1976 Minnesota Vikings season

The 1976 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 16th in the National Football League. The Vikings finished with an 11–2–1 record to give them their eighth NFC Central division title. They beat the Washington Redskins 35–20 in the divisional round of the playoffs, followed by a 24–13 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship, before losing 32–14 to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI. As of 2019, this was the last Super Bowl appearance by the franchise.

1976 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coachBud Grant
General managerMike Lynn
OwnerMax Winter
Home fieldMetropolitan Stadium
Results
Record11–2–1
Division place1st NFC Central
Playoff finishWon NFC Divisional Playoff (Redskins) 35–20
Won NFC Championship Game (Rams) 24–13
Lost Super Bowl XI
(vs. Raiders) 14–32

Offseason

1976 Draft
Main article: 1976 NFL Draft
Pro Bowler
1976 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order Player name Position College Notes
Round Selection
125 James WhiteDefensive tackleOklahoma State
254 Sammy WhiteWide receiverGrambling State
385 Wes HamiltonGuardTulsa
4118 Leonard WillisWide receiverOhio State
5133 Steve WagnerDefensive backWisconsinfrom Falcons[a]
149 Keith BernetteRunning backBoston College
6180 Terry EgerdahlDefensive backMinnesota Duluth
7206 Larry BruneDefensive backRice
8235 Traded to the New England Patriots[b]
9262 Isaac HaginsWide receiverSouthern
10289 Bill SalmonQuarterbackNorthern Iowa
11316 Steve KracherRunning backMontana State
12345 Robert SparksDefensive backSan Francisco State
13372 Gary PaulsonDefensive endColorado State
14401 Jeff StapletonOffensive tacklePurdue
15428 Ron GroceRunning backMacalester
16457 Randy HickelDefensive backMontana State
17484 Dick LukowskiDefensive tackleWest Virginia
^[a] The Vikings traded running back Oscar Reed to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for Atlanta's fifth-round selection (133rd overall).
^[b] The Vikings traded their eighth-round selection (235th overall) and 1977 sixth-round selection (166th overall) to the New England Patriots in exchange for offensive lineman Doug Dumler.

Personnel

Staff
1976 Minnesota Vikings staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator/defensive line – Buddy Ryan

[1]

Roster
1976 Minnesota Vikings final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists

None.


Practice squad None.


Rookies in italics
 active, inactive, practice squad

Preseason
WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance[2]
1 July 31 at Miami Dolphins L 3–16 0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 39,939
2 August 7 at Kansas City Chiefs W 13–10 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium 32,851
3 August 16 at Cleveland Browns L 7–31 1–2 Cleveland Stadium 44,336
4 August 22 Cincinnati Bengals W 23–17 2–2 Metropolitan Stadium 43,784
5 August 28 Philadelphia Eagles W 20–16 3–2 Metropolitan Stadium 46,512
6 September 5 at Denver Broncos L 17–30 3–3 Mile High Stadium 52,129

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 12 at New Orleans Saints W 40–9 1–0 Louisiana Superdome 58,156
2 September 19 Los Angeles Rams T 10–10 (OT) 1–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,310
3 September 26 at Detroit Lions W 10–9 2–0–1 Silverdome 77,292
4 October 4 Pittsburgh Steelers W 17–6 3–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,809
5 October 10 Chicago Bears W 20–19 4–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,614
6 October 17 New York Giants W 24–7 5–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 46,508
7 October 24 at Philadelphia Eagles W 31–12 6–0–1 Veterans Stadium 56,233
8 October 31 at Chicago Bears L 13–14 6–1–1 Soldier Field 53,602
9 November 7 Detroit Lions W 31–23 7–1–1 Metropolitan Stadium 46,735
10 November 14 Seattle Seahawks W 27–21 8–1–1 Metropolitan Stadium 45,087
11 November 21 at Green Bay Packers W 17–10 9–1–1 Milwaukee County Stadium 53,104
12 November 29 at San Francisco 49ers L 16–20 9–2–1 Candlestick Park 56,775
13 December 5 Green Bay Packers W 20–9 10–2–1 Metropolitan Stadium 43,700
14 December 11 at Miami Dolphins W 29–7 11–2–1 Orange Bowl 46,543

Game summaries

Week 1
Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vikings 13 17 7340
Saints 0 3 609

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information
First quarter

Second quarter

  • NO – Rich Szaro 45-yard field goal. Vikings 13–3.
  • MIN – Brent McClanahan 5-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 20–3.
  • MIN – Fred Cox 24-yard field goal. Vikings 23–3.
  • MIN – Sammy White 47-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 30–3.

