Bud Grant ushered in a new era of Minnesota Vikings football. We’re talking Joe Kapp, Paul Krause, and the Purple People Eaters. Finally, the Vikings become a formidable opponent, the best team in the NFL before the merger. However, we get our first indication that the Vikes are snakebitten.
Luke Braun brilliantly tells the story of the Vikings of the 1960s and ’70s in Part 2 of his documentary.
From Luke:
What makes a man great? In Pt. 2, let’s learn about the bulk of the Purple Gang of the late 1960s and 1970s, the players who comprised the greatest teams that would ever grace Minnesota football. Where they came from — and how they got to Minnesota — showcases diversity, swagger, and most importantly, a little Grab-Ass.
This episode profiles several famous Viking players including Paul Krause, Ron Yary, Alan Page, and Joe Kapp. These Vikings made up the 1969 team that made it to Super Bowl IV, a story with so much drama and fanfare surrounding it, you have to back all the way back up to 1960 to tell it properly. If you want to understand how the Vikings strung out the greatest three-year stretch in postwar NFL history, you have to understand these people.
Please join Luke on his Patreon page to support more in-depth content like this to keep it ad-free and paywall-free. You’ll be able to find the entire documentary series there.
