Bud Grant: Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Class of 1987

Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr., was one of the top all-around athletes to compete for the University before playing professionally in two sports.

Grant, a native of Superior, Wis., went on to become a coaching legend.

Grant was a three-sport standout — football, basketball and baseball — for the Gophers.

In football, he was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten in 1948 and 1949 and a second-team All-America in 1949. In basketball, he was a three-year starter for the Gophers from 1946-49. In baseball, he lettered for the Gophers in 1947.

Grant began his professional career with the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association in the 1949-50 season. Following the 1950-51 season with the Lakers, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

In his first season with the Eagles, Grant was a defensive end. He switched to receiver in his second season with the Eagles and he finished second in the NFL in receptions (56) and receiving yards (997) and caught seven touchdown passes in 12 games.

Following the 1952 season, Grant joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Over the next four seasons, he led the CFL Western Conference in receptions three times and receiving yards twice as he was named a CFL Western Conference All-Star three times.

Grant also played defensive back for the Blue Bombers. In the Blue Bombers' 43-5 victory over Saskatchewan on Oct. 28, 1953 in Winnipeg, Grant set a CFL record by intercepting five passes.

Following the 1956 season, Grant became the Blue Bombers' coach. At 29, he was the youngest head coach in CFL history. He coached the Blue Bombers for 10 seasons. Under Grant, the Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup championship game four times.

In 1967, Grant became the Minnesota Vikings' second coach. Over 18 seasons (1967-83, 1985) he coached the Vikings to 11 division titles, 12 postseason berths and four appearances in the Super Bowl.

He was the first coach in the history of professional football to guide teams to the Grey Cup and the Super Bowl. His combined coaching record (regular season and postseason) for 28 seasons is 286-172-8. He directed the Vikings to a 168-108-5 record. Grant is the fourth among professional football coaches (behind Don Shula, George Halas and Bill Belichek) with a combined 286 wins in the NFL and CFL.

Grant was elected to the Canadian football Hall of Fame in 1983 and to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

At his induction ceremony in 1994, Grant said, "As a coach, you don't get here because you can kick or catch or tackle or run or throw. You get here because you have the help of a lot of people."

After retiring as the Vikings coach, he remained a consultant for the Minnesota Vikings.

Class: 1987.

Sports: Gophers three-sport athlete; played in NBA, NFL and CFL; coached in NFL and CFL.

Teams: Gophers, Minneapolis Lakers, Vikings.