“But it doesn’t bother me. I can remember when we had to wait until all the blackbirds left a slough before we could hunt ducks, there were so many of them. Hunting stories, not football memories, have dominated the former Vikings coach's 34 years of retirement. Now, as night yields grudgingly to an unusually still North Dakota morning, a few dozen decoys have been spread into the field, and Grant, who sits in a type of lawn chair whose convertible top can be flipped open when he wants to shoot, has tucked in with Smith against giant barley bales that will nourish pastured cattle in the coming cold winter. Bud married Pat (formerly Patricia Bellew; born March 28, 1927) in 1950, and they had six children. Harry Peter “Bud” Grant, Jr. is a former American football and Canadian football head coach. “Later, Dad’s friends said to him, ‘Why don’t you let the boy carry a gun?’ and Dad said, ‘We don’t have a gun for him.’ Well, one of the men gave me his gun and the first grouse — this was a sharptail, which we used to have in northwest Wisconsin — that got up in front of me, I shot on the wing. Hamilton isn’t sure whether Grant is more intrigued by his day job or by his adventures outdoors. He is the first person to be elected to both the Pro Football Hall of Fame (July 30, 1994) and the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame (May 13, 1983). Blue Bomber quarterback #12 Hal Ledyard & Head Coach Bud Grant discuss strategy during the 1962 Grey Cup at CNE Stadium in Toronto. WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA – Bud Grant had seen moons as full as the one that hung in the otherwise dark sky on a recent early morning, but few that were bigger, rounder or brighter. Grant took the Vikings to the … He came to the Vikings after a 10-year tenure (102-56-2) with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League. With a museum’s worth of taxidermied mementos, the home’s decorating motif is hunting and more hunting. I’m interested in all of them.”. John Autey / … High School: Superior Central As Player: 2 Yrs More bio, uniform, draft, salary … Top: North Dakota’s vast western prairies and croplands have been visited regularly each fall by Bud Grant during the 35 years or so since he retired as Vikings coach. Sometimes he’d fish. Pat was a great influence on the kids and she insisted they all go to college, which they did, and they all graduated with no student loans. “I’m not a shooter,” he will say. “Then one day a mallard came by, and mallards on Lake Superior were very rare. Bob Lessard, 89, has hunted and fished with Grant since 1967, when Grant moved from Winnipeg to the Twin Cities to coach the Vikings. He said he could see the seams of a baseball turn when it came toward him, which is why he was such a great hitter and why in World War II and later in the Korean War he was also a great fighter pilot.”. Now 93 years of age, Grant has been retired from football for more than three decades. Hall of Fame head coach Bud Grant, a Minnesota icon and one of the best NFL coaches of the 1970s, turns 93 today. Former Vikings coach Bud Grant is one of 20 coaches nominated to make NFL’s 100 All-Time Team. Mick Tinglehoff, Minnesota Vikings' offensive center about to snap the football to quarterback Fran Tarkington. Unfortunately, he and the Vikings were 0-4 in those games. “Now I never hear a meadowlark. “We had a great morning, killing 10 drake mallards and two pintails with 12 shots. Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Bud Grant says Skol to the fans during a half time event honoring the 1969 Vikings team during the Sept. 22, 2019, football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Grant, who turns 93 on May 20, said he was saddened by the death of Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history with 328 victories. In Bud Grant's 18 years as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from1967 through 1983 and a one-year final stint in 1985, his teams compiled a .620 winning percentage (158-96-5) in regular-season play. Swallows. Both are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Grant … It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Ten coaches will make the cut. But the part of hunting I enjoy is the anticipation, the planning, the participation, the birds you see and the company you keep. His NFL regular season coaching record is 158-96-5. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. No gloves, no sleeves, no heaters, and smearing blood. I don’t know if we’re poisoning them or what’s happening. Grant was still peddling papers when he bought a shotgun of his own for $5, and in October he’d stuff the single-shot 12 gauge Mossberg into his paper-route sack and ride the city bus to the Lake Superior shoreline. Blackbirds. Other articles where Bud Grant is discussed: Minnesota Vikings: …the hiring of head coach Bud Grant in 1967. He also was a two-time All-Big Ten receiver on the football team and the leading hitter as a freshman on the baseball team. Ex-Vikings coach Bud Grant talked to the Des Moines Register about his former player. Not necessarily in that order.” Washington Football Team Coach Ron Rivera seems to have two of three taken care of — and in what’s expected to be an unprecedented offseason of quarterback movement, […] The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Perhaps due to his experience in the Navy, Bud Grant was the very symbol of discipline as an NFL coach. Below: Mark Hamilton, right, of Minot, N.D., is a longtime friend and hunting partner of Bud Grant’s. It’s part of the aging process.”