Bud Grant

Bud Grant
Personal information
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	1950 / Round: 4
	Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career	1949–1951
Position	Forward
Number	14, 20
Career history
1949–1951	Minneapolis Lakers
Career highlights and awards
	NBA champion (1950);
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Bud Grant
No. 86
Position:	Wide receiver, defensive end
Personal information
Born:	May 20, 1927; Superior, Wisconsin
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	199 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:	Superior (WI) Central
College:	Minnesota
NFL Draft:	1950 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14
Career history
As player:
	Philadelphia Eagles (1951–1952); Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1953–1956);
As coach:
	Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1957–1966); Minnesota Vikings (1967–1983, 1985);
Career highlights and awards
	4× Grey Cup champion (1958, 1959, 1961, 1962); NFL champion (1969); CFL Coach of the Year (1965); NFL Coach of the Year (1969);
Career NFL statistics
	Player stats at NFL.com
	Player stats at NFL.com
Head coaching record
Regular season:	CFL: 102–56–2 (.644); NFL: 158–96–5 (.620)
Postseason:	CFL: 16–8–1 (.660); NFL: 10–12 (.455)
Career:	CFL: 118–64–3 (.646); NFL: 168–108–5 (.607)
	Player stats at PFR
	Coaching stats at PFR
	Pro Football Hall of Fame
	Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (born May 20, 1927) is a former head coach and player of American football, Canadian football, and a former basketball player in the NBA. Grant served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons; he was the team's second (1967–83) and fourth (1985) head coach. Before coaching the Vikings, he was the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for ten seasons, winning the Grey Cup four times. Grant is the most successful coach in Vikings history,[1] and the third most successful professional football coach overall (behind Don Shula and George Halas), with a combined 283 wins in the NFL and CFL.[2] Grant was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1983[3] and to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.[4] He was the first coach to guide teams to the Grey Cup and the Super Bowl.

Grant attended the University of Minnesota and was a three-sport athlete, in football, basketball, and baseball. After college, he played for the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. A statue of Grant stands in front of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' current stadium, Investors Group Field.

Personal life

Childhood

Bud Grant was born on May 20, 1927, in Superior, Wisconsin, to Harry Peter Sr. and Bernice Grant.[5] His mother called him "Buddy Boy", which later became "Bud".[5] As a child, Grant was diagnosed with poliomyelitis and a doctor suggested he become active in sports[6] to strengthen his weakened leg muscles over time. He started with baseball, adding basketball and football as he got older.[5] Due to a lack of organized school teams, he arranged football games between neighborhoods and contacted kids from other schools to participate.[5] During weekends, he would spend time outdoors alone hunting rabbits.[5] In his late teens and college years, he played organized baseball in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Family

Bud married Pat (formerly Patricia Nelson; born March 28, 1927) in 1950, and they had six children.[7] Their son Mike Grant has been the football head coach for Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota since 1992.[8] Mike Grant has coached Eden Prairie to 11 state championships since 1996.[9] Bud Grant's grandson Ryan Grant was a quarterback and linebacker at Eden Prairie and played at the University of Minnesota (2008–2012) as a linebacker.[10] Bud's granddaughter Jenny is married to former NFL quarterback Gibran Hamdan. Pat Grant died in 2009, of Parkinson's disease.[11]

Playing career

High school and college

Grant played football, basketball, and baseball at Superior Central High School (Wisconsin).[6][7] He graduated from high school in 1945 and enlisted in the Navy[7] during World War II. He was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois and played on the football team coached by Paul Brown.[7] Using an acceptance letter from the University of Wisconsin–Madison to be discharged from the service, Grant decided to attend the University of Minnesota instead.[7] He was a three-sport, nine-letterman[4] athlete in football, basketball, and baseball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers,[6][7] earning All-Big Ten honors in football twice.[4][7][12] While at the University of Minnesota, Grant was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.[13]

Professional basketball

After leaving the University of Minnesota, Grant was selected in both the NFL and NBA Draft. He was selected in the first round (14th overall) of the 1950 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles[14] and fourth round (42nd overall) selection of the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1950 NBA draft.[15] He played 35 games during the 1949–50 NBA season[16] and signed with the Lakers for the 1950–51 NBA season. He chose to continue his basketball career with the Lakers because they were local and because he was offered a raise to stay for the season.[5] Grant's close personal friend, Sid Hartman, was the Lakers' general manager, which may have influenced his decision to remain with the team.[7] He averaged 2.6 points per game in his two seasons as a reserve with the Lakers and was a member of the 1950 championship team.[17]

