Bud Grant Harry Peter " Bud " Grant , Jr . ( born May 20 , 1927 ) is the former longtime American football head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League ( NFL ) for eighteen seasons . Grant was the second ( 1967 – 83 ) and fourth ( 1985 ) head coach of the team . Prior to coaching the Vikings , he was the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) for ten seasons . Along with being the most successful coach in Vikings history , Grant is the third most successful professional football coach , behind Don Shula and George Halas , with a combined 290 wins in the NFL and CFL . Grant was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994 . He was the first coach in the history of professional football to guide teams to the Grey Cup finals and the Super Bowl . Grant attended the University of Minnesota and was a three sport athlete in football , basketball , and baseball . Following college , he had a professional playing career for the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL , and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL . To date Grant is the only man in history to play professionally in both the NFL and the NBA . Personal life . Childhood . Bud Grant was born on May 20 , 1927 , in Superior , Wisconsin to Harry Peter Sr . and Bernice Grant . His mother called him " Buddy Boy " , which later became " Bud " . As a child , Grant was diagnosed with poliomyelitis and a doctor suggested becoming active in sports to strengthen his weakened leg muscles over time . He started with baseball then added basketball and football as he got older . Due to a lack of organized school teams , he arranged to have football games between neighborhoods and contacted kids from other schools to participate . During the weekends , he would spend time outdoors alone hunting rabbits . In his late teens and college years , he played organized baseball in Minnesota and Wisconsin . Family . Bud married Pat ( formerly Patricia Bellew ; born March 28 , 1927 ) in 1950 , and they eventually would have six children . Bud ' s son , Mike Grant , has been the football head coach for Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie , Minnesota since 1992 . Mike Grant has coached Eden Prairie to six state championships in twelve years . Bud Grant ' s grandson , Ryan Grant , was a quarterback , and linebacker at Eden Prairie and now he plays at the University of Minnesota as a linebacker . Bud ' s granddaughter Jenny is married to former NFL quarterback Gibran Hamdan . Bud ' s wife Pat died in 2009 , succumbing to the effects of Parkinson ' s Disease . Playing career . High school and college . Grant played football , basketball , and baseball at Superior Central High School ( Wisconsin ) . He graduated from high school in 1945 and enlisted in the Navy during World War II . He was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois and played on the football team coached by Paul Brown . Using an acceptance letter from the University of Wisconsin – Madison to be discharged from the service , Grant decided to attend the University of Minnesota instead . He was a three sport , nine letterman athlete in football , basketball , and baseball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers , earning All - Big Ten honors in football twice . Professional basketball . After leaving the University of Minnesota , Grant was selected in both the NFL and NBA Draft . He was selected in the first round ( fourteenth overall ) of the 1950 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and fourth round ( forty - second overall ) selection of the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1950 NBA Draft . He played thirty - five games during the 1949 - 50 NBA season and signed with the Lakers for the 1950 - 51 NBA season . He chose to continue his basketball career with the Lakers because they were local and because he was offered a raise to stay for the season . Grant ' s close personal friend , Sid Hartman , was the Lakers ' general manager , which may have influenced his decision to remain with the team . He averaged 2 . 6 points per game in his two seasons as a reserve with the Lakers and was a member of the 1950 championship team . Professional football . After two seasons in the NBA , Grant decided to end his professional basketball career . He contacted the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL and agreed to play for the team during the 1951 NFL season . In his first season with the Eagles , Grant played as a defensive end and led the team in sacks ( an unofficial statistic at the time ) . He switched to offense as a wide receiver for his second season with the club and ranked second in the NFL for receiving yardage , with 997 yards on fifty - six catches , including seven touchdowns . Grant ' s contract expired at the end of the 1952 NFL season and the Eagles refused to pay him what he thought he was worth . The Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL had been interested in Grant while