Hall of Fame Vikings coach Grant dies at 95

Bud Grant, a Hall of Fame coach who brought the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowls in just eight years, has died. He was 95.

The Vikings confirmed his death with a tweet on Saturday.

“We are absolutely devastated to announce legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” it reads. “We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news.”

Grant was the first person ever to be inducted into both the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He coached for 28 seasons across both leagues and his teams reached the playoffs 20 times, played in 10 championship games and won four titles. His biggest victories always occurred up north, with all of his championship titles earned in the CFL.

However, despite being one of the winningest coaches in football, he never managed to nab the Lombardi trophy. Overall, Grant had a career regular-season record of 158-96-5 in the NFL. He went 10-12 in the playoffs, and when he retired, Grant was eighth on the NFL’s all-time victory list.

Grant also won 102 games with the Canadian Football League.

In 1967, Grant replaced another Hall of Famer, Norm Van Brocklin, as the Vikings’ head coach. He piloted the team until 1985 — with a one-year hiatus in 1984 — during which time he assembled a powerful defensive line, nicknamed the Purple People Eaters. He emphasized discipline and mental endurance, and was well known for his frigid winter workouts and banning sideline heaters during games at Metropolitan Stadium.

“No single individual more defined the Minnesota Vikings than Bud Grant,” Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf and their family said in a statement to ESPN. “A once-in-a lifetime man, Bud will forever be synonymous with success, toughness, the north and the Vikings.”

Grant was born Harry Peter Grant Jr. on May 20, 1927, in Superior, Wisc., and given the nickname Bud by his mother.

In 1945, he enlisted in the Navy and served in WWII. From there, Grant went on to play football, basketball and baseball at the University of Minnesota, becoming a nine-time letterman.