The 1975 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 15th in the National Football League.
The Vikings began with a 10-game win streak before losing by one point to the Washington Redskins, though there was generally very little expectation they would equal the 1972 Dolphins' perfect season. The 1975 Vikings had an even easier schedule than the often-criticized one of the unbeaten Dolphin team, and in fact had according to Eddie Epstein clearly the easiest schedule of any team between 1950 and 2001, with their fourteen opponents having a winning percentage excluding Vikings games of .346. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, only the Super Bowl-winning 1999 Rams have since had a weaker schedule than the 1975 Vikings, playing only one opponent with a winning record during the regular season. Nine of fourteen opponents finished 4–10 or worse, and like the 1972 Dolphins only two had winning records. Football journalists noted during their streak how the Vikings had been playing very weak schedules for several seasons and flattered thereby.
The Vikings’ 10–0 start was not subsequently equaled until the 1984 Miami Dolphins began 11–0. They sealed their third straight NFC Central title on Thanksgiving Day in this same week when the Detroit Lions lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Vikings finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses, before losing to the Dallas Cowboys, 17–14 in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at home due to a play known as the "Hail Mary". Earlier in the season, the New York Jets made their first appearance in Minnesota in a much-anticipated match between Super Bowl quarterbacks Fran Tarkenton and Joe Namath, in what had been the first regular season game sold out during the summer.Kallestad, Brent; "Fran, Joe Square Off First Time"; in The Evening News; October 10, 1975; p. 7B
Third year halfback Chuck Foreman became the first Vikings running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
Offseason
1975 draft
1975 Minnesota Vikings Draft Draft order Player name Position College Notes Round Selection 1 25 Mark Mullaney Defensive end Colorado State 2 52 Robert Barber Defensive tackle USC Originally Steelers pick363Traded to the New Orleans SaintsFrom Lions77Traded to the Cincinnati Bengals489Champ HensonRunning backOhio Statefrom Bengals103Bruce AdamsWide receiverKansas5129Robert MillerRunning backKansas6155Bubba BroussardLinebackerHouston7181Henry GreenRunning backSouthern8207Joe HollimonDefensive backArkansas State9233John PassanantiGuardWestern Illinois10258Neil ClaboPunterTennesseeOriginally Raiders pick11285Ike SpencerRunning backUtah12311Autry BeamonSafetyEast Texas State13336Mike HurdWide receiverMichigan StateOriginally Redskins pick14363Mike StricklandRunning backEastern Michigan15388Ollie BakkenLinebackerMinnesotaOriginally Raiders pick16414Tom GoedjenPlacekickerIowa StateOriginally Colts pick17441Adolph BellizeareRunning backPenn
Notes
Roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 9 New York Jets L 15–20 0–1 Sun Devil Stadium, 51,323 2 August 17 at New England Patriots L 10–36 0–2 Schaefer Stadium 40,218 3 August 23 at Dallas Cowboys W 16–13 1–2 Texas Stadium 45,395 4 September 1 Miami Dolphins W 20–7 2–2 Metropolitan Stadium 47,653 5 September 6 St. Louis Cardinals L 6–13 2–3 Metropolitan Stadium 46,975 6 September 13 at San Diego Chargers T 14–14 2–3–1 San Diego Stadium 31,642
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 21 San Francisco 49ers W 27–17 1–0 Metropolitan Stadium 46,479 2 September 28 at Cleveland Browns W 42–10 2–0 Cleveland Stadium 68,064 3 October 5 Chicago Bears W 28–3 3–0 Metropolitan Stadium 47,578 4 October 12 New York Jets W 29–21 4–0 Metropolitan Stadium 47,739 5 October 19 Detroit Lions W 25–19 5–0 Metropolitan Stadium 47,872 6 at Chicago Bears W 13–9 6–0 Soldier Field 51,259 7 November 2 at Green Bay Packers W 28–17 7–0 Lambeau Field 57,267 8 November 9 Atlanta Falcons W 38–0 8–0 Metropolitan Stadium 43,751 9 November 16 at New Orleans Saints W 20–7 9–0 Louisiana Superdome 52,765 10 November 23 San Diego Chargers W 28–13 10–0 Metropolitan Stadium 43,737 11 November 30 at Washington Redskins L 30–31 10–1 RFK Stadium 54,498 12 December 7 Green Bay Packers W 24–3 11–1 Metropolitan Stadium 46,147 13 December 14 at Detroit Lions L 10–17 11–2 Silverdome 73,130 14 at Buffalo Bills W 35–13 12–2 Rich Stadium 54,993Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Standings
Postseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Divisional December 28 Dallas Cowboys (4) L 14–17 Metropolitan Stadium 46,425
Game summaries NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (#4) Dallas Cowboys
Awards and records Fran Tarkenton, Bert Bell Award, and AP MVP AP First Team All-Pro selections: RB Chuck Foreman, S Paul Krause, DT Alan Page, QB Fran Tarkenton and T Ron Yary Chuck Foreman, set an NFL record with 73 receptions, most by a running back DE Jim Marshall, recovered 26th fumble, a new league record Pro Bowl selections: Bobby Bryant, Chuck Foreman, John Gilliam, Paul Krause, Alan Page, Jeff Siemon, Fran Tarkenton, Ed White and Ron Yary
Statistics Team leaders Category Player(s) Value Passing yards Fran Tarkenton 2,994 Passing touchdowns Fran Tarkenton 25 Rushing yards Chuck Foreman 1,070 Rushing touchdowns Chuck Foreman 13 Receiving yards John Gilliam 777 Receiving touchdowns Chuck Foreman 9 Points Chuck Foreman 132 Kickoff return yards Brent McClanahan 360 Punt return yards Bobby Bryant 125 Interceptions Paul Krause 10 * * Vikings single season record.
League rankings Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank Passing offense 2,861 204.4 3rd Rushing offense 2,094 149.6 10th Total offense 4,955 353.9 5th Passing defense 1,621 115.8 1st Rushing defense 1,532 109.4 1st Total defense 3,153 262.2 1st
References