Third quarter

  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 6-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 37–3.
  • NO – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 37–9.

Fourth quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 35-yard field goal. Vikings 40–9.

Week 2
Week 2: Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34OTTotal
Rams 0 0 010010
Vikings 0 3 07010

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

  • Date: September 19, 1976
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 47,310
  • Referee: Fred Silva
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information
First quarter
  • No scoring plays.

Second quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 33-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.

Third quarter

  • No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

Week 3
Week 3: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 0 3710
Lions 0 0 369

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Game information
First quarter
  • No scoring plays.

Second quarter

  • No scoring plays.

Third quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 49-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.
  • DET – Errol Mann 49-yard field goal. Tied 3–3.

Fourth quarter

Week 4
Week 4: Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Steelers 6 0 006
Vikings 0 7 01017

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 4-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 14–6.
  • MIN – Fred Cox 43-yard field goal. Vikings 17–6.

Week 5
Week 5: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 13619
Vikings 7 10 0320

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter

Second quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 29-yard field goal. Vikings 10–0.
  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–0.

Third quarter

  • CHI – Walter Payton 13-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Vikings 17–7.
  • CHI – Walter Payton 11-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 17–13.

Fourth quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 39-yard field goal. Vikings 20–13.
  • CHI – Roland Harper 7-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 20–19.

Week 6
Week 6: New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Giants 0 7 007
Vikings 10 7 0724

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter
  • MIN – Fred Cox 23-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.
  • MIN – Nate Allen 28-yard blocked punt return (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 10–0.

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

  • MIN – Brent McClanahan 3-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–7.

Week 7
Week 7: Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 7 101431
Eagles 0 9 0312

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information
First quarter
  • No scoring plays.

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 32-yard field goal. Vikings 10–9.
  • MIN – Sammy White 35-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–9.

Fourth quarter

  • PHI – Horst Muhlmann 21-yard field goal. Vikings 17–12.
  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 32-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–12.
  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 31–12.

Week 8
Week 8: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 3 3713
Bears 7 0 0714

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information
First quarter

Second quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 24-yard field goal. Bears 7–3.

Third quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 24-yard field goal. Bears 7–6.

Fourth quarter

  • CHI – Johnny Musso 3-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 14–6.
  • MIN – Fran Tarkenton 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Bears 14–13.

Week 9
Week 9: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Lions 3 6 7723
Vikings 7 3 71431

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter

Second quarter

  • DET – Lawrence Gaines 1-yard run (kick failed). Lions 9–7.
  • MIN – Fred Cox 39-yard field goal. Vikings 10–9.

Third quarter

  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 2-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–9.
  • DET – Lawrence Gaines 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Vikings 17–16.

Fourth quarter

  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 24–16.
  • DET – Larry Walton 26-yard pass from Greg Landry (Benny Ricardo kick). Vikings 24–23.
  • MIN – Sammy White 37-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 31–23.

Week 10
Week 10: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 0 7721
Vikings 7 7 6727

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • SEA – Steve Raible 80-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick). Tied 14–14.
  • MIN – Fred Cox 43-yard field goal. Vikings 17–14.
  • MIN – Fred Cox 39-yard field goal. Vikings 20–14.

Fourth quarter

  • SEA – Sam McCullum 7-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick). Seahawks 21–20.
  • MIN – Stu Voigt 5-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 27–21.

Week 11
Week 11: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 7 0717
Packers 3 0 7010

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Game information
First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

  • MIN – Ahmad Rashād 11-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 17–10.

Week 12
Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 13 3016
49ers 7 10 0320

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

  • Date: November 29, 1976
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. (PST)
  • Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 56,775
  • Referee: Don Wedge
  • TV announcers (ABC): Howard Cosell, Alex Karras, Frank Gifford
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information
First quarter

Second quarter

  • SF – Steve Mike-Mayer 45-yard field goal. 49ers 10–0.
  • MIN – Sammy White 18-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). 49ers 10–7.
  • MIN – Ahmad Rashād 8-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (kick failed). Vikings 13–10.
  • SF – Scott Bull 1-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick). 49ers 17–13.

Third quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 37-yard field goal. 49ers 17–16.

Fourth quarter

  • SF – Steve Mike-Mayer 38-yard field goal. 49ers 20–16.

