Nearly 40 years ago, the Vikings pioneered the NFL's first trip to London in a 1983 exhibition against the then-St. Louis Cardinals.
Former coach Bud Grant had players help unload the equipment truck through the stands of the original Wembley Stadium and into the band room, where they – the "visiting" team – dressed for practice. Little was football friendly. Each player had a chair to hold their pads. They brought the first-down markers straight from Mankato training camp.
A morning practice was scheduled to awaken players after the 6 a.m. arrival, but former tight end Steve Jordan needed more.
"It's hard, for particularly big guys, to sleep on planes," Jordan said. "I remember literally falling asleep during stretching. … I was out."
The Vikings' 4,000-mile trek for Sunday's game against the Saints remained riddled with the logistical hurdles of international travel: passports, customs manifests and jetlag. But British embrace has warmed to the NFL ahead of the 31st regular-season game there, and the league's global ambitions are gaining steam.
The NFL's foothold in London, where the Vikings will play on a third different field in the past decade, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, has formed a blueprint for the league. International marketing rights in eight countries were allocated to teams last year, and the Vikings are one of six teams in the U.K. and two teams in Canada, setting the foundation for future international events and games.
Jordan, 61, has preferred the London trips after his playing days. He said he'll be in attendance Sunday to watch his son, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan.
"It's gotten much better," Jordan said. "That really gave me a nice contrast, because the fans now do know the game and understand the rules. I'd ask fans where they're from and people fly in from France, Germany, all over."