Throwback Thursday: The 1976 Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings were last in a Super Bowl following the 1976 season. 36 years is a long time to wait. It's also a long time to remember. Much of the playoff games against the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams has faded from my memory. Fortunately I have those games on DVD. I can watch them anytime I want for a reminder. Unfortunately I still remember far too much of Super Bowl XI against the Oakland Raiders. I may not remember all of the games from those days but I will always remember that team. The lineup will never escape me:

WR Ahmad Rashad
  T   Ron Yary
  G  Ed White
  C  Mick Tingelhoff
  G  Charles Goodrum
  T  Steve Riley
TE  Stu Voigt
WR Sammy White
QB Fran Tarkenton
RB Chuck Foreman
FB Brent McClanahan
 K  Fred Cox

DE Jim Marshall
DT Alan Page
DT Doug Sutherland
DE Carl Eller
LB Wally Hilgenberg
LB Jeff Siemon
LB Matt Blair
CB Nate Wright
CB Bobby Bryant
  S  Paul Krause
  S  Jeff Wright
  P  Neil Clabo

Fran Tarkenton, Ron Yary, Alan Page, Carl Eller and Paul Krause are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Head coach Bud Grant is honored there as well. Many Vikings fans argue that Jim Marshall should be there. Personally, I think that a better case can be made for Mick Tingelhoff. Without a doubt both deserve more consideration than they have received. The Minnesota Vikings of this era was simply an awesome team. It's unfortunate that the greats were all getting old at about the same time. Right about the time that they took the field against the Oakland Raiders. The overall age of the team and the size of the defensive line were exposed by Oakland. This Vikings defensive line had been destroying the NFL since the late 1960s. A period of time in which the offensive linemen that they faced weren't much bigger than them. The Raiders line was much bigger than them. Hall of Famers Art Shell and Gene Upshaw in particular. The Raiders destruction of the Vikings defensive line may have been the biggest factor in the game.

Despite losing four Super Bowls the Minnesota Vikings were a dominant football team for nearly a decade. They were fantastic. Even if some forget about them as the years slip by I will always remember them. I will always remember that lineup.