There will be countless tributes to Bud Grant in the coming days and each one will be deserved. But as we mourn Grant’s passing and celebrate his life, these tributes figure to be very different.
Grant, who passed away at the age of 95 on Saturday, will be remembered by some who actually saw or know about his greatness as a three-sport athlete (baseball, basketball and football) at the University of Minnesota. Grant also played professionally for the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers (1949-51), the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles (1951-52) and the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1953-56).
Others, including myself, will remember Grant as the Vikings coach who turned the franchise into a four-time Super Bowl participant and a power playing in the elements at Metropolitan Stadium. The only thing eventually missing from Grant’s resume being a Super Bowl championship.
There was a time when everyone in Minnesota knew that while Vikings’ opponents froze on the Bloomington prairie, Grant made sure his players never had a sideline heater to huddle around. The piercing stare from those steely blue eyes and the lack of an expression on his face could strike fear in the hearts of players and fans alike.
Then there is the generation of fans who never saw Grant coach a game and only have heard tales of what it was like when the Purple People Eaters made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
Younger fans did get their Grant moment in January 2016 when the Hall of Fame coach walked to the 50-yard line at the Vikings’ temporary home, TCF Bank Stadium, wearing short sleeves in minus-6 degree weather before a playoff game against Seattle.
Bud Grant was the epitome of toughness and what the Minnesota Vikings were in the days of the Purple People Eaters. He will be missed, but never forgotten pic.twitter.com/LjvsxKilQ1
— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) March 11, 2023
That game tied for the third-coldest in NFL history, and, yet, Grant stood on the field for the coin toss and then on the sideline for the national anthem in short sleeves. He was 88 at the time. As cold as it was, you can be certain some old-timers had tears in their eyes and others, who only had heard about Grant’s refusal to give into the elements, realized the stories that their elders had told weren’t fables.
All of the memories that will be shared about Grant speak to how rich his life was and how many people he affected. Many of his former players loved him and so did many who never met him. Grant is arguably the most famous sports figure in Minnesota history, even though he was born in Superior, Wis., on May 20, 1927.
In many ways, Grant was Minnesota.
From the steely demeanor that he perfectly personified on the sideline, to the fact he was an avid outdoorsman, Grant represented what the state stands for in so many ways.
Grant had many Hall of Fame players on his rosters through the years, including quarterback Fran Tarkenton. But, as Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said in a statement Saturday, it was Grant who was the most famous name associated with the franchise. “No single individual more defined the Minnesota Vikings than Bud Grant,” the Wilfs said. “A once-in-a-lifetime man, Bud will forever be synonymous with success, toughness, the North and the Vikings. In short, he was the Vikings.”
Grant, through an agreement worked out when he came out of retirement in 1985 following a one-season absence that proved disastrous for the Vikings, had an office at Winter Park and later TCO Performance Center that he could visit whenever he wanted. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell took advantage of Grant’s occasional presence in the last year to talk to a man who coached his final season the year O’Connell was born.
“Bud was gracious with his time, meeting in his office weekly to discuss football and life,” O’Connell said in a statement. “I will forever cherish those conversations because they made me a better coach, a better husband and father and a better person.”
O’Connell wasn’t simply trying to be kind. Grant remained sharp until the end and had plenty to offer those around him. Last December, I had the pleasure of hearing Grant reminisce about the Miracle at the Met, along with quarterback Tommy Kramer and wide receiver Ahmad Rashad, at a hotel that sits on the Met Stadium site.
That win came on Dec. 14, 1980 when Kramer connected with Rashad on a 46-yard Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game to give the Vikings a 28-23 victory. Many of Grant’s former players also were in attendance. Sitting up on the stage, Grant told stories, poked fun at himself and others and at 95 still had his fastball.
Grant’s death three months later is sad but as we celebrate his life it’s worth remembering that Bud remained Bud until the end. And while our memories of him might be different, the one thing that isn’t is the respect everyone in this state had for the man.