1986 Minnesota Vikings season

NFL team season

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The 1986 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 26th season in the National Football League, and their first with former offensive coordinator Jerry Burns as head coach, following the departure of Bud Grant at the end of the previous season.

The Vikings finished with a 9–7 record and missed the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

Offseason

1986 Draft

1986 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Selection	Player name	Position	College	Notes
1	8	Traded to the San Diego Chargers^[a]
1	14	Gerald Robinson	Defensive end	Auburn	from Packers via Chargers^[a]
2	40	Traded to the Miami Dolphins^[b]
	44	Traded to the New York Giants^[c]			from Chargers^[a]
	53	Traded to the New York Giants^[c]			from Raiders^[d]
3	66	Traded to the San Diego Chargers^[a]
4	93	Joe Phillips	Defensive tackle	Southern Methodist
5	120	Hassan Jones	Wide receiver	Florida State
6	147	Thomas Rooks	Running back	Illinois
7	179	Carl Hilton	Tight end	Houston
8	206	Gary Shippang	Offensive tackle	West Chester (PA)
9	232	Mike Slaton	Defensive back	South Dakota
10	259	Joe Cormier	Wide receiver	USC
11	286	John Armstrong	Wide receiver	Richmond
12	318	Jesse Solomon	Linebacker	Florida State

^{^[a]} San Diego traded a 1st round selection (14th overall) and 2nd round selection (44th overall) to the Vikings for their 1st round selection (8th overall) and 3rd round selection (66th overall).

^{^[b]} Minnesota traded one of their 2nd round selections (40th overall) and LB Robin Sendlein to Miami for WR Anthony Carter.

^{^[c]} Minnesota traded two 2nd round selections (44th and 53rd overall) to the Giants for OT Gary Zimmerman.

^{^[d]} The Raiders traded their 1985 6th round selection (164th overall) and 1986 2nd round selection (53rd overall) to Minnesota for LB Brad Van Pelt.

Staff

**1986 Minnesota Vikings staff**
	Front office President – Max Winter General manager – Mike Lynn Administrative assistant – Bob Hollway Head coaches Head coach – Jerry Burns Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Bob Schnelker Running backs – Marc Trestman Receivers – Dick Rehbein Offensive line – John Michels			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Floyd Peters Defensive line – Paul Wiggin Linebackers – Monte Kiffin Defensive backs – Pete Carroll Special teams coaches Special teams/ Tight ends coach – Tom Batta

^[1]

Roster

**1986 Minnesota Vikings final roster**

	Quarterbacks 13 Steve Bono 9 Tommy Kramer 11 Wade Wilson Running backs 46 Alfred Anderson FB 23 Ted Brown 20 Darrin Nelson 36 Allen Rice FB Wide receivers 81 Anthony Carter 80 Jim Gustafson 84 Hassan Jones 87 Leo Lewis 88 Buster Rhymes Tight ends 82 Carl Hilton 83 Steve Jordan 86 Mike Mularkey		Offensive linemen 62 Brent Boyd G 72 Dave Huffman G 51 Jim Hough G 76 Tim Irwin T 63 Kirk Lowdermilk C 71 Mark MacDonald G 68 Curtis Rouse G 67 Dennis Swilley C 66 Terry Tausch G 65 Gary Zimmerman T Defensive linemen 56 Chris Doleman DE 73 Neil Elshire DE 79 Doug Martin DE 75 Keith Millard DT 77 Mark Mullaney DE 96 Tim Newton DT 91 Joe Phillips NT 95 Gerald Robinson DE 74 Mike Stensrud NT		Linebackers 58 Walker Lee Ashley 99 David Howard OLB 57 Chris Martin OLB 54 Jesse Solomon OLB 55 Scott Studwell MLB Defensive backs 21 Rufus Bess CB/KR 47 Joey Browner SS 26 David Evans CB 41 Neal Guggemos CB 30 Issiac Holt CB 44 John Harris FS 39 Carl Lee CB 27 Mike Lush CB 37 Willie Teal CB Special teams 8 Greg Coleman P 1 Chuck Nelson K		Rookies in italics 50 active, 0 inactive, 0 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance^[2]
1	August 9	Miami Dolphins	W 30–16	1–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	52,865
2	August 16	Denver Broncos	W 29–27	2–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	53,193
3	August 22	at Seattle Seahawks	L 17–27	2–1	Kingdome	57,730
4	August 30	at Indianapolis Colts	W 23–20 (OT)	3–1	Hoosier Dome	57,969

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 7	Detroit Lions	L 10–13	0–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	54,851
2	September 14	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 23–10	1–1	Tampa Stadium	34,579
3	September 21	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 31–7	2–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	56,795
4	September 28	Green Bay Packers	W 42–7	3–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	60,478
5	October 5	at Chicago Bears	L 0–23	3–2	Soldier Field	63,921
6	October 12	at San Francisco 49ers	W 27–24 (OT)	4–2	Candlestick Park	58,637
7	October 19	Chicago Bears	W 23–7	5–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	62,851
8	October 26	Cleveland Browns	L 20–23	5–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	59,133
9	November 2	at Washington Redskins	L 38–44 (OT)	5–4	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	51,928
10	November 9	at Detroit Lions	W 24–10	6–4	Silverdome	53,725
11	November 16	New York Giants	L 20–22	6–5	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	62,003
12	November 23	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 20–24	6–6	Riverfront Stadium	53,003
13	November 30	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 45–13	7–6	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	56,235
14	December 7	at Green Bay Packers	W 32–6	8–6	Lambeau Field	47,637
15	December 14	at Houston Oilers	L 10–23	8–7	Astrodome	32,738
16	December 21	New Orleans Saints	W 33–17	9–7	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	51,209

Game summaries

Week 1: vs Detroit Lions

Week 1: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	7	3	3	13
Vikings	3	0	0	7	10

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: September 7
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 54,851
Referee: Red Cashion
Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Chuck Nelson 35-yard field goal, 3:38. Vikings 3–0.

