and Blue Division) of the decade of the 1970's. Green Bay: Bart Starr Scott Hunter Jerry Tagge John Hadl Lynn Dickey David Whitehurst Chicago: Jack Concannon Bobby Douglas Gary Huff Bob Avelini Mike Phipps Detroit: Bill Munson Greg Landry Joe Reed Gary Danielson Jeff Komlo Minnesota: Gary Cuozzo Fran Tarkenton Tommy Kramer Even back in the 1970's, when the game was much more focused on running the ball, having stability at the quarterback position was important. Only Bart Starr (He retired in 1971) and Fran Tarkenton made it to the Hall of Fame. And during the '70's, only the Vikings reached the Super Bowl...doing it 3 times. (Super Bowl IV was played in January of 1970, but it was for the championship of the 1969 season...so I didn't count that as a '70's Super Bowl appearance. Somethings just haven't changed all that much in the last 50 years...teams still need stability at qb for a chance to be successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelKing728 Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 Culpepper to Moss. That was enough to get me hooked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcblack34 Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 I got into football in third grade. I really didn't know much about it, but I had moved to a new town (which I shared with a certain Viking WR), and during recess the kids would play. I could chuck the ball really well, so I was the QB. Baseball was my first love, but over the years, football grew on me. My first true memory of Vikings disappointment was watching Darrin Nelson drop the pass in the NFCCG in 1987. I've been a glutton for punishment ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingsrule Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 Brad Johnson was the starter when I began watching. That would be 1997. That team had a ton of talent. I still remember watching the draft in 97 when Rudd was selected and 98 when Moss was selected. I was 11 years old in 97. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 Jim Marshall and the Purple People Eaters... Bud Grant's stoicism... Tarkenton's make it happen attitude.... top that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcticNorseman Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 I was 4 or 5 years old living on a farm in rural South Dakota watching the only team that came across our 13" black and white TV. Happened to be the Vikings . . . The lore of arctic warriors, the sidelines blasting torpedo heaters, Alan Page, Bud Grant,and Fran Tarkenton scrambling around like a little kid . . . It was magical. I was sad when they lost . . . Any game, not just the Super Bowls, but the magnitude of not winning the SB wouldn't be fully realized by me for a long time. I watched age catch up to players, saw the downfall of, to me, a dynasty when Fran got sacked and need 37 (?) stitches to close cuts in his face and mouth. Granted, it was fun to watch Tommy Kramer early in his career, but the team's window passed them by. That team of the early 70's was inspiring . . . And I've stayed a loyal fan ever since . . . Thick and thin, baby! SKOL!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 I didn't really start paying attention until I was about 9-10 years old...and then unfortunately, the 2nd year in, was the Les Steckel year...and as a result of that, I became a LA Rams fan for a few years (because of Dickerson) until the Vikings brought me back in. As mentioned, some things never change...I still love the running game and defense and I apparently like to have my soul tortured. It's part of my fear that once they do win, what will happen to me? Will I actually be able to appreciate it? 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 4 minutes ago, swede700 said: I didn't really start paying attention until I was about 9-10 years old...and then unfortunately, the 2nd year in, was the Les Steckel year...and as a result of that, I became a LA Rams fan for a few years (because of Dickerson) until the Vikings brought me back in. As mentioned, some things never change...I still love the running game and defense and I apparently like to have my soul tortured. It's part of my fear that once they do win, what will happen to me? Will I actually be able to appreciate it? 😂 If it's any help, my experience with the Cubs winning the WS in 2016 seems like a dream to me. I have to check the record books every once in awhile to see if it really happened!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 9 minutes ago, Virginia Viking said: If it's any help, my experience with the Cubs winning the WS in 2016 seems like a dream to me. I have to check the record books every once in awhile to see if it really happened!! When I actually paid any significant attention to baseball (basically pre-94 strike), the Cubs were my favorite NL team...Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, Greg Maddux before he was Greg Maddux, Shawon Dunston, the Sarge, Leon Durham, and Sutcliffe...those were my guys. I couldn't tell you today anything significant about anyone in MLB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) 29 minutes ago, swede700 said: When I actually paid any significant attention to baseball (basically pre-94 strike), the Cubs were my favorite NL team...Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, Greg Maddux before he was Greg Maddux, Shawon Dunston, the Sarge, Leon Durham, and Sutcliffe...those were my guys. I couldn't tell you today anything significant about anyone in MLB. Yeah! I loved that team as well. Dawson is my favorite Cubs player...was a great player, with horrible knees...just before everyone became juiced on steroids. I abandoned, MLB for a long time after Canseco, McGuire, Sosa, Bonds and ARoid...for the most part, it seems pretty clean now. I do get lost with all the moves front offices make these days. It seems as if 90% of rosters turn over every two years. I haven't much time to watch game on TV, but I do enjoy the box scores in the morning paper. Edited February 8, 2021 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worm Guts Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 I started watching the Vikings in '86 when I was 7 years old. The '87 run really cemented me as a fan. Blowing out the Saints and then beating the 49ers was probably the most playoff fun I've had as Vikings fan. Anthony Carter was unbelievable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 9 minutes ago, Worm Guts said: Anthony Carter was unbelievable. Probably the most underrated of all the great WRs the Vikings have had. Unfortunately, he had Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Randy follow him and Sammy White/Ahmad Rashad before him, so he gets lost in the shuffle. I was happy when he came over from the Michigan Panthers, but since I was still upset over the Steckel year at the time, I probably wasn't as enthused as I should have been...but it was that playoff game vs the 49ers that brought me back to the fold, never to leave again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cearbhall Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 4 hours ago, swede700 said: Probably the most underrated of all the great WRs the Vikings have had. Unfortunately, he had Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Randy follow him and Sammy White/Ahmad Rashad before him, so he gets lost in the shuffle. I was happy when he came over from the Michigan Panthers, but since I was still upset over the Steckel year at the time, I probably wasn't as enthused as I should have been...but it was that playoff game vs the 49ers that brought me back to the fold, never to leave again. That blasted game against the Niners! It is also a primary cause of my (since then) lifelong affliction as a fan of the Vikings. Without that, who knows how much more productive I would have ended up being in life? I certainly fritter away more than my fair share of time paying attention to the Vikings, and the 1987 playoffs is really what got me hooked. Still being a beginner in those years, I was sadly stoked about the Herschel Walker trade when it was announced. In spite of how that blew up, that excitement further set the hook that I bit into in 1987. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 23 minutes ago, Cearbhall said: That blasted game against the Niners! It is also a primary cause of my (since then) lifelong affliction as a fan of the Vikings. Without that, who knows how much more productive I would have ended up being in life? I certainly fritter away more than my fair share of time paying attention to the Vikings, and the 1987 playoffs is really what got me hooked. Still being a beginner in those years, I was sadly stoked about the Herschel Walker trade when it was announced. In spite of how that blew up, that excitement further set the hook that I bit into in 1987. It is probably only one of the few, if any, times in the entire history that we've watched, where the Vikings actually were the ones to pull off the upset. We've seen it go the other way now several times ('98 vs. the Falcons, '01 vs. the Giants, and '09 vs. the Saints). Last year's win vs. the Saints in the playoffs is the closest thing since to have the Vikings truly upset a favored team...and that still wasn't nearly as dramatic as that 49ers game...and it's often said by Montana, Rice and Walsh that that 49ers team was the best team he had ever coached (which is similar to what Vikings' fans have said of the '75 team). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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