. Below: Ducks seen on the opening weekend for non-resident North Dakota hunters included drake mallards, like these, as well as pintails, gadwall and wigeon. Bud Grant was the Head Coach for the Vikings from 1967-1983 and in 1985. He led the Blue Bombers to 6 Western Conference championships and to 6 Grey Cups. Football is alive and well, and he could watch a game on TV almost any day of the week, if he wanted to. Then without comment or movement, he shifts his focus to a pintail duck that darts through the decoys and disappears. Wrens. “But I am a bird observer. As a kid growing up in Superior, Wis., while delivering newspapers door to door, Grant’s curiosity was piqued by the fittings of sparrows and the comings and goings of barn pigeons. “I don’t have to kill ducks to enjoy it. Oftentimes he depends on Smith, who is also a hunter, to alert him about incoming birds. Former Minnesota Vikings Coach Bud Grant once said, “A good coach needs a patient wife, a loyal dog and a great quarterback. Legendary coach Bud Grant and his players recall special days away from football and hunting pheasants together. Higher in the sky now, the midmorning sun had replaced the moon over the North Dakota prairie. Any time you talk Minnesota Vikings football or hunting, it's fun to get the opinion of Bud Grant. He had fashioned a slingshot from a willow branch, using the tongue of an old shoe for the primitive weapon’s pouch, and as boys often do, soon enough was launching rocks in the birds’ direction. Finally, at the end of the game, when Christensen showed an old clip of Bud running back an interception for a touchdown in the 1949 game, I said, ‘You played in that game?’ All he said was, ‘Yup, that’s me.’ ”. Heralded for his triumphs at the U, as well as with the world champion Minneapolis Lakers pro basketball team, the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and the Vikings, Grant at each stop played hooky whenever he could. Bud Grant'… Alert and keen for the sun to bruise the eastern sky, foreshadowing the prairie’s first duck flights, Grant, with two fake knees and a cane-assisted gait that befits his age, is as happy, it seems, as the proverbial lark. Bud's son, Mike Grant, has been the football head coach for Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota since 1992. And that’s happened in my lifetime.”. “I can’t ever remember shooting a clay pigeon. Learn about Bud Grant (Football Coach): Birthday, bio, family, parents, age, biography, born (date of birth) and all information about Bud Grant “And he knows the names of every brook trout creek between the Twin Cities and his cabin in Wisconsin. Grant’s retirement from coaching at age 58 surprised everyone but him and his late wife, Pat, who died of Parkinson’s disease in 2009. Outdoors: Legendary ex-Vikings coach Bud Grant, 93, reflects on his lifelong avian affinity ... the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and the Vikings, Grant … “Afterward, in a tavern where the men gathered, they extolled my prowess as a hunter, and said my grouse was the biggest one taken that day. “It was a game the Gophers won for the first time in 51 years at Columbus, and it was the last year Ray Christensen called the Gopher games. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. They’re just not here. “Then, after we had four, we decided to have a couple more. But he can’t look out his cabin window and see the purple martins that once returned to his yard every spring, or the bluebirds or the swallows or even the crows. But unless he’s asked about football, he doesn’t talk about it.”. your own Pins on Pinterest “I spent a lot of time by myself as a kid just watching ducks and trying to get close to them,” Grant said. “I love every minute of this,” Grant said. There he’d watch bluebills, the area’s dominant duck, trade back and forth, and he’d occasionally crack off a round. Their son Mike Grant has been the football head coach for Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota since 1992. Grant is the most successful coach in Vikings history, and the third most successful professional football coach overall (behind Don Shula and George Halas ), with a combined 290 wins in the NFL and CFL. Appearing first, high overhead, is a smattering of geese. “I remember Bud was here in North Dakota to hunt ducks in the fall of 2000,” Hamilton said. Other times he’d train a raven to come to his call and sit on his shoulder. Bud married his wife Pat (formerly Patricia Bellew), a fellow Wisconsin native, (born March 28, 1927) in 