Second quarter

DET – James Jones 2-yard run (Eddie Murray kick), 1:56. Lions 7–3.

Third quarter

DET – Eddie Murray 33-yard field goal, 2:01. Lions 10–3.

Fourth quarter

DET – Eddie Murray 44-yard field goal, 9:05. Lions 13–3.
MIN – Jim Gustafson 5-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Chuck Nelson kick), 0:03. Lions 13–10.

Top passers

DET – Eric Hipple – 8/15, 95 yards, INT
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 21/38, 223 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

DET – James Jones – 36 rushes, 174 yards, TD
MIN – Darrin Nelson – 11 rushes, 58 yards

Top receivers

DET – Leonard Thompson – 3 receptions, 40 yards
MIN – Darrin Nelson – 6 receptions, 74 yards

Week 8: vs Cleveland Browns

Week 8: Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	3	0	7	13	23
Vikings	3	14	3	0	20

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: October 26
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 59,133
Referee: Tom Dooley
TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Jimmy Cefalo
Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Chuck Nelson 33-yard field goal, 6:55. Vikings 3–0.
CLE – Matt Bahr 52-yard field goal, 3:16. Tie 3–3.

Second quarter

MIN – Darrin Nelson 5-yard run (Chuck Nelson kick), 5:00. Vikings 10–3.
MIN – Anthony Carter 8-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Chuck Nelson kick), 0:24. Vikings 17–3.

Third quarter

CLE – Felix Wright 30-yard blocked punt return (Matt Bahr kick), 12:40. Vikings 17–10.
MIN – Chuck Nelson 32-yard field goal, 3:29. Vikings 20–10.

Fourth quarter

CLE – Matt Bahr 19-yard field goal, 13:13. Vikings 20–13.
CLE – Curtis Dickey 17-yard run (Matt Bahr kick), 3:23. Tie 20–20.
CLE – Matt Bahr 22-yard field goal, 1:46. Browns 23–20.

Top passers

CLE – Bernie Kosar – 9/18, 101 yards, TD
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 18/35, 261 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

CLE – Curtis Dickey – 19 rushes, 106 yards, TD
MIN – Darrin Nelson – 22 rushes, 118 yards, TD

Top receivers

CLE – Reggie Langhorne – 2 receptions, 37 yards
MIN – Allen Rice – 4 receptions, 71 yards

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Chicago Bears⁽²⁾	14	2	0	.875	7–1	10–2	352	187	W7
Minnesota Vikings	9	7	0	.563	6–2	8–4	398	273	W1
Detroit Lions	5	11	0	.313	3–5	4–8	277	326	L4
Green Bay Packers	4	12	0	.250	3–5	3–9	254	418	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	14	0	.125	1–7	1–13	239	473	L7

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Tommy Kramer	3,000
Passing touchdowns	Tommy Kramer	24
Rushing yards	Darrin Nelson	793
Rushing touchdowns	Ted Brown Darrin Nelson	4
Receiving yards	Steve Jordan	859
Receiving touchdowns	Anthony Carter	7
Points	Chuck Nelson	110
Kickoff return yards	Rufus Bess	705
Punt return yards	Rufus Bess	162
Tackles	Jesse Solomon	96
Sacks	Keith Millard	10.5
Interceptions	Issiac Holt	8
Forced fumbles	Chris Doleman	2

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 28)
Passing offense	3,913	244.6	5th
Rushing offense	1,738	108.6	16th
Total offense	5,651	353.2	4th
Passing defense	3,216	201.0	13th
Rushing defense	1,796	112.3	13th
Total defense	5,012	313.3	11th

Awards and records

On August 2, Fran Tarkenton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He was the first player inducted who was primarily a Minnesota Viking during his career.
Tommy Kramer, the NFL passer rating leader, was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year by Pro Football Weekly.

References

^ 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
^ "1986 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".

External links

Vikings on Pro Football Reference
Vikings on jt-sw.com

v t e Minnesota Vikings
Founded in 1961 Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota Headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota
Franchise	Franchise History Expansion draft Players First-round draft picks Quarterbacks Head coaches Seasons Statistics Draft Broadcasters Ownership Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center
Stadiums	Metropolitan Stadium Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome TCF Bank Stadium U.S. Bank Stadium
Culture	Purple People Eaters "Skol, Vikings" Herschel Walker trade Love Boat scandal How I Met Your Mother "Little Minnesota" "Tailgate" Cheerleaders Alan Roach Truth Hurts (song) Quarterback "Higher" (Creed song)
Lore	The Wrong Way Run Hail Mary Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy Santa Claus game Miracle at the Met Gary Anderson's missed field goal Minneapolis Miracle Minneapolis Miracle II
Rivalries	Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Los Angeles Rams New Orleans Saints
Division championships (21)	1968 1969 1970 1971 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1989 1992 1994 1998 2000 2008 2009 2015 2017 2022
Conference championships (4)	1969 1973 1974 1976
League championships (1)	1969
Retired numbers	10 53 70 77 80 88
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: North Division

v t e Minnesota Vikings seasons
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates Super Bowl (1966–) appearance

1986 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Buffalo	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Indianapolis	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	LA Rams
Miami	Houston	LA Raiders	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Seattle	Washington	Tampa Bay