1963 Minnesota Vikings season
| 1963 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Norm Van Brocklin |
| General manager | Bert Rose |
| Home field | Metropolitan Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–8–1 |
| Division place | 4th NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
The 1963 Minnesota Vikings season was the third year of play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 44th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of five wins, eight losses, and one tie under head coach Norm Van Brocklin. Five wins in a season represented the most in the franchise's three-year history. 22-year-old Paul Flatley of Northwestern University was named the NFL's Rookie of the Year, a first for the fledgling franchise.
Offseason
1963 Draft
| =Pro Bowler | = Hall of Famer |
- ^[a] Minnesota traded their 6th round selection (72nd overall) to Cleveland for CB Tom Franckhauser, OT Errol Linden, TE Charley Ferguson, and PK Fred Cox.
- ^[b] Minnesota traded their 7th round selection (87th overall) to the New York Giants for DE/LB Jim Leo.
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1963-09-15 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 24–20 | Kezar Stadium | 30,781 | 1–0 |
| 2 | 1963-09-22 | Chicago Bears | L 7-28 | Metropolitan Stadium | 33,923 | 1–1 |
| 3 | 1963-09-29 | San Francisco 49ers | W 45–14 | Metropolitan Stadium | 28,567 | 2–1 |
| 4 | 1963-10-06 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 14-56 | Metropolitan Stadium | 30,220 | 2–2 |
| 5 | 1963-10-13 | Green Bay Packers | L 28-37 | Metropolitan Stadium | 42,567 | 2–3 |
| 6 | 1963-10-20 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 24-27 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 30,555 | 2–4 |
| 7 | 1963-10-27 | at Detroit Lions | L 10-28 | Tiger Stadium | 44,509 | 2–5 |
| 8 | 1963-11-03 | Los Angeles Rams | W 21–13 | Metropolitan Stadium | 33,567 | 3–5 |
| 9 | 1963-11-10 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7-28 | City Stadium | 42,327 | 3–6 |
| 10 | 1963-11-17 | Baltimore Colts | L 34-37 | Metropolitan Stadium | 33,136 | 3–7 |
| 11 | 1963-11-24 | Detroit Lions | W 34–31 | Metropolitan Stadium | 28,763 | 4–7 |
| 12 | 1963-12-01 | at Chicago Bears | T 17–17 | Wrigley Field | 47,249 | 4–7–1 |
| 13 | 1963-12-08 | at Baltimore Colts | L 10-41 | Memorial Stadium | 54,122 | 4–8–1 |
| 14 | 1963-12-15 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 34–13 | Franklin Field | 57,403 | 5–8–1 |
Postseason
For the first time, the Vikings had starters in the East-West Pro Bowl, played January 12, 1964, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and won by the West squad. Halfback Tommy Mason, linebacker Rip Hawkins and tackle Grady Alderman each were voted to start on the West team coached by the Bears' George Halas.
Wide receiver Paul Flatley, who led the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, was named 1963 Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI) and The Sporting News (TSN).
Halfback Tommy Mason, in his third year, was named first-team All-Pro by the AP, UPI, TSN, the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and the New York Daily News (NYDN).
Middle linebacker Rip Hawkins was named second-team All-Pro by the UPI.[1]
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Chicago Bears | 11 | 1 | 2 | .917 | 10–1–1 | 301 | 144 | W2 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 9–2–1 | 369 | 206 | W2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 7–5 | 316 | 285 | W3 | |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–7–1 | 326 | 265 | L1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–7–1 | 309 | 390 | W1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 5–7 | 210 | 350 | L2 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–11 | 198 | 391 | L5 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Statistics
Team leaders
| Category | Player(s) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | Fran Tarkenton | 2,311 |
| Passing Touchdowns | Fran Tarkenton | 15 |
| Rushing Yards | Tommy Mason | 763 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Tommy Mason | 7 |
| Receiving Yards | Paul Flatley | 867 |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Paul Flatley | 4 |
| Points | Fred Cox | 75 |
| Kickoff Return Yards | Bill Butler | 713 |
| Punt Return Yards | Bill Butler | 220 |
| Interceptions | Ed Sharockman | 5 |
League rankings
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 14) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing Offense | 2,169 Yards | 154.9 YPG | 12th |
| Rushing Offense | 1,733 Yards | 123.8 YPG | 4th |
| Total Offense | 4,011 Yards | 286.5 YPG | 11th |
| Passing Defense | 2,998 Yards | 214.1 YPG | 10th |
| Rushing Defense | 1,733 Yards | 123.8 YPG | 7th |
| Total Defense | 4,731 Yards | 337.9 YPG | 9th |
References
- ↑ "1963 All Pro Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- "1963 Draft". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
- "1963 National Football League".
- "1963 Minnesota Vikings". DatabaseFootball. Archived from the original on 8 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-11.