1969 Minnesota Vikings season
| 1969 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bud Grant |
| General manager | Jim Finks |
| Home field |
Metropolitan Stadium Memorial Stadium (October 5) |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–2 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Central |
| Playoff finish |
Won Divisional Playoffs (Los Angeles Rams, 23–20) Won NFL Championship (1) (Cleveland Browns, 27–7) Lost Super Bowl IV (Kansas City Chiefs, 23–7) |
The 1969 Minnesota Vikings season was the franchise's 9th season in the National Football League. The Vikings won the NFL Central Division title, finishing with a record of 12 wins and two losses, plus playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams in the Western Conference Championship Game, as well as the Cleveland Browns in the last NFL Championship Game ever played in the pre-merger era. With these wins, the Vikings became the last team to possess the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, introduced 35 years earlier in 1934.
However, Minnesota lost Super Bowl IV in New Orleans to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in the final professional football game between the two leagues. It was the second consecutive Super Bowl win for the younger league.
The Vikings won the last NFL Championship prior to the league's merger with the American Football League. The season was chronicled for America's Game: The Missing Rings, as one of the five greatest NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl.
The Vikings, led by head coach Bud Grant, ended the season with an NFL best 12–2 regular season record, leading the older league in total points scored (379) and fewest points allowed (133). They had scored 50 or more points in three different games. They had 12 straight victories, the longest single-season winning streak in 35 years, and became the first modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL championship. Their defense, considered the most intimidating in the NFL, was anchored by a defensive line nicknamed the "Purple People Eaters", consisting of defensive tackles Gary Larsen and Alan Page, and defensive ends Carl Eller and Jim Marshall. The secondary was led by defensive backs Bobby Bryant (8 interceptions, 97 return yards), Earsell Mackbee (6 interceptions, 100 return yards), and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Krause (5 interceptions, 82 return yards, 1 touchdown).
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