1973 Minnesota Vikings

1973 Minnesota Vikings season
Head Coach	Bud Grant
Home Field	Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record	12-2
Place	1st NFC Central
Playoff Finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Redskins) 27-20 Won Conference Championship (Cowboys) 27-10 Lost Super Bowl VIII (Dolphins) 24-7
Timeline
Previous Season	Next Season
1972	1974

The 1973 Minnesota Vikings season was their 13th year of play in the National Football League. The Vikings regained the NFC Central title after a disappointing 7-7 record the previous season, as they finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses. The Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins, 27-20, in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at home and went on to upset the Dallas Cowboys, 27-10, in Irving, Texas to win the NFC Championship, before losing Super Bowl VIII to the Miami Dolphins, 24-7 at Rice Stadium in Houston.

Off season

NFL Draft

• Main article: 1973 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School/Club Team
1	12	Chuck Foreman	Running Back	Miami (FL)
2	34	Jackie Wallace	Defensive Back	Arizona
3	65	Jim Lash	Wide Receiver	Northwestern
4	80	Mike Wells	Quarterback	Illinois
5	118	Brent McClanahan	Running Back	Arizona State
6	139	Doug Kingsriter	Tight End	Minnesota
6	143	Fred Abbott	Linebacker	Florida
7	168	Josh Brown	Running Back	Texas State
8	196	Craig Darling	Tackle	Iowa
9	221	Larry Dibbles	Defensive End	New Mexico
10	236	Randy Lee	Defensive Back	Tulane
10	246	Dave Mason	Defensive Back	Nebraska
11	274	Geary Murdock	Guard	Iowa State
12	299	Alan Spencer	Wide Receiver	Pittsburg State
13	324	Ron Just	Guard	Minot State
14	352	Eddie Bishop	Defensive Back	Southern
15	377	Tony Chandler	Running Back	Missouri Valley
16	402	Larry Smiley	Defensive End	Texas Southern
17	429	Dave Winfield	Tight End	Minnesota

Following college, Dave Winfield was drafted by four teams in three different sports. The San Diego Padres selected him as an outfielder with the fourth overall pick in the MLB draft. In basketball, both the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) and the Utah Stars (ABA) drafted him. Although he never played college football, the Minnesota Vikings selected Winfield in the 17th round of the NFL draft. He is currently one of two players ever to be drafted by three professional sports (the other being Dave Logan).

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 16	Oakland	W 24-16	1-0	Met. Stadium	44,818
2	September 23	at Chicago	W 22-13	2-0	Soldier Field	52,035
3	September 30	Green Bay	W 11-3	3-0	Met. Stadium	48,176
4	October 7	at Detroit	W 23-9	4-0	Tiger Stadium	49,549
5	October 14	at San Francisco	W 17-13	5-0	Candlestick Park	56,438
6	October 21	Philadelphia	W 28-21	6-0	Met. Stadium	47,478
7	October 28	Los Angeles	W 10-9	7-0	Met. Stadium	47,787
8	November 4	Cleveland	W 26-3	8-0	Met Stadium	46,722
9	November 11	Detroit	W 28-7	9-0	Met Stadium	47,911
10	November 19	at Atlanta	L 20-14	9-1	Atlanta Stadium	56,519
11	November 25	Chicago	W 31-13	10-1	Met Stadium	46,430
12	December 2	at Cincinnati	L 27-0	10-2	Riverfront Stadium	57,859
13	December 8	at Green Bay	W 31-7	11-2	Lambeau Field	53,830
14	December 16	at NY Giants	W 31-7	12-2	Yale Bowl	70,041

Game Summaries

Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 5: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers;– Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 7 7 0 3 17 49ers 3 3 7 0 13 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Date: October 14 Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. PDT Game weather: 64 °F (17 °C) TV: CBS Pro Football Reference Game information First quarter MIN – John Gilliam 12 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton, (Fred Cox kick), Vikings 7-0. SF – Bruce Gossett 28 yard field goal, Vikings 7-3. Second quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 1 yard rush, (Fred Cox kick), Vikings 14-3. SF - Bruce Gossett 41 yard field goal, Vikings 14-6. Third quarter SF – Ken Willard 7 yard pass from Steve Spurrier, (Bruce Gossett kick), Vikings 14-13. Fourth quarter MIN – Fred Cox 22 yard field goal, Vikings 17-13. Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 10/22, 136 yards, TD, INT SF – Steve Spurrier – 31/48, 320 yards, TD, 2 INTs Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman - 22 rushes, 71 yards, TD SF – Ken Willard – 7 rushes, 52 yards Top receivers MIN – John Gilliam - 7 receptions, 107 yards, TD SF – Gene Washington - 8 receptions, 118 yards

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Minnesota Vikings	12	2	0	.857	296	168	W-2
Detroit Lions	6	7	1	.464	271	247	L-1
Green Bay Packers	5	7	2	.429	202	259	W-1
Chicago Bears	3	11	0	.214	195	334	L-6

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Att.
Divisional	December 22	Washington	W 27-20	Metropolitan Stadium	45,475
NFC Championship	December 30	at Dallas	W 27-10	Texas Stadium	60,272
Super Bowl VIII	January 13	Miami	L 24-7	Rice Stadium	71,882

External links

• Team roster