The 1968 season was the Minnesota Vikings' eighth in the National Football League. In their second year under head coach Bud Grant, the Vikings won the NFL Central division title with an 8–6 record, and qualified for the postseason for the first time in franchise history. This was the first of four consecutive division titles for the Vikings. The Vikings' first trip to the playoffs saw them suffer a 24–14 loss in the Western Conference Championship Game to the eventual NFL champion and Super Bowl runner-up Baltimore Colts at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. In the Playoff Bowl two weeks later, they again lost to the Dallas Cowboys 17–13.
Offseason
1968 draft
Hall of Famer
1968 Minnesota Vikings DraftDraft orderPlayer namePositionCollegeNotesRoundSelection1 1 Ron YaryOffensive tackleUSCfrom Giants7Traded to the New Orleans Saints233Charlie WestCornerbackUTEP361Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers76Mike McGillLinebackerNotre Damefrom Cowboys489Mike FreemanDefensive backFresno State5117Traded to the Washington Redskins6144Bob GoodridgeWide receiverVanderbilt7167Oscar ReedWide receiverColorado Statefrom Falcons171Lenny SnowRunning backGeorgia Tech8198Hank UrbanowiczDefensive tackleMiami (FL)9225Mike DonohoeTight endSan Francisco10250Tom SakalDefensive backMinnesota11279Bill HaasWide receiverNebraska–Omaha12308Howie SmallCenterRhode Island13333Dick WherryWide receiverNorthern State14360Don EvansOffensive tackleArkansas AM&N15387Jim HaynieQuarterbackWest Chester16414Lary KuharichDefensive backBoston College17441Bob LeeQuarterbackPacific445Bill HullGuardTennessee Techfrom Lions
Notes
Undrafted free agents
+ 1968 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeRalph GallowayTackleSouthern IllinoisGayle KniefWide receiverMorningsideRon OswaltLinebackDrake
Roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 10 Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) L 10–13 0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 46,228 2 August 17 at Denver Broncos (AFL) W 39–16 1–1 University of Denver Stadium 20,901 3 August 24 Philadelphia Eagles W 52–10 2–1 Metropolitan Stadium 41,229 4 September 1 at St. Louis Cardinals L 28–31 2–2 Busch Memorial Stadium 25,233 5 September 6 New Orleans Saints W 20–17 3–2 State Fair Stadium 23,000
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 14 Atlanta Falcons W 47–7 1–0 Metropolitan Stadium 45,563 2 September 22 at Green Bay Packers W 26–13 2–0 Milwaukee County Stadium 49,346 3 September 29 Chicago Bears L 17–27 2–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644 4 October 6 Detroit Lions W 24–10 3–1 Metropolitan Stadium 44,289 5 October 13 at New Orleans Saints L 17–20 3–2 Tulane Stadium 71,105 6 October 20 Dallas Cowboys L 7–20 3–3 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644 7 October 27 at Chicago Bears L 24–26 3–4 Wrigley Field 46,562 8 November 3 Washington Redskins W 27–14 4–4 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644 9 November 10 Green Bay Packers W 14–10 5–4 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644 10 November 17 at Detroit Lions W 13–6 6–4 Tiger Stadium 48,654 11 November 24 at Baltimore Colts L 9–21 6–5 Memorial Stadium 60,238 12 December 1 Los Angeles Rams L 3–31 6–6 Metropolitan Stadium 47,644 13 December 8 at San Francisco 49ers W 30–20 7–6 Kezar Stadium 29,049 14 December 15 at Philadelphia Eagles W 24–17 8–6 Franklin Field 54,530 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 11: at Baltimore Colts
This was the last occasion the Colts hosted the Vikings in the regular season until 2000, seventeen years after they had relocated to Indianapolis. The intervening gap of 31 seasons constitutes the second-longest gap without one team visiting another in NFL history.
Standings
Playoffs Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Conference December 22 at Baltimore Colts L 14–24 0–1 Memorial Stadium 60,238 Playoff Bowl January 5 Dallas Cowboys L 13–17 0–2 Miami Orange Bowl 22,961
Conference Playoff: at Baltimore Colts
Four weeks after their last regular-season visit to the Colts for 32 years, the Vikings' first ever playoff appearance saw them return to play the Colts in their only postseason meeting.
Statistics
Team leaders Category Player(s) Value Passing yards Joe Kapp 1,695 Passing touchdowns Joe Kapp 10 Rushing yards Bill Brown 805 Rushing touchdowns Bill Brown 11 Receiving yards Gene Washington 756 Receiving touchdowns Gene Washington 6 Points Fred Cox 88 Kickoff return yards Charlie West 576 Punt return yards Charlie West 201 Interceptions Paul Krause 7
League rankings Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank Passing offense 1,685 120.4 15th Rushing offense 1,921 137.2 6th Total offense 3,606 257.6 14th Passing defense 1,855 132.5 3rd Rushing defense 1,903 135.9 11th Total defense 3,758 268.4 5th
Notes
References
External links 1968 Minnesota Vikings at Pro-Football-Reference.com