MINNEAPOLIS, MN (KDAL) – Bud Grant, one of the most iconic sports figures in Minnesota history, died Saturday at the age of 95.
Grant was a standout athlete for the Gophers, played professional basketball for the Minneapolis Lakers and starred in the NFL, but made his mark in the state as coach of the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to four Super Bowls in his 18 seasons and earning a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Harry Peter Grant, Jr., was born and raised in Superior. He was the first of three sons of a fireman. He was born in 1927, just before the Depression and grew up on First Street, always feeling the wind coming off Lake Superior.
A first-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1950, he rejected what he thought was a sub-par offer and spent a year playing for the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers and operating as a pitcher for hire in town ball games all across the state.
After two outstanding seasons with the Eagles, he once again snubbed a sub-par offer, became the first man to play out his NFL option, then moved to Winnipeg of the Canadian Football League.
Installed as head coach there by age 29, Grant coached the Blue Bombers to four CFL championships in 10 seasons.
Finally persuaded to return to Minnesota, Grant coached the Vikings for 18 seasons. He won 158 games, 11 division titles, took the Vikings to four Super Bowls, eventually retiring to spend more time with another of his life’s loves, the outdoors.
(from Bruce Ciskie)
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