History of Heartbreak by Dan Whenesota

Author:Dan Whenesota
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lake 7 Creative, LLC
Published: 2020-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

Vikings Blow Chance to Promote Buddy Ryan

Date: February 28, 1978

Heartbreak Rating: 2

What Happened:

Jim Finks was the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings from 1964 to 1974. He is largely credited with building the Vikings into a defensive power in the 1970s. In May 1974, he resigned because he was interested in a higher position with a team and possibly an ownership opportunity. There were also rumors that he didn’t get along with Vikings team president Max Winter. In September 1974, Finks was hired by the Chicago Bears as general manager and team president. Finks wanted to build the Bears into a defensive force. The Vikings’ defensive coordinator during most of the “Purple People Eaters” era was Neill Armstrong (1971–1977). After Minnesota lost to Dallas in the 1977 NFC Championship (page 146), Finks hired Armstrong as the Bears’ head coach. The speculation was that our defensive line coach Buddy Ryan might follow Armstrong to Chicago, unless the Vikings promoted him to defensive coordinator.

On February 28, 1978, The Minneapolis Tribune’s Sid Hartman reported that the Vikings were looking outside the organization for a new defensive coordinator. That same day, Ryan accepted the defensive coordinator position with the Chicago Bears. Armstrong was fired after four seasons. Ryan, however, was offered a contract extension and was willing to work under new head coach Mike Ditka. Ryan created a formidable defensive scheme called the “46 defense.” In the 1985 season, the Bears went 15–1 and defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, 46–10, largely on the strength of Ryan’s defense. That defense is considered one of the best—if not the very best—defenses of all time.

Why It Hurt So Much:

Coaches get plucked from other teams’ staffs every year, but not promoting them when you have a chance is another story. It’s hard to say what would’ve happened if Ryan had become our defensive coordinator. Yet he was far from the only former Vikings coach to win a Super Bowl elsewhere. On one hand, we’re happy for them; on the other, we’re jealous and wonder why we didn’t keep them. If we had won a Super Bowl along the way, few would question those decisions. But it’s disheartening that we didn’t win a championship, while former coordinators like Brian Billick, Tony Dungy, and Mike Tomlin did.

The Aftermath:

When Finks left the Vikings, Mike Lynn was hired as an assistant to Winter. Lynn was eventually named general manager. Finks resigned from the Bears in 1983, at least in part because owner George Halas hired Ditka without consulting him. Finks went on to work for the Chicago Cubs and the New Orleans Saints. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Ryan was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986 through 1990. He coached the Arizona Cardinals in 1994 and 1995.

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