Minnesota Vikings Head Coaches
Norm Van Brocklin: 1961-66
Record: 29-51-4
Norm Van Brocklin had the unique career trajectory of going straight from playing to head coaching. He was one of the great quarterbacks of his day. He has a bronze bust in Canton. Van Brocklin led the Philadelphia Eagles to the 1960 NFL title. He was also the league’s MVP in 1960. Then he was the first head coach of the expansion Minnesota Vikings.
Bud Grant: 1967-83, 1985
Record: 158-96-5
Playoff Record: 10-12
Bud Grant was the head coach when I discovered the Minnesota Vikings. His stoic sideline presence was one of the reasons I fell hard for the team. As an itty-bitty Vikings fan, I thought that he’d always be the head coach. The day that he retired was devastating. The day that he returned was exhilarating. I was a little more ready when he retired the second time. At least the second time the team was left in more capable hands.
Les Steckel: 1984
Record: 3-13
Thank goodness Les Steckel only coached the Vikings for a single season. It was brutal.
Jerry Burns: 1986-91
Record: 52-43
Playoff Record: 3-3
Jerry Burns should’ve taken over for Bud Grant the first time he retired. Dipshit Mike Lynn wanted to put his mark on the franchise with Les Steckel. While he was nothing like Grant in any way, Burns still brought continuity, consistency, sanity. The team felt like it was once again in good hands. And they damn near returned to the Super Bowl in 1987.
Dennis Green: 1992-2001
Record: 97-62
Playoff Record: 4-8
The coaching search that led to Dennis Green was the first for me as a Vikings fan. I was a fan for nearly 20 years before the Vikings had to look outside the organization for a new head coach. Initially, the best thing about the hiring of Green was that they took him away from Stanford. I like it when talented football coaches are plucked away from Stanford. The Vikings made the playoffs eight of the ten years that he coached the team. They were one-and-done on the first four playoff attempts. They were two-and-done from 1997-2000, making it to the NFC Championship game in 1998 and 2000. The 1998 Vikings team was one of the best teams to ever not win a title. They could’ve/should’ve won that Super Bowl.
Mike Tice: 2001-05
Record: 32-33
Playoff Record: 1-1
One thing that can be said about Mike Tice-coached Vikings teams is that they were never boring. The playoff win over the Green Bay Packers was probably the peak of Tice’s head coaching time with the Vikings. That’s quite a peak.
Brad Childress: 2006-10
Record: 39-35
Playoff Record: 1-2
The coaching search that led to Brad Childress was the second for me as a Vikings fan. I was a fan for over 30 years before the Vikings had to look outside the organization a second time for a new head coach. The best thing about the Childress years was the 2009 season. That season is with the Super Bowl teams and the 1998 season as the most fun in my years as a fan. Unfortunately, the 2010 season is close to the Les Steckel year.
Leslie Frazier: 2010-13
Record: 21-32-1
Playoff Record: 0-1
I liked Leslie Frazier. I’m glad that the interim title that he was given during the terrible 2010 season was removed. He deserved the opportunity to be the head coach. The Vikings during his three years were uninspiring. The talent that peaked in 2009 was gradually whittled away in the years that followed and wasn’t replaced. Frazier’s head coach opportunity wasn’t much of an opportunity.
Mike Zimmer: 2014-21
Record: 72-56-1
Playoff Record: 2-3
It’s probably too soon to rationally look at Mike Zimmer’s head coaching days in Minnesota. I reluctantly believed that the team needed a change but it was tough to see him go. I loved Zimmer’s hire in 2014. I’d been a fan of his for more than a decade and never understood why he hadn’t been given an opportunity to be a head coach. He climbed the coaching ladder for 35 years before he got his first head coach shot. By comparison, Kevin O’Connell has been coaching for seven years. When Zimmer was hired, I realized that he was about the same age that Bud Grant was when he retired (the second time). I’ve always found that bit of trivia incredible. For me, Mike Zimmer is #2 to Bud Grant’s #1 among Minnesota Vikings head coaches.
Kevin O’Connell: 2021-
Record: ?
Playoff Record: ?
When the fourth Vikings head coach search of my days as a fan started, I was certain that the Vikings needed an offensive head coach. Initially, Byron Leftwich was my #1. As the search developed, Raheem Morris and DeMeco Ryans emerged as my co-favorites. Kevin O’Connell was a bit behind them. I was never really thrilled about the strange dance with Jim Harbaugh. What that dance did do was bring me back around to an offensive-minded head coach. O’Connell was the clear choice of the Vikings. The more I learn about him the more I like him. I look forward to his press conference and and the path that he takes from there. Super Bowl wins are the only acceptable destinations.
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