1961 Minnesota Vikings season
The 1961 season was the Minnesota Vikings' first in the National Football League after being created as an expansion franchise. Under head coach Norm Van Brocklin, the team finished with a 3–11 record. The team's first ever regular season game was a 37–13 victory against their divisional rivals, the Chicago Bears; in that game, rookie quarterback Fran Tarkenton came off the bench to toss four touchdown passes and run for another.
The Vikings' defense surrendered 5.41 rushing yards per attempt in 1961, the fifth-most of all time.
Offseason
Although the NFL originally had no interest in expanding, after Max Winter and Bill Boyer agreed to start an American Football League franchise in Minnesota, the NFL approached them to change leagues. The "Vikings" name was given to the team by Ole Haugsrud, who had been given a 10% stake in the franchise as a result of having sold the Duluth Eskimos back to the league in the 1920s.1961 Draft
| Pro Bowler | |
| Pro Football Hall of Famer |
1961 Expansion Draft
| Player name | Position | College | Acquired from |
| Grady Alderman | Guard | Detroit Mercy | Detroit Lions |
| Tom Barnett | Running back | Purdue | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Byron Beams | Tackle | Notre Dame | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Ken Beck | Defensive tackle | Texas A&M | Green Bay Packers |
| Bill Bishop | Defensive tackle | North Texas State | Chicago Bears |
| Don Boll | Offensive tackle | Nebraska | New York Giants |
| Ed Culpepper | Defensive tackle | Alabama | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Don Ellersick | Defensive back | Washington State | Los Angeles Rams |
| Dick Haley | Defensive back | Pittsburgh | Washington Redskins |
| Gerry Huth | Guard | Wake Forest | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Charlie Janerette | Guard | Penn State | Los Angeles Rams |
| Gene Johnson | Defensive back | Cincinnati | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Don Joyce | Defensive end | Tulane | Baltimore Colts |
| Bill Kimber | End | Florida State | New York Giants |
| Bill Lapham | Center | Iowa | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Hugh McElhenny | Running back | Washington | San Francisco 49ers |
| Dave Middleton | End | Auburn | Detroit Lions |
| Jack Morris | Defensive back | Oregon | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Rich Mostardi | Defensive back | Kent State | Cleveland Browns |
| Fred Murphy | End | Georgia Tech | Cleveland Browns |
| Clancy Osborne | Linebacker | Arizona State | San Francisco 49ers |
| Dick Pesonen | Defensive back | Minnesota-Duluth | Green Bay Packers |
| Mike Rabold | Guard | Indiana | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Perry Richards | End | Detroit Mercy | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Bill Roehnelt | Linebacker | Bradley | Washington Redskins |
| Karl Rubke | Linebacker | USC | San Francisco 49ers |
| Gene Selawski | Offensive tackle | Purdue | Cleveland Browns |
| Glenn Shaw | Fullback | Kentucky | Chicago Bears |
| Lebron Shields | Defensive tackle | Tennessee | Baltimore Colts |
| Zeke Smith | Linebacker | Auburn | Baltimore Colts |
| Jerry Stalcup | Linebacker | Wisconsin | Los Angeles Rams |
| Louis Stephens | Guard | San Francisco | Washington Redskins |
| Charlie Sumner | Defensive back | William & Mary | Chicago Bears |
| Dave Whitsell | Defensive back | Indiana | Detroit Lions |
| Paul Winslow | Running back | North Carolina Central | Green Bay Packers |
| Frank Youso | Offensive tackle | Minnesota | New York Giants |