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1975 Minnesota Vikings season
| 1975 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Mike Lynn |
| Head coach | Bud Grant |
| Home field | Metropolitan Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–2 |
| Division place | 1st NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Cowboys) 14–17 |
| Pro Bowlers | CB Bobby Bryant RB Chuck Foreman WR John Gilliam S Paul Krause DT Alan Page LB Jeff Siemon QB Fran Tarkenton G Ed White T Ron Yary |
| AP All-Pros | RB Chuck Foreman (1st team) QB Fran Tarkenton (1st team) T Ron Yary (1st team) DT Alan Page (1st team) S Paul Krause (1st team) |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 1975 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 15th in the National Football League.
The Vikings began with a 10-game win streak before losing by one point to the Washington Redskins, though there was generally very little expectation they would equal the 1972 Dolphins' perfect season.[1] The 1975 Vikings had an even easier schedule than the often-criticized one of the unbeaten Dolphin team, and in fact had according to Eddie Epstein clearly the easiest schedule of any team between 1950 and 2001, with their fourteen opponents having a winning percentage excluding Vikings games of .346.[2] According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, only the Super Bowl-winning 1999 Rams have since had a weaker schedule than the 1975 Vikings, playing only one opponent with a winning record during the regular season.[3] Nine of fourteen opponents finished 4–10 or worse, and like the 1972 Dolphins only two had winning records.[4] Football journalists noted during their streak how the Vikings had been playing very weak schedules for several seasons and flattered thereby.[5]
The Vikings’ 10–0 start was not subsequently equaled until the 1984 Miami Dolphins began 11–0.[6] They sealed their third straight NFC Central title on Thanksgiving Day in this same week when the Detroit Lions lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Vikings finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses, before losing to the Dallas Cowboys, 17–14 in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at home due to a play known as the "Hail Mary". Earlier in the season, the New York Jets made their first appearance in Minnesota in a much-anticipated match between Super Bowl quarterbacks Fran Tarkenton and Joe Namath, in what had been the first regular season game sold out during the summer.[7]
Third year halfback Chuck Foreman became the first Vikings running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
- ^ Lowitt, Bruce (November 7, 1975). "Streaking Vikings Meet Old Nemesis in Falcons". Star-Banner. Ocala, Florida. p. 7B.
- ^ Epstein, Eddie (2002). Dominance: The Best Seasons of Pro Football's Greatest Teams. Washington, D.C.: Brassey’s, Inc. p. 171. ISBN 9781574884661.
- ^ "1999 Rams Against Opponents with Winning Record". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "1975 Minnesota Vikings". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Donovan, Mark (September 22, 1975). "National Central". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013.
- ^ "Last Undefeated NFL Team in Each Season". Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ Kallestad, Brent; "Fran, Joe Square Off First Time"; in The Evening News; October 10, 1975; p. 7B
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