Vikings and Bears

This isn't about the Minnesota Vikings upcoming game with the Chicago Bears. This is about being a fan of the Minnesota Vikings and University of California Golden Bears. I am. With the start of the football season, I've been thinking about being pretty much a lifelong fan of those two football teams. Some might say that there's a lot of pain there. I've felt that sharp kick to the gut a few times. Who hasn't? All things considered, it's been a lot of fun being a fan of the Minnesota Vikings and the California Golden Bears. Recently, I've been thinking of some amazing similarities between the two teams.

First of all, neither team has won it all in my lifetime. That's actually more unfortunate than amazing. While Cal was a national power in the first quarter of the 20th century, they've been wildly inconsistent since then. As a Cal student, I might have seen eight Cal victories in three years. If nothing else, the Bears were an entertaining football team in the '80s. The Vikings have actually been quite successful since the NFL introduction in 1961. Unfortunately, that success has always fallen short of the ultimate success.

In the late '40s, head coach Pappy Waldorf brought Cal back to prominence. Cal went to three straight Rose Bowls following the 1948, '49, and '50 seasons. The Bears lost all three Rose Bowls. They didn't return to Pasadena until 1958. They lost that one too. Cal hasn't been back since. The Minnesota Vikings may not have lost three straight Super Bowls, but they did lose three in four years. Super Bowls VIII, IX, and XI. They also lost Super Bowl IV. They haven't been back to the big game since 1977. Minnesota and Cal have both shown a remarkable, and frustrating ability to fade in big games. That's gotta change.

The last thing that the Vikings and the Bears have in common is the most amazing. Some might actually call it embarrassing. I don't. I think that it makes them unique. Special, even. Each has a player that returned a fumble the wrong way. Cal's Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels pulled his stunt in the 1929 Rose Bowl against Georgia Tech. Big stage. Cal would lose that game, 8-7. Riegels actually played a strong game, minus his mistake. Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall picked a smaller stage for his wrong way run. His game was a regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers in 1964. Riegels was tackled at the one-yard line by a teammate so he never crossed his own goal line. Marshall made it into his his end zone. Thinking that he'd just scored a touchdown, he tossed the ball into the stands. This gave the 49ers a safety and two points. Riegels' wrong way run ended up giving Georgia Tech a safety too when Cal had their ensuing punt blocked. Those two points were the deciding points in Cal's one-point Rose Bowl loss. Marshall's little run didn't matter much as the Vikings defeated the 49ers that day in San Francisco.

No ultimate wins and wrong way runs. That's what the Minnesota Vikings and California Golden Bears have in common. Well, that and me.