Professional football

After two seasons in the NBA, Grant decided to end his professional basketball career.[5] He contacted the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL[5] and agreed to play for the team during the 1951 NFL season.[7] In his first season with the Eagles, Grant played as a defensive end and led the team in sacks (an unofficial statistic at the time).[5][7] He switched to offense as a wide receiver for his second season with the club and ranked second in the NFL for receiving yardage, with 997 yards on 56 catches, including seven touchdowns.[7][18]

Grant's contract expired at the end of the 1952 NFL season and the Eagles refused to pay him what he thought he was worth.[5] The Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL had been interested in Grant while in college.[5] Grant left for Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1953 and became the first professional player to "play out his option" and leave for another team.[5][7] He played for the Blue Bombers until 1956 as an offensive end and was named a Western Conference all-star three times.[12][19] He led the Western Conference in pass receptions for the 1953, 1954, and 1956 seasons and receiving yards for the 1953 and 1956 seasons.[12] He also holds the distinction of having five interceptions in a playoff game, played on October 28, 1953, which is a CFL record.[3][20] The Blue Bombers played for the Grey Cup in 1953, but lost to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 41st Grey Cup game.[12]

Coaching career

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Blue Bombers management decided that they needed a new coach prior to the 1957 season.[7] On January 30, 1957, Grant accepted the Blue Bombers head coaching position after impressing management with his ability to make adjustments on offense and defense as a player.[5] Club president J. T. Russell thought that Grant could coach even though nobody else did.[19] Grant would remain the head coach of the Blue Bombers until 1966. At age 29 (he would be 30 by the time he coached his first game), Grant became the youngest head coach in CFL history.

During his ten seasons as head coach in Winnipeg, he led the team to six Grey Cup appearances, winning the championship four times in 1958, 1959, 1961, and 1962.[21] He finished his Blue Bombers coaching career with a regular season record of 105 wins, 53 losses, and two ties and an overall record of 122 wins, 66 losses, and 3 ties.[19] Grant was the CFL Coach of the Year in 1965.[21] Grant took on additional responsibilities as a club manager between 1964 and 1966.[19] Max Winter, the Minnesota Vikings founder, contacted Grant in 1961 and asked him to coach the new NFL expansion team.[5] Grant declined the offer and remained in Winnipeg until 1967 when Winter and General Manager Jim Finks were successful in luring Grant to Minnesota.[5]

Minnesota Vikings

Grant continued his coaching success in the NFL as he took over from original coach, Norm Van Brocklin.[7] Over his tenure as Vikings head coach, Grant was known for instilling discipline in his teams and displaying a lack of emotion during games.[5] He believed that football is a game of controlled emotion and teams would not follow the coach's lead if he were to panic or lose his poise during the course of a game.[2] He required his team to stand at attention in a straight line during the entire national anthem played before the game and even had national anthem practice.[5] Grant required outdoor practice during the winter to get players used to the cold weather[7] and would not allow heaters on the sidelines during games.[5]

Grant and Finks orchestrated a rare (although unofficial) trade between leagues, which brought Joe Kapp from the BC Lions to the Vikings. In return, the Vikings sent Jim Young, a Canadian-born player, back to his native country. Officially, both players were waived out of their respective leagues and signed with their new teams as free agents, but effectively, it was a straight exchange.

In his second year, Grant led the team to a divisional championship and his first NFL playoffs appearance.[5] In 1969, he led the team to its first NFL Championship and their first appearance in the Super Bowl. The Vikings lost in Super Bowl IV to the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to the 1970 season, Minnesota released Joe Kapp. After starting Gary Cuozzo at quarterback in 1970 and 1971, the Vikings re-acquired Fran Tarkenton prior to the 1972 season. During the 1970s, the Vikings would appear in three more Super Bowls (VIII, IX, and XI) under Grant and lose each one,[7] but he was the first coach to lead a team to four Super Bowls. He retired after the 1983 NFL season and was succeeded by Les Steckel, who led the team to a 3–13 record the following season.[7] Steckel was fired as head coach after the 1984 season and Grant returned as coach for the Vikings in 1985.[7] After one season where he returned the club to a 7–9 record, he stepped down again.[7] Grant retired as the eighth most successful coach in NFL history with an overall record of 161 wins, 99 losses, and 5 ties. As of 2014, he also remains the most successful coach in Vikings history.[5] During his tenure with the Vikings, he led the Vikings to four Super Bowls, 11 division titles, one league championship and three NFC conference championships.[5]