in college . Grant left for Winnipeg , Canada in 1953 and became the first professional player to " play out his option " and leave for another team . He played for the Blue Bombers until 1956 as an offensive end and was named a Western Conference all - star three times . He led the Western Conference in pass receptions for the 1953 , 1954 , and 1956 seasons and receiving yards for the 1953 and 1956 seasons . He also holds the distinction of having five interceptions in a playoff game , played on October 28 , 1953 , which is a CFL record . The Blue Bombers played for the Grey Cup in 1953 , but lost to the Hamilton Tiger - Cats in the 41st Grey Cup game . Coaching career . Winnipeg Blue Bombers . Blue Bombers management decided that they needed a new coach prior to the 1957 season . On January 30 , 1956 , Grant accepted the Blue Bombers head coaching position after impressing management with his ability to make adjustments on offense and defense as a player . Club president , J . T . Russell , thought that Grant could coach even though nobody else did . Grant would remain the head coach of the Blue Bombers until 1966 . During his ten seasons as head coach in Winnipeg , he led the team to six Grey Cup appearances , winning the championship four times in 1958 , 1959 , 1961 , and 1962 . He finished his Blue Bombers coaching career with a regular season record of 105 wins , 53 loses , and two ties and an overall record of 122 wins , 66 loses , and 3 ties . Grant was the CFL Coach of the Year in 1965 . Grant took on additional responsibilities as a club manager between 1964 and 1966 . Max Winter , the Minnesota Vikings founder , contacted Grant in 1961 and asked him to coach the new NFL expansion team . Grant declined the offer and remained in Winnipeg until 1967 when Winter and General Manager Jim Finks were successful in luring Grant to Minnesota . Minnesota Vikings . Grant continued his coaching success in the NFL as he took over from original coach , Norm Van Brocklin . Over his tenure as Vikings head coach , Grant was known for instilling discipline in his teams and displaying a lack of emotion during games . He believed that football is a game of controlled emotion and teams would not follow the coach ' s lead if he were to panic or lose his poise during the course of a game . He required his team to stand at attention in a straight line during the entire national anthem played before the game and even had national anthem practice . Grant required outdoor practice during the winter to get players used to the cold weather and would not allow heaters on the sidelines during games . Grant and Finks orchestrated a rare trade in between leagues , which brought Joe Kapp from the British Columbia Lions to the Vikings . In return , the Vikings sent Jim Young , a Canadian born player , back to his native country . In his second year , Grant led the team to a divisional championship and his first NFL playoffs appearance . In 1969 , he led the team to its first NFL Championship and their first appearance in the Super Bowl . The Vikings lost in Super Bowl IV to the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs . Prior to the 1970 season , Minnesota released Joe Kapp . After starting Gary Cuozzo at quarterback in 1970 and 1971 , the Vikings re - acquired Fran Tarkenton prior to the 1972 season . During the 1970s , the Vikings would appear in three more Super Bowls ( VIII , IX , and XI ) under Grant and lose each one , but was the first coach to lead a team to four Super Bowls . He retired after the 1983 NFL season and was succeeded by Les Steckel , who led the team to a 3 - 13 record the following season . Steckel was fired as head coach after the 1984 season and Grant returned as coach for the Vikings in 1985 . After one season where he returned the club to a 7 - 9 record , he stepped down again . Grant retired as the eighth most successful coach in NFL history with an overall record of 161 wins , 99 losses , and 5 ties . As of 2014 , he also remains the most successful coach in Vikings history . During his tenure with the Vikings , he led the Vikings to four Super Bowls , eleven division titles , one league championship and three NFC conference championships . Post - coaching career . After coaching football , Grant became a less prominent public figure and focused his time on hunting and fishing and supporting environmental reforms . He has been a spokesperson opposing Native American hunting and fishing treaty rights in Minnesota . In 1993 , Grant ' s efforts resulted in a death threat . In 2005 , he spoke at a Capitol rally in Minnesota for the conservation of wetlands , wetland wildlife , and water . Grant addressed the five thousand supporters saying , " In this legislative session , we want to see some action . It ’ s more important than any stadium they could ever build in this state . " He continues to maintain his connections with the Vikings as a consultant for the team and maintains an office at the team ' s headquarters in Eden Prairie .