1985 Minnesota Vikings season

1985 Minnesota Vikings season
1985 Minnesota Vikings season
Owner	Max Winter
General manager	Mike Lynn
Head coach	Bud Grant
Home stadium	Metrodome
Results
Record	7–9
Division place	3rd NFC Central
Playoffs	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	S Joey Browner
	← 1984 ; Vikings seasons ; 1986 →;

Last updated December 22, 2025

The 1985 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 25th in the National Football League. Under returning head coach Bud Grant, they finished with a 7–9 record and missed the playoffs for a third season in a row. At the end of the season, Grant retired for good after 18 years with the franchise.

Offseason

1985 draft

	Pro Bowler

1985 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Selection	Player name	Position	College	Notes
1	2	Traded to the Atlanta Falcons ^[A]			from Oilers ^[B]
	3	Traded to the Houston Oilers ^[B]
	4	Chris Doleman	Defensive end	Pittsburgh	from Falcons ^[A]
2	30	Issiac Holt	Cornerback	Alcorn State	Provisional trade but was not exercise^[B]^[C]
3	59	Kirk Lowdermilk	Center	Ohio State
	60	Tim Meamber	Linebacker	Washington	from Falcons ^[A]
	66	Tim Long	Offensive tackle	Memphis State	from Chargers ^[D]
4	85	George Rhymes	Wide receiver	Oklahoma
4	106	Kyle Morrell	Defensive back	BYU	from Rams ^[E]
5	115	Mark MacDonald	Guard	Boston College
6	142	Steve Bono	Quarterback	UCLA
6	164	Tim Newton	Defensive tackle	Florida	from Raiders ^[F]
7	171	Traded to the Green Bay Packers ^[G]
8	198	Nikita Blair	Linebacker	UTEP
9	227	Jamie Covington	Running back	Syracuse
10	254	Juan Johnson	Wide receiver	Langston
11	283	Tim Williams	Defensive back	North Carolina A&T
12	310	Byron Jones	Defensive tackle	Tulsa

Notes

1 2 3 When Kosar did not declare for the draft and instead controversially waited for the supplemental draft, the Vikings traded the first-round selection they received from the Oilers to the Falcons in exchange for a first- and third-round selections (4th and 60th overall).
1 2 3 4 In an attempt to select QB Bernie Kosar, the Vikings traded their first-round selection (3rd overall) and a provisional second-round selection (30th overall)^[C] to the Oilers in exchange for a first-round selection (2nd overall).
1 2 As part of the trade between the Vikings and Oilers,^[B] the Vikings agreed not to select DE Ray Childress or trade the pick to a team that would draft him. Houston selected Childress with the 3rd overall pick and this provisional selection was returned to Minnesota.
↑ The Vikings traded CB John Turner to the Chargers in exchange for a third-round selection (66th overall).
↑ The Vikings traded QB Steve Dils to the Rams in exchange for the a fourth-round selection (106th overall).
↑ The Vikings traded LB Brad Van Pelt to the Raiders in exchange for the a sixth-round selection (164th overall) and a 1986 second-round selection (53rd overall).
↑ The Vikings traded their seventh-round selection (171st overall) to the Packers in exchange for K Jan Stenerud.

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance^[1]
1	August 10	at Miami Dolphins	W 16–13 (OT)	1–0	Miami Orange Bowl	41,129
2	August 17	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 41–34	2–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	56,887
3	August 24	Seattle Seahawks	L 10–27	2–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	56,562
4	August 30	at Denver Broncos	W 13–9	3–1	Mile High Stadium	69,373

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 8	San Francisco 49ers	W 28–21	1–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	57,375
2	September 15	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 31–16	2–0	Tampa Stadium	46,188
3	September 19	Chicago Bears	L 24–33	2–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	61,242
4	September 29	at Buffalo Bills	W 27–20	3–1	Rich Stadium	45,667
5	October 6	at Los Angeles Rams	L 10–13	3–2	Anaheim Stadium	61,139
6	October 13	at Green Bay Packers	L 17–20	3–3	Milwaukee County Stadium	54,674
7	October 20	San Diego Chargers	W 21–17	4–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	61,670
8	October 27	at Chicago Bears	L 9–27	4–4	Soldier Field	63,815
9	November 3	Detroit Lions	W 16–13	5–4	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	58,012
10	November 10	Green Bay Packers	L 17–27	5–5	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	59,970
11	November 17	at Detroit Lions	L 21–41	5–6	Silverdome	54,647
12	November 24	New Orleans Saints	L 23–30	5–7	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	54,117
13	December 1	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 28–23	6–7	Veterans Stadium	54,688
14	December 8	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 26–7	7–7	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	51,593
15	December 15	at Atlanta Falcons	L 13–14	7–8	Atlanta Fulton County Stadium	14,167
16	December 22	Philadelphia Eagles	L 35–37	7–9	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	49,722

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Chicago Bears ⁽¹⁾	15	1	0	.938	8–0	12–0	456	198	W3
Green Bay Packers	8	8	0	.500	6–2	8–4	337	355	W2
Minnesota Vikings	7	9	0	.438	3–5	5–9	346	359	L2
Detroit Lions	7	9	0	.438	2–6	5–7	307	366	L3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	14	0	.125	1–7	2–10	294	448	L4

Personnel

Staff

**1985 Minnesota Vikings staff**
	Front office President – Max Winter General manager – Mike Lynn Head coaches Head coach – Bud Grant Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator – Jerry Burns Offensive coaches Running backs – Marc Trestman Receivers – Dick Rehbein Offensive line – John Michels			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Bob Hollway Defensive line – Paul Wiggin Linebackers – Floyd Reese Defensive backs – Pete Carroll Special teams coaches Special teams – Tom Batta

^[2]

Roster

**1985 Minnesota Vikings roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 13 Steve Bono 9 Tommy Kramer 11 Wade Wilson Running backs (RB) 46 Alfred Anderson 23 Ted Brown 20 Darrin Nelson 36 Allen Rice Wide receivers (WR) 81 Anthony Carter 89 Mike Jones 87 Leo Lewis 88 Buster Rhymes 85 Sammy White Tight ends (TE) 84 Jay Carroll 83 Steve Jordan 86 Mike Mularkey		Offensive linemen (OL) 62 Brent Boyd G 51 Jim Hough C 72 Dave Huffman T 76 Tim Irwin T 63 Kirk Lowdermilk C 71 Mark MacDonald G 68 Curtis Rouse T 67 Dennis Swilley C 66 Terry Tausch G Defensive linemen (DL) 73 Neil Elshire DE 79 Doug Martin DE 75 Keith Millard DE 77 Mark Mullaney DE 96 Tim Newton NT 74 Robert Smith DE		Linebackers (LB) 59 Matt Blair OLB 56 Chris Doleman OLB 50 Dennis Fowlkes ILB 99 David Howard ILB 57 Chris Martin OLB 55 Scott Studwell ILB Defensive backs (DB) 47 Joey Browner SS 30 Issiac Holt CB 39 Carl Lee CB 49 Keith Nord FS 28 Ted Rosnagle SS 37 Willie Teal CB 27 John Turner