1997 was the 37th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

 and the 78th regular season of the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses. Their record was good enough to qualify for a wild card berth. In the wild card round against the New York Giants, the Vikings came back from a 22-13 deficit with 90 seconds to play to defeat the Giants 23-22. It was their first playoff victory since 1988 and their first under head coach Dennis Green. In the Divisional round, the Vikings were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers, 38-22.

Staff

1997 Minnesota Vikings staff
Front Office Chairman of the Board – John Skoglund President/Chief Executive Officer – Roger Headrick Head Coaches Head Coach – Dennis Green Dennis Green Dennis "Denny" Green is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League... Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Brian Billick Brian Billick Brian Harold Billick is a National Football League game analyst for Fox, and is also an analyst for the network's Bowl Championship Series coverage. He was previously an NFL coach, most recently with the Baltimore Ravens from January 19, 1999 to December 31, 2007... Quarterbacks – Ray Sherman Ray Sherman -College career:Sherman played college football at Fresno State as a wide receiver and defensive back. In 1974, he took a job as graduate assistant for San Jose State... Running Backs – Carl Hargrave Receivers – Chip Myers Chip Myers Phillip Leon "Chip" Myers was a wide receiver who played nine Pro Football seasons, for the NFL San Francisco 49ers in 1967, the AFL's Cincinnati Bengals in 1969, and the NFL's AFC Bengals from 1970 through 1976... Tight Ends – Dave Atkins Offensive Line – Mike Tice Mike Tice Michael Peter Tice is an American football National Football League coach, best known as the former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He is currently the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.-Playing career:... Coaching Assistant – Wade Harman			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Foge Fazio Foge Fazio Serafino Dante "Foge" Fazio was an American former National Football League defensive assistant and college football head coach.... Defensive Line – John Levra Inside Linebackers – Tom Olivadotti Outside Linebackers – Trent Walters Defensive Backs – Richard Solomon Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Gary Zauner Gary Zauner Gary Zauner is an American football coach. He is currently the special teams coordinator for the California Redwoods of the United Football League.... Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Steve Wetzel Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Jeff Friday

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	August 31, 1997	at Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 34-13	79,139
2	September 7, 1997	at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 27-24	59,263
3	September 14, 1997	Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...	L 28-14	63,697
4	September 21, 1997	at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...	L 38-32	60,115
5	September 28, 1997	Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 28-19	55,149
6	October 5, 1997	at Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 20-19	45,550
7	October 12, 1997	Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...	W 21-14	62,625
8	Bye
9	October 26, 1997	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...	W 10-6	66,815
10	November 2, 1997	New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...	W 23-18	62,917
11	November 9, 1997	Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 29-22	63,443
12	November 16, 1997	at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...	L 38-15	68,910
13	November 23, 1997	at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 23-21	70,131
14	December 1, 1997	Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...	L 27-11	64,001
15	December 7, 1997	at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...	L 28-17	55,761
16	December 14, 1997	Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...	L 14-13	60,982
17	December 21, 1997	Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....	W 39-28	54,107

Standings

NFC Central
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Green Bay Packers 1997 Green Bay Packers season The 1997 Green Bay Packers season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing in a 31-24 upset to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII...	13	3	0	.813	422	282
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 6-10 season from 1996. The 1997 season was notable for several reasons...	10	6	0	.625	299	263
Detroit Lions 1997 Detroit Lions season The 1997 season marked the Lions qualifying for the playoffs. Bobby Ross replaced Wayne Fontes as head coach. The highlight of the season was Barry Sanders becoming the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season.-Staff:...	9	7	0	.563	379	306
Minnesota Vikings	9	7	0	.563	354	359
Chicago Bears 1997 Chicago Bears season The 1997 Chicago Bears season was their 78th regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 4-12 record under head coach Dave Wannstedt. It was the club's first 4 win season since the club posted a 4-10 record in 1975.-Schedule:...	4	12	0	.250	263	421

