The Minnesota Vikings are a professional football team headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are a National Football League (NFL) team from the National Football Conference (NFCNFC )'s North division. The Vikings play their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium. The current head coach is Mike Zimmer, who was hired after the conclusion of the 2016 season. He is the first African-American head coach of the Vikings.
They are one of two teams in Minnesota (the other being the Twins), and one of six teams in the NFCNorth. The Vikings joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1961 and have been affiliated with all but one of the other existing teams since then. They have won only one playoff game to date and that was in 1976 when they defeated Pittsburgh in the Divisional round before losing to Dallas in the Conference Championship.
Their average home attendance of 59,784 per game ranks third in the NFC and fourth in the NFL. The Vikings also draw large audiences for their annual Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions. Located about 90 minutes north of Chicago, Minnesota is a popular destination for sports fans from the Midwest and Canada. The Vikings are owned by Zygi Wilf and his family.
The Minnesota Vikings are an American football professional team headquartered in Minneapolis. They are a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division of the National Football League (NFL). The franchise was founded in 1960 as an expansion team and began play the following year. The Vikings have won five NFL championships -- three while they were in St. Louis and two more after moving to Minnesota -- and have appeared in ten NFL playoffs, most recently in 2016. They are one of two remaining NFL teams that have never lost the opening game of a season, along with the Dallas Cowboys.
They play their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium, which is also the site of the Super Bowl LII championship game in 2018. The stadium opened in 2016 and has been widely praised for its design and construction quality. It is the first major league sports facility in Minneapolis/St. Paul built since the Twins moved into Target Field in 2009.
They played their first game on September 20, 1960, at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington against the Chicago Bears. That game ended in a 13-13 tie. The Vikings won their first game 17-14 over the New York Giants at Madison Square Garden in New York City. They finished their first season with a 7-9 record and ranked last out of eight teams due to lack of talent.
The Minnesota Vikings are an American football professional team headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion club in 1960, and their debut season was in 1961. The squad participates in the North division of the National Football Conference (NFC).
The Vikings originated as the Milwaukee Bears, a member of the American Football League (AFL). When the two leagues merged to form the NFL, the Bears moved to Minnesota and were renamed the Vikings. They have won only one playoff game since their inaugural season-which was also their only Super Bowl appearance-and have not returned since.
Their sole championship came in 1969 when Fran Tarkenton led the team to a 23-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl VIII. The following year, they lost to Joe Namath's New York Jets in the first AFL-NFL Championship Game.
During their existence, the Bears/Vikings have had many different home stadiums. Their first three seasons were played at Chicago's Wrigley Field, before moving on to Saint Paul's Metropolitan Stadium for four more years. From 1967 to 1969, the team did not play any games due to financial issues. When they returned in 1970, they went back to Wrigley Field for one final season.
In 1971, the franchise moved to Minnesota where they remain today.
The Minnesota Vikings are an American professional gridiron football club headquartered in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, that was created in 1961 and competes in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Vikings have competed in four Super Bowls, all of which they have lost (1970, 1974, 1975, and 1977). They are also one of two NFL teams to have never won a title (the other being the Cleveland Browns), although they have been close several times including within one game of a championship game appearance in 1969.
In addition to their Super Bowl losses, the Vikings have also lost final games that would have given them at least a share of the 1970 and 1971 NFL championships. In fact, from 1969-1976, the Vikings were either first or second in the NFC West division every season except for 1972 when they finished third. From 1967-1968, the Vikings were undefeated and ranked No. 1 in both polls during the regular season before losing their only two playoff games.
Currently, the Vikings are led by head coach Mike Zimmer who took over for Paul Tagliabue after he was elected commissioner. He is the fifth person to hold that position since the Vikings started play in 1961. Zimmer is also the first African-American head coach of the Vikings. Prior to becoming head coach, he spent three seasons as the team's defensive coordinator.
Under his leadership, the Vikings have had six consecutive years with double digit wins and made the playoffs each season.
See Washington football for a list of other football teams named Washington (disambiguation). The Washington Football Team is a professional American football team headquartered in Washington, D.C. Formerly known as the Washington Redskins, the team is a member of the National Football League (NFLNFC )'s East division. The team plays its home games at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.
The NFL approved a trademark application for the name "Redskins" in March 2014. The decision was met with criticism from many groups, including members of Congress who called on the league to cancel its approval. A group led by former player Carlos Rogers filed a lawsuit challenging the trademark approval, but it was dismissed by a federal court. The case is pending before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The name "Redskins" originated with George Preston Marshall, who along with Alfred I. DuPont founded the NFL. They decided that since their teams were located in Washington, D.C., they would be called the Redskins. The team began play in 1932 at Griffith Stadium in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to RFK Stadium in 1963. They have won two NFL championships: in 1950 and 1991.
The current owner of the Redskins is Dan Snyder, who also owns the NBA's Washington Wizards and NHL's Washington Capitals. He has refused to change the team's nickname or logo despite growing opposition to them.
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