Week 13
Week 13: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Packers 6 0 039
Vikings 0 3 31420

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Game information
First quarter
  • GB – Ollie Smith 12-yard pass from Carlos Brown (kick failed). Packers 6–0.

Second quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 34-yard field goal. Packers 6–3.

Third quarter

  • MIN – Fred Cox 30-yard field goal. Tied 6–6.

Fourth quarter

  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 13–6.
  • GB – Chester Marcol 24-yard field goal. Vikings 13–9.
  • MIN – Chuck Foreman 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 20–9.

Week 14
Week 14: Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 15 14029
Dolphins 0 0 077

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Game information
First quarter
  • No scoring plays.

Second quarter

  • MIN – Sammy White 9-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (kick failed). Vikings 6–0.
  • MIN – Sammy White 36-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (kick failed). Vikings 12–0.
  • MIN – Fred Cox 30-yard field goal. Vikings 15–0.

Third quarter

  • MIN – Brent McClanahan 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 22–0.
  • MIN – Sammy White 7-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 29–0.

Fourth quarter

Standings
NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings(1) 11 2 1 .821 5–1 9–2 305 176 W2
Chicago Bears 7 7 0 .500 4–2 7–5 253 216 L1
Detroit Lions 6 8 0 .429 2–4 4–8 262 220 L2
Green Bay Packers 5 9 0 .357 1–5 5–8 218 299 W1

Postseason

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance
Divisional December 18 Washington Redskins W 35–20 Metropolitan Stadium 47,221
NFC Championship December 26 Los Angeles Rams W 24–13 Metropolitan Stadium 47,191
Super Bowl XI January 9 Oakland Raiders L 14–32 Rose Bowl 100,421

Game summaries

NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (#4) Washington Redskins
NFC Divisional Playoffs: (#4) Washington Redskins at (#1) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Redskins 3 0 31420
Vikings 14 7 14035

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Game information

The Vikings jumped to a 35–6 lead by the end of the third quarter, led by running backs Chuck Foreman and Brent McClanahan who each rushed for more than 100 yards.

McClanahan's career-long 41-yard run on Minnesota's first play of the game set up quarterback Fran Tarkenton's 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Stu Voigt. Washington defensive back Eddie Brown gave his team some early scoring opportunities with big special teams plays, first returning the kickoff 26 yards to the 38-yard line, and later returning a punt 17 yards to the Vikings 45. But the team was unable to capitalize. All they could do after the kickoff return was go three-and-out, and on the first play after his big punt return, Billy Kilmer threw a pass that was intercepted by Bobby Bryant. Now momentum seemed slipping away, but on the first play after Bryant's pick, Washington took the ball right back with an interception by safety Jake Scott, who returned it 17 yards to the Minnesota 34-yard line. Three plays later, Mark Moseley kicked a 47-yard field goal that cut the Washington deficit to 7–3. Later in the quarter, Minnesota drove 66 yards and scored when Tarkenton threw a 27-yard pass to Sammy White. Safety Ken Houston deflected the ball, but it still bounced to White, who made a diving, juggling catch for a touchdown to put the Vikings up 14–3. By the end of the first quarter, the Vikings had gained 143 yards, while holding Washington to 18 yards and no first downs.

The situation only got worse for Washington in the second quarter. A promising drive for them into Vikings territory ended with no points when Moseley missed a 51-yard field goal attempt. Minnesota then drove 66 yards, featuring a 35-yard completion from Tarkenton to Ahmad Rashad, to score on Foreman's 2-yard touchdown run, putting them up 21–3. The Redskins next drive ended with an interception by Vikings defensive back Nate Wright. On the next play, Houston intercepted the ball from Tarkenton and returned it 8 yards to the Vikings 38. But Washington was unable to move the ball and had to punt. In the final seconds of the half, Washington had a chance for a touchdown with a deep throw from Kilmer to receiver Frank Grant. Grant had broken open in the end zone, but was unable to make the catch and the pass fell incomplete.

Washington had to punt on the first drive of the second half, and Leonard Willis returned it 10 yards to the Vikings 48, where Minnesota proceeded to drive to a 28–3 lead on a 30-yard touchdown burst by Foreman. This time the Redskins were able to respond, converting a 20-yard catch by tight end Jean Fugett, a 20-yard run by Mike Thomas, and a 10-yard reception by fullback John Riggins into a 35-yard Moseley field goal, making the score 28–6. But after this, the Vikings drove 77 yards and scored on a 9-yard pass from Tarkenton to White. By the time Kilmer completed two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, the game was already out of reach.