Roster

Quarterbacks 14 Brad Johnson Brad Johnson (American football) James Bradley Johnson is a former National Football League Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the ninth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.-Early years:Brad went to Charles D...  7 Randall Cunningham Randall Cunningham Randall W. Cunningham is a former American football quarterback.After playing college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he remained through the 1995 season... Running Backs 26 Robert Smith 44 Leroy Hoard Leroy Hoard Leroy Hoard is a retired American football running back who played for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, and Minnesota Vikings of the NFL... 32 Robert Green Robert Green Robert Paul Green is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United and the England national football team as a goalkeeper.-Norwich City:... 31 Scottie Graham Scottie Graham James Otis Graham, better known as "Scottie", is a former professional football player who played running back for six seasons in the NFL; New York Jets , Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals .Graham was a high school All-American in three sports: football, wrestling and lacrosse... 21 Moe Williams Moe Williams Maurece Jabari "Moe" Williams is a former American football running back in the National Football League . He formerly played for the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens... 29 Chuck Evans Chuck Evans Charles "Chuck" Evans was an American football fullback who played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens... 33 Harold Morrow Harold Morrow Harold Morrow is a former National Football League fullback for the Minnesota Vikings, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Arizona Cardinals.-External links:*... Wide Receivers 80 Chris Carter Cris Carter Cristopher D. Carter is a former American football player in the National Football League. He played wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles , the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins .... 86 Jake Reed Jake Reed Willis "Jake" Reed is a former professional American football player who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League as a wide receiver from 1991 to 2002 for the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints.Reed played football collegiately at Grambling State University and was selected... 89 Matthew Hatchette Matthew Hatchette Matthew Hatchette is a professional American football player who played wide receiver for six regular seasons for the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Jets, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. During his career, he caught 60 passes for 887 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 14.8 yards per catch... 81 Chris Walsh 22 David Palmer David Palmer (American football) David Lee Palmer is a retired American football player from Birmingham, Alabama. He played the position of wide receiver in college at the University of Alabama and professionally for seven seasons with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.Palmer was a star quarterback for... 84 Tony Bland Tony Bland Anthony David Bland was a supporter of Liverpool F.C. injured in the Hillsborough disaster. He suffered severe brain damage that left him in a persistent vegetative state whereby the hospital, with the support of his parents, applied for a court order allowing him to 'die with dignity'... Tight Ends 89 Andrew Jordan 87 Hunter Goodwin Hunter Goodwin Hunter Goodwin , is a former professional American football tight end.-College career:Goodwin transferred from Texas A&M–Kingsville to Texas A&M in 1993. While in Kingsville, he was a Lone Star Conference award recipient as a tight end. He walked on to the Texas A&M football team and soon received... 85 Greg DeLong Greg DeLong Gregory Andrew DeLong is a former American football tight end in the National Football League. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He played college football at North Carolina.... 82 Andrew Glover		Offensive Linemen 73 Todd Steussie Todd Steussie Todd Edward Steussie was an American football guard and tackle for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Vikings 19th overall in the 1994 NFL Draft... 77 Korey Stringer Korey Stringer Korey Damont Stringer was an American football player who died from complications brought on by heat stroke, during training camp in Mankato, Minnesota while in training camp with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.-College career:Stringer was born in Warren, Ohio and attended... 76 Scott Dill Scott Dill Scott Dill is a former NFL offensive tackle who played ten seasons in the NFL.Scott Dill was an accomplished football player. He retired because of a back injury. Dill played for the Phoenix Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Minnesota Vikings. He started every game he played in the NFL.... 71 David Dixon 61 Everett Lindsay Everett Lindsay Everett Lindsay and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, attended the University of Mississippi from 1989-1992 where he walked on and anchored the offensive line under then head coach Billy Brewer. Lindsay was a two-time First-Team All-SEC and First-Team All-America selection in 1991 and 1992... 78 Bob Sapp Bob Sapp Robert Malcolm "Bob" Sapp is an American kickboxer, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor, comedian and former professional American football player. Sapp currently has a combined fight record of 21–21–0, mostly fighting in Japan... 64 Randall McDaniel Randall McDaniel Randall McDaniel is a former offensive guard in the National Football League. On January 31, 2009 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame... 69 LeShun Daniels 74 Orlando Bobo Orlando Bobo Orlando Bobo was a former American football player who played the position of guard for three National Football League teams from 1997–2001 and in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2004.... 