Vintage Minnesota: Kicking off another Vikings season

July 26, 2019 at 12:30PM
July 30, 1982 Coach Bud Grant surveyed workouts as the Vikings opened training camp for the 1982 season at Mankato State University. July 29, 1982 John Croft, Minneapolis Star Tribune ORG XMIT: MIN2015041416292597
July 30, 1982 Coach Bud Grant surveyed workouts as the Vikings opened training camp for the 1982 season at Mankato State University. July 29, 1982 John Croft, Minneapolis Star Tribune ORG XMIT: MIN2015041416292597 (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Photo originally published July 30, 1982

In 1982, when the shorts were short and the socks were tall, Bud Grant started his 16th season as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. It was the first day of training camp down in Mankato, and Grant was supervising team workouts.

The buzz was the possible retirement of star Ron Yary, who failed to report to camp. Yary, now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, made no secret about wanting to finish his career with a West Coast team. (He did, with the Los Angeles Rams.)

The Vikings went on to open the regular season at the brand-new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, but a 57-day players' strike midseason shortened the schedule from 16 games to nine. The team went 5-4.

It's that time of year again: The Vikings are back in training camp. Now they practice at the team's new facility in Eagan, where 16 of the practices will be open to the public. For more info, go to vikings.com.

Nicole Hvidsten

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