NFC Championship: vs. (#3) Los Angeles Rams
NFC Championship Game: (#3) Los Angeles Rams at (#1) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Rams 0 0 13013
Vikings 7 3 7724

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Game information

The Vikings forced a blocked field goal, a blocked punt, and two interceptions en route to the victory over the Rams. On offense, running back Chuck Foreman rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries while also catching 5 passes for 81 yards.

In the first quarter, the Rams got off to a good start as they marched down the field to the Viking 2-yard line. The drive stalled there, and coach Chuck Knox, recalling the NFC championship game in Minnesota two years ago (when the Rams were intercepted in the end zone after driving to the Viking 2-yard line) ordered a field goal attempt. Nate Allen blocked the field goal attempt, and the ball bounced off the ground right into the waiting arms of Bobby Bryant, who returned it 90 yards for a Minnesota touchdown. The first quarter ended with the Rams dominating the stat sheet. They had run 22 plays for 89 yards and 7 first downs, while holding the Vikings to 5 plays, one first down, and 17 yards, but they still trailed 7–0.

In the second quarter, linebacker Matt Blair blocked and recovered a punt on the Rams 10-yard line to set up Fred Cox's 25-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 10–0 lead before halftime. Then in the third period, Foreman rushed 62 yards to the Los Angeles 2-yard line, and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run two plays later to increase the lead 17–0.

The Rams rallied back with two quick touchdowns in the third quarter. After a chance to put the game away was wiped out by Monte Jackson's interception of a Tarkenton pass in the end zone, Pat Haden led the Rams on an 80-yard drive highlighted by a 40-yard pass to Harold Jackson, and culminating in a 10-yard touchdown run by Lawrence McCutcheon. Rams kicker Tom Dempsey missed the extra point. Dempsey had missed nine extra points during the season. Announcers Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier speculated that Haden was feeling pressure on this drive because Knox had James Harris warming up on the sidelines. On the Vikings' next drive, Fred Dryer hit Fran Tarkenton on a sack, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Jack Youngblood at the Viking 8-yard line. Three plays later, Haden hit Jackson for a 5-yard touchdown pass.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings defense snuffed out two big chances for LA to take the lead. With 7 minutes left, the Rams drove to a third down on the Vikings 33, but Minnesota linebacker Wally Hilgenberg sacked Haden and forced a punt. With 2:40 left in the game, Los Angeles advanced to the Minnesota 39-yard line. On fourth down and needing more than a field goal, Haden thought he had Jackson open deep near the goal line, but Bryant intercepted the pass (his second of the game) rather than batting it down. A few plays later, Tarkenton dumped a short pass off to Foreman, which he turned into a 57-yard gain. Foreman was injured on the play, but backup running back Sammy Johnson scored the clinching touchdown from 12 yards out.

This turned out to be the last playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings played four playoff games between 1977 and 1981, all on the road. Minnesota's next home playoff game came after the strike-shortened 1982 season, the Vikings' first in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. They would next host an outdoor home playoff game in January 2016.

To date, this is the most recent NFC Championship that the Vikings have won.

Super Bowl
Main article: Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI: Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14 – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 16 31332
Vikings 0 0 7714

at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

Game information

Statistics

Team leaders
Category Player(s) Value
Passing yardsFran Tarkenton2,961
Passing touchdownsFran Tarkenton17
Rushing yardsChuck Foreman1,155
Rushing touchdownsChuck Foreman13
Receiving yardsSammy White906
Receiving touchdownsSammy White10
PointsFred Cox89
Kickoff return yardsLeonard Willis552
Punt return yardsLeonard Willis207
InterceptionsNate Wright7

League rankings
Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 28)
Passing offense2,855203.94th
Rushing offense2,003143.118th
Total offense4,858347.06th
Passing defense1,575112.51st
Rushing defense2,096149.717th
Total defense3,671262.26th
gollark: Just stop insisting on referring to previous versions of you with the same pronouns and stuff.
gollark: I know a guide to it somewhere, it's not that hard.
gollark: Practically it might be, since presumably you've got the wormhole from the past you can go back through.
gollark: Is it easier to go to the future and back to your original time than to just go to the past? That might make those other time shenanigans easier.
gollark: In *those* I guess the people who don't exist because of timeline alteration "already existed" in some way.

References
  1. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
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