62 Jeff Christy Jeff Christy Jeffrey Allen Christy was an American football center for the Arizona Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He now helps coach for the Freeport Senior High School football team.-Early life:... 68 Mike Morris Mike Morris (American football) Mike Morris is a former long snapper for the Minnesota Vikings, a current radio host on KFAN in Minneapolis, and Strength and Conditioning Coach for Concordia University .- Playing career :... Defensive Linemen 90 Derrick Alexander Derrick Alexander (defensive end) Derrick Alexander is a former defensive end/defensive tackle who played for the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted from Florida State University in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft ahead of such big names as Hugh Douglas and Warren Sapp... 92 Duane Clemons Duane Clemons Duane Anthony Clemons is a former American Football defensive end who played in the National Football League between 1996 and 2005... 95 Fernando Smith Fernando Smith Fernando Smith played 7 seasons at defensive end in the National Football League. He is from Flint, MI and graduated from Flint Northwestern High School and then Jackson State University in 1994.... 99 Stalin Colinet Stalin Colinet Stalin D. Colinet is a former defensive tackle/defensive end in the NFL.-Early years:Colinet attended Cardinal Hayes High School where he lettered in football, basketball, and track. He was named Team MVP and a league all-star in his junior and senior years, and he was named to the CHSAA All-Star... 96 Jerry Ball Jerry Ball Jerry Ball is a former professional American football defensive lineman in the NFL who played primarily as a nose tackle. During his career he went to three Pro Bowls. In the NFL for 13 seasons, Ball recorded 32.5 sacks during his career, most of them coming as a nose tackle with the Detroit Lions... 72 Jason Fisk Jason Fisk Jason Fisk is a retired NFL defensive tackle. Fisk played high school football at Davis High School, and college football at Stanford University, where he lettered four years... 93 John Randle John Randle John Anthony Randle played defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. On February 6, 2010 he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Born in Mumford, Texas, Randle was raised poor, and worked odd jobs when he was young. His brother Ervin Randle played as... 94 Tony Williams Tony Williams (American football) Tony Williams is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 1997 NFL Draft...		Linebackers 58 Ed McDaniel Ed McDaniel Edward McDaniel is a former American football linebacker in the NFL. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, 5th round of the 1992 Draft. He spent his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings.Ed is a co-owner of D1 Sports Training in Greenville, South Carolina... 59 Dixon Edwards Dixon Edwards Dixon Voldean Edwards, III is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League from 1991 through 1998... 50 Jeff Brady Jeff Brady Jeffrey Thomas Brady was an American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the National Football League for eight different teams. He played college football at the University of Kentucky.... 56 Pete Bercich Pete Bercich Peter James Bercich is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame. He played five seasons for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings . He has served as the color commentator on the Vikings Radio Network since... 55 Ron George 57 Dwayne Rudd Dwayne Rudd Dwayne Rudd is an American football linebacker who is a free agent in the National Football League, having not played in the NFL since 2003. During his career he played for the Minnesota Vikings, the Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers... Defensive Backs 42 Orlando Thomas Orlando Thomas Orlando Thomas is a former defensive back who played in the NFL from 1995 until 2001. He played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings.... 24 Robert Griffith Robert Griffith Robert Otis Griffith is a former American football strong safety in the National Football League. He played thirteen seasons in the league, mostly for the Minnesota Vikings from 1994 to 2001... 23 Torrian Gray Torrian Gray Torrian Gray is a college football assistant coach. He currently coaches defensive backs for his alma mater, Virginia Tech.-College career:Gray was three times an all-Big East selection for the Virginia Tech Hokies... 31 Duane Butler Duane Butler Duane Butler is a former National Football League, XFL and Canadian Football League linebacker for the Montreal Alouettes.-College career:Duane Butler attended Illinois State University... 43 Greg Briggs 83 Robert Tate Robert Tate Robert Tate was a star wide receiver and kick returner in college for the University of Cincinnati. Tate played nine seasons of professional football in the NFL. Originally a wide receiver, he was converted to defensive back upon entering the NFL. Tate played at Cincinnati with notable NFL players... 37 Leonard Wheeler Leonard Wheeler Leonard Tyrone Wheeler is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi and Troy.Wheeler also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers.... 20 Dewayne Washington Dewayne Washington Dewayne Neron Washington is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. He played for the Minnesota Vikings , the Pittsburgh Steelers , the Jacksonville Jaguars , and the Kansas City Chiefs... 40 Anthony Prior 27 Corey Fuller Corey Fuller Corey Fuller , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2nd round of the 1995 NFL Draft. A 5'10", 209-lb... Special Teams  3 Eddie Murray  5 Greg Davis 17 Mitch Berger

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Wildcard	December 27, 1997	at New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 23-22	77,497
Division	January 3, 1998	at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...	L 38-22	65,018