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season					Post-season
Team	Year	Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
WPG	1957	12	4	0	.750	2nd in W.I.F.U	2	1	0.667	Lost to Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 45th Grey Cup
WPG	1958	13	3	0	.813	1st in WIFU Conference	2	0	1.000	Won over Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 46th Grey Cup
WPG	1959	12	4	0	.750	1st in West Conference	2	0	1.000	Won over Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 47th Grey Cup
WPG	1960	14	2	0	.875	1st in West Conference	0	1	.000	Lost to Edmonton Eskimos in Conference Finals
WPG	1961	13	3	0	.813	1st in West Conference	2	0	1.000	Won over Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 49th Grey Cup
WPG	1962	11	5	0	.688	1st in West Conference	2	0	1.000	Won over Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 50th Grey Cup
WPG	1963	7	9	0	.438	4th in West Conference	-	-	-	-
WPG	1964	1	14	1	.094	5th in West Conference	-	-	-	-
WPG	1965	11	5	0	.688	2nd in West Conference	2	1	.667	Lost to Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 53rd Grey Cup
WPG	1966	8	7	1	.531	2nd in West Conference	1	1	.500	Lost to Saskatchewan Roughriders in Conference Finals
CFL Total		102	56	2	.644		13	4	.765
MIN	1967	3	8	3	.273	4th in NFL Central	-	-	-	-
MIN	1968	8	6	0	.571	1st in NFL Central	0	1	.000	Lost to Baltimore Colts in Divisional Round
MIN	1969	12	2	0	.857	1st in NFL Central	2	1	.667	Won NFL Championship. Lost to Chiefs in Super Bowl IV
MIN	1970	12	2	0	.857	1st in NFC Central	0	1	.000	Lost to San Francisco 49ers in Divisional Round
MIN	1971	11	3	0	.786	1st in NFC Central	0	1	.000	Lost to Dallas Cowboys in Divisional Round
MIN	1972	7	7	0	.500	3rd in NFC Central	-	-	-	-
MIN	1973	12	2	0	.857	1st in NFC Central	2	1	.667	Lost to Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII
MIN	1974	10	4	0	.714	1st in NFC Central	2	1	.667	Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl IX
MIN	1975	12	2	0	.857	1st in NFC Central	0	1	.000	Lost to Dallas Cowboys in Divisional Round
MIN	1976	11	2	1	.821	1st in NFC Central	2	1	.667	Lost to Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI
MIN	1977	9	5	0	.643	1st in NFC Central	1	1	.500	Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Championship Game
MIN	1978	8	7	1	.531	1st in NFC Central	0	1	.000	Lost to Los Angeles Rams in Divisional Round
MIN	1979	7	9	0	.438	3rd in NFC Central	-	-	-	-
MIN	1980	9	7	0	.563	1st in NFC Central	0	1	.000	Lost to Philadelphia Eagles in Divisional Round
MIN	1981	7	9	0	.438	4th in NFC Central	-	-	-	-
MIN	1982*	5	4	0	.556	4th in NFC	1	1	.500	Lost to Washington Redskins in Divisional Round
MIN	1983	8	8	0	.500	4th in NFC Central	-	-	-	-
MIN	1985	7	9	0	.438	3rd in NFC Central	-	-	-	-
NFL Total		158	96	5	.622		10	12	.455
Total		260	152	7	.629		23	16	.590

* The 1982 NFL season was shortened to nine games due to a players' strike.

Post-coaching career

After retiring, Grant became a less prominent public figure and focused on hunting and fishing[1] and supporting environmental reforms. He has been a spokesperson against Native American hunting and fishing treaty rights in Minnesota. In 1993, Grant's efforts resulted in a death threat.[22] In 2005, he spoke at a Capitol rally in Minnesota for the conservation of wetlands, wetland wildlife, and water.[23] Grant addressed 5,000 supporters, saying, "In this legislative session, we want to see some action. It's more important than any stadium they could ever build in this state."[24]

Grant is still listed as a consultant for the Vikings and maintains an office at the team's headquarters at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota.[1][25]

Coaching tree

As of 2020, Grant's assistants have become head coaches, and one won the Super Bowl.

Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks (2010–present), New England Patriots (1997-1999), New York Jets (1994)
Marc Trestman, Chicago Bears (2013-2014), Canadian Football League, Montreal Alouettes (2008-2012), Toronto Argonauts (2017-2018)
Jerry Burns, Minnesota Vikings (1986-1991)
Les Steckel, Minnesota Vikings (1984)[5]
Neill Armstrong, Chicago Bears (1977-1981)
Jack Patera, Seattle Seahawks (1976-1982)
Bob Hollway, St. Louis Cardinals (1971-1972)

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