The Minnesota Vikings are a professional NFL team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960, and first started in the 1961 season. The team competes in the Northern Division of the National Conference. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in Downtown East Minneapolis.

During the 1960s, the Vikings' record was low, typical of an expansion franchise, but improved over the decade, resulting in a Central Division title in 1968. In 1969, their dominant defense led them to the league championship, the last one before the NFL - AFL merger

Minnesota received an NFL franchise on January 28, 1960. The founding group consisted of Max Winter, E. William Boyer, HP Skoglund, Ole Haugsrud and Bernard H. Ridder, Jr. In one of the first moves, the team's general manager, Bert Rose, recommended the name Vikings to the Board of Directors. The name was selected because it represented aggressiveness, a will to win and the Nordic tradition in the northern Midwest. On April 12, 1961, the NFL assigned the Vikings to the Western Conference. Minnesota joined Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts), Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers in that conference.

Impressively, the Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears, 37-13, at Metropolitan Stadium in their first regular season NFL game on September 17, 1961. In 1968, in the first playoff game in the history of the franchise, the Vikings lost to the Colts, 24-14.

On January 11, 1970, the Vikings lost to Kansas City Chiefs, 23-7, in Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Not only was it the first Super Bowl game in the history of the franchise, but it was the first Super Bowl played by an expansion team.

On January 13, 1974, the Vikings played their second Super Bowl against the Miami Dolphins at Rice Stadium in Houston, TX. The Dolphins prevailed, 24-7. Minnesota won the trip to Super Bowl VIII by defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 27-10, in the NFC Championship game. The Vikings played their second Super Bowl in a row, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-6, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12, 1975. Minnesota won the ticket to Super Bowl IX by defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 14-10.

The Vikings played their 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years against the Oakland Raiders at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on January 9, 1977. Minnesota lost, 32-14. The Vikings won a trip to Super Bowl XI by defeating the Rams again, 24-13 in the NFC championship game. This would be the Vikings' last appearance in a Super Bowl.

American Football Conference | AFC

National Football Conference | NFC