Rams vs Vikings Storied Playoff History

That game was the earliest memory I have of the Minnesota Vikings. I was an 11 year old kid living in Los Angeles.

Nah, I wanted Lawrence McCutcheon to score 5 TDs that game. 

My memories - the 1976 game I attended in person, sat in the left field bleachers with my old man under a lot of blankets and heavy clothing, sipping from his thermos of coffee spiked with schnaaps. It was about 5 degrees if I recall. It was the last Viking game I attended in person until about 1996. I think it was my personal protest against indoor football. The Rams were a very good team that year but playing in the cold messed with their heads. They came out strong and looked good but we blocked a field goal try early and ran it back like 90 yards and the rest of game went our way.

I remember going down to take a leak and the security guard, poor guy had to sit in the bitter cold all alone under the stands and he had a little 12" black and white t.v. on so he could see the game. I sat and watched with him for a minute. I remember my old man being outraged that the tickets were like, 13 bucks. They'd be 25x that nowadays lol.

That team went on to get their butts kicked by Oakland in the SB, which was a heart-breaker because as a young fan who sat through all 4 SB losses, I can say definitively, that one hurt the worst. Why? Because you knew it was the end of the era, the end of Bud's run, Fran was in his twilight as a 16 year vet, Jim Finks was gone and they were drafting guys like Mark Mullaney and James White--guys who weren't replacements for the great personnel they had starting in the late 60s up until then. The writing was on the wall, that was the last shot.

And our last hope went down like the Titanic. We got the first ever block of a Ray Guy punt, marched it to their goal line and then did the most Viking thing in the world--handed it to Brent McLanahan instead of Foreman--who made a living leaping over the pile for t.d.'s--and Brent fumbled and the rest was a boulder rolling downhill. Sammy White got his head taken off by Jack Tatum, Art Shell and Gene Upshaw dominated our dline. Etc. Sorry I'm digressing away from Vikes/Rams, it happens whenever I think of that year.

I also remember 77 in the rain at the Coliseum. Kudos to Bud, he had the right game plan. They passed early then went to the ground as the slop got deeper. The Rams kept trying to pass and it cost them. Bob Lee was in for the injured Fran and played a decent game. They won the turnover battle and beat the Chuck Knox led Rams team for a nice road win, one of several that in my mind are the most memorable for our otherwise perpetually title-free franchise. We had some good battles with the Rams back in the 70's when Dallas/Vikes/Rams pretty much dominated the NFC for many years. In fact I think that same year 1976 that I went to the NFCC we had a tie with them earlier in the league's first ever regular season overtime game.

Thanks for stopping by.