1950, and they eventually would have six children. Grant coached from 1967 to 1985, all with the Vikings. This was the opening of North Dakota’s nonresident duck hunting season, and Grant and his partner, Pat Smith, were guests of their friends, Mark and Penny Hamilton of Minot, N.D. Kindred spirits, Grant and Mark Hamilton met in the mid-1980s when the latter asked Grant to travel to Canada to speak to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. Dec 29, 2015 - This Pin was discovered by Ricky George. Bud Grant's Bloomington, Minn., basement reveals his life's passion: the outdoors. Former Vikings head coach gets street named for him in Harrisburg, PA. ... (61 percent), and playoff game appearances (12), coming in behind only Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant. Harry Peter “Bud” Grant, Jr…..who was a former coach and player of American football and Canadian football. “Still, it was a great morning,” Grant said. Bud Grant was the Head Coach for the Vikings from 1967-1983 and in 1985. That’s fine if you want to do it. “He’ll talk all day about birds and deer and ravens, especially ravens and how smart they are,” Lessard said. The great Vikings coach Bud Grant ! Coach Grant was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor on November 8, 1998. Just being able to participate is invaluable.”, Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com. These many years later, Grant’s eyesight has diminished, and he isn’t the deadeye he once was. Minneapolis -- Former Michigan State University star Clinton Jones, right, meets new Minnesota Vikings' head coach Bud Grant in the Twin Cities Tuesday after the National Football League club picked him second in the combined NFL-AFL college player draft today. Bluebirds. Vikings legend Bud Grant held some mementos of his coaching career out of his garage sale, but he's not sentimental about it, writes Ben Goessling. In 28 seasons as a head coach in Canada and with the Minnesota Vikings, Grant's teams reached the playoffs 20 times, played in 10 championship … He succeeded the franchise's first head coach, Norm Van Brocklin, who resigned from the team a … Mike has coached Eden Prairi… Linebacker Matt Blair, who played with the Minnesota Vikings for 12 seasons, died on Thursday. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Mike Grant has coached Eden Prairie to eleven state championships since 1996. “Just to be here is enjoyable.”. “I was talking to Ted Williams once, the baseball great, who had better than 20-10 vision. His 168 coaching triumphs, counting 10 post-season wins, place him among the all-time greatest coaches. On the second morning of hunting, a moon-brightened sky again welcomed Grant, Smith and Hamilton, along with local friends Scott and Trevor Tranby. Afterward we returned to my house to watch the Gophers play Ohio State at Columbus. Bud Grant’s long-range plan was to coach the Vikings until his youngest son, Danny, now a high school junior, was ready to enroll in college. Prior to coaching, he played 6 years of professional football, 2 with Philadelphia Eagles (1951-52) and 4 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1953-1956). He amassed a 158-96-5 record, making the postseason 12 times and the Super Bowl four times. Positive as well is his relationship with Smith, a good-humored partner who isn’t afraid to audible when she suspects the coach has made a wrong call. Grand reminisced about his friend and rival Don Shula, who died Monday, May 4. Bouncing in his truck over a harvested barley field, the retired Vikings coach peered into the shadowy edges of the vehicle’s headlights for the wetland near which he and others with him would hunt. Grant and his team handled cold weather differently than other clubs. The two have traveled to Africa together, among other places, to hunt. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Or play fetch with one of his Labrador retrievers. “They see so well that they essentially slow the ball down as it comes toward them, allowing them to time their catches in ways most people can’t. “Now, there aren’t many blackbirds or ducks. Bud Grant (* 20.Mai 1927 in Superior, Wisconsin) ist ein ehemaliger US-amerikanischer American Football-Spieler und -Trainer in der National Football League (NFL). Bud Grant. ... Football and pheasants once brought Vikings together in … Grant was asked if he wanted to pick up the decoys and go for breakfast. Grant was named the university’s top athlete in the first half of the last century, topping Bronko Nagurski and Bruce Smith for the honor. In the years since, Grant has become a regular autumn visitor to North Dakota, where he is hosted by the Hamiltons, whose log home graces a convergence of tree-filled draws that divide the prairie starkly. Seagulls. Bekannt ist er vor allem durch seine Erfolge als Head Coach der Minnesota Vikings, mit denen er 1969 Meister der NFL wurde und dreimal den Super Bowl erreichte. Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Bud Grant was a wild man. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The things that Grant “liked to do” hadn’t been entirely set aside during his playing and coaching days. Famous as a coach for his sideline stoicism, Grant lifts his eyes toward the honk, honk of the big birds long enough to calculate their distance and direction. Discover (and save!) The Power Of Metropolitan Stadium. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Cuomo crisis recalls Northam’s; supporters say no comparison, White supremacist propaganda nearly doubled in US in 2020. It was time to do the things I liked to do.”. His Vikings teams of the 1970s featured a tenacious defensive line known as the “Purple… I took a shot and it went down awkwardly on the other side of a small bay. “My dad was not a big hunter, but he was a gregarious guy who was invited once to tag along with some friends on a grouse hunt, and bring me along,” Grant said. He was 70. Crows. That was our mission, we accomplished it, and the day our youngest, Dan, graduated from St. John’s, I knew my working days were over. Grant served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League for eighteen seasons; he was the team’s second and fourth head coach. “If he wouldn’t have been hurt in college, no question, he would have been one of the top three players selected in the draft,” former Vikings coach Bud Grant said. Throughout the game, Bud didn’t say one thing about him playing, and starring, in the 1949 game the Gophers won at Columbus. Still, at 93, Grant bears the burden of a changed world. The … But of regrets, he has none. “The best receivers I coached in Winnipeg and with the Vikings didn’t see passes coming the way people with average eyesight see them,” he said. Ducks were again fairly scarce, but by 10 a.m., when the day had turned warm and the birds had stopped flying, the five hunters had somersaulted 10 mallards. “I said I’d speak if I could go hunting while I was there,” Grant said. He’s lived longer than he thought he would, and all but a handful of his close friends are dead. Grant was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame … #SKOL. Production-wise, the outing had been a bust, with just two mallards on the ground. But, of course, all grouse are the same size.”. Later, at age 14, with a shotgun, he felled the first flying bird he targeted. Position: E-DE 6-3, 199lb (190cm, 90kg) Born: May 20, 1927 in Superior, WI. © Star Tribune/Star Tribune/Photos by DENNIS ANDERSON dennis.anderson@startribune.com/Star Tribune/TNS. His Vikings teams played in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX, XI. “I’m not a bird watcher,” Grant will say. “I used to come to North Dakota and love the sound of meadowlarks,” Grant said. Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (born May 20, 1927) is a former head coach and player of American football, Canadian football, and a former basketball player in the NBA.Grant served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) for eighteen seasons; he was the team's second (1967–83) and fourth (1985) head coach. He led the Vikings to 11 NFC/NFL divisional championships, claiming titles in 1968-71, 1973-78, and 1980. Sometimes he’d hunt. He did not allow gloves or sideline heaters during games. 1967 Press Photo Vikings football coach Bud Grant with new player, Clinton Jones This is an original press photo. College: Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings hired Harry (Bud) Grant as their head coach on March 11, 1967. Bud Grant was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 1967 to 1983 and 1985. He came to the Vikings after a 10-year tenure (102-56-2) with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League. And, of course, ducks. “We had a plan before we got married to have four kids,” Grant said. Except for the death of his wife and the passing of his son, Bruce, in 2018, Grant’s memories of his long life are almost entirely positive. The blackbirds are also gone. Top: North Dakota’s vast western prairies and croplands have been visited regularly each fall by Bud Grant during the 35 years or so since he retired as Vikings coach. Top: Bud Grant and his Labrador retriever, Lilly, eyed the sky. Grant, a future member of the Hall of Fame, guided the Vikings to all four of their Super Bowl appearances over the course of his career. “Pat might say, ‘There they are!’ and I’ll say, ‘Where?’ and she’ll say, ‘Right in front of you!’ ” Grant said. Harold Peter Grant Jr. I recovered it and stuffed it into my paper bag, along with my gun, and took the bus home.”. In 28 seasons as a head coach, Grant won a total of 290 football games. The same with insects. Keen eyesight was one reason Grant was MVP of the Gophers basketball team during his 1946-49 tenure at the U. There were a lot of ducks then, too. Because the Vikings played outside at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minnesota cold, they practiced outside in the cold. Grant’s 2013 biography is titled “I Did It My Way.” A more recent retrospective is called “I’ve Been Lucky.’’. © 2019 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved.