Grant, "Bud" (Harold P.)
Football
b. May 20, 1927, Superior, WI
Grant played football and basketball at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center after graduating from high school in 1945 and he then entered the University of Minnesota, where he starred in baseball, basketball, and football.
The first-round draft choice of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1950, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Grant chose to play basketball with the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA. He was a backup forward on the 1949/50 championship team. After another year with the Lakers, Grant joined the Eagles for the 1952 football season.
He spent his first season as a defensive end and was switched to offense in 1953, when he caught 56 passes for 997 yards and 7 touchdowns. Grant then went to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
After leading the CFL in receptions three times in four seasons, Grant was named Winnipeg's head coach in 1957. He guided the team to four Grey Cup championships in ten years, compiling a 102-56-2 record.
Grant took over the NFL's Minnesota Vikings in 1966. He had a 3-8-3 record in his first season with the Vikings and then produced 11 Central Division champions, winning the NFL title in 1969 and NFC championships in 1973, 1974, and 1976. The major blemish on Grant's coaching record was his failure to win a Super Bowl in four tries.
He retired after the 1983 season, came back for one more year in 1985, then retired permanently. In 18 seasons with the Vikings, Grant had a 168-108-5 record with Minnesota.