Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Minnesota Vikings

Here are the 1967 Vikings. All but Dale Hackbart are pictured in their classic purple jerseys. I like these late-1960s jerseys much better than the early 1970s Vikings' jerseys, which look too much like New York Giants' jerseys. I think my 3 favorite NFL jerseys are the Packers (green w/gold arm stripes), Vikings (purple w/white arm stripes and gold edging around the numbers), and the Steelers (black w/gold arm stripes). I also like the Miami Dolphins' jerseys (teal with orange trim).

I got all of these cards back in the day except for Bill Brown.


#97 Vikings Team - The Vikings finished 1966 with a 4-9-1 record - last in the West. After trading QB Fran Tarkenton in the off-season, they finished 3-8-3 in 1967, the first of Joe Kapp's 3 seasons as the Vikings' QB.

#106 Fran Tarkenton - Tarkenton was the Vikings' QB from their inception in 1961 through the 1966 season, then again from 1972-78. In between, he spent 5 seasons with the Giants. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986. (The back of this card states that he was traded to the Giants on March 7, 1967.)


#104 Tommy Mason - Mason was the Vikings' #1 pick (1st overall) in the 1961 draft (the team's 1st season). He played 6 seasons with the Vikings and 3 with the Rams before wrapping up his career with the Redskins in 1971. In the 1970s he was married to former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby.


#99 Bill Brown - Bill was the Bears' 2nd-round pick in 1961. After 1 season in Chicago, he spent the rest of his career as the Vikings fullback, until retiring after the 1974 season. He led the NFL with 251 rushing attempts in 1966.


#101 Paul Flatley - Paul was the Vikings' split end from 1963 to 1967, then played 3 more seasons with the Falcons.


#107 Mick Tingelhoff - Mick played his entire career (1962-78) with the Vikings, starting every game (240) at center during that time. He was a 6-time Pro Bowler.


#105 Milt Sunde - Sunde (SUN-dee) played his entire career (1964-74) with the Vikings, and was a starter from 1965-73. Early on, he was the team's starting left guard before moving to the right side in 1968.

#98 Grady Alderman - Grady was drafted by the Lions in 1960, and joined the expansion Vikings in 1961. He was their starting left offensive tackle from 1961-73, missing only 2 games during that time span. Alderman retired after the 1974 season.


#100 Fred Cox - Fred was drafted by the Cleveland Browns and New York Titans (Jets) in 1961, but did not play until he joined the Vikings in 1963. He kicked for the Vikings from 1963-77, and also punted (70 times) during his rookie season.


#103 Jim Marshall - Marshall started every game during his 20-year career (282 regular-season games) which included 1960 with the Browns and 1961-79 with the Vikings. He was the starting right defensive end in every season except 1961, when he played left defensive end. (The back of this card mercilessly states "He will always be remembered for picking up a 49er fumble and going 66 yards to the wrong end zone for a SF safety.")


#102 Dale Hackbart - Hackbart was drafted by the Packers in 1960. After a full season in 1960 and 2 games in 1961, he was traded to the Redskins, where he was the starting free safety from 1961-63. After 2 seasons with the Canadian League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Dale played for the Vikings from 1966-70, starting at free safety for the 1st two seasons. He later played for the Cardinals (1971-72) and the Broncos (1973).



#108 Vikings Logo - The Vikings joined the NFL in 1961, one season after the Dallas Cowboys. Soon, the Falcons (1966) and Saints (1967) would increase the NFL to 16 teams.


Also check out the 1972 Vikings.


Next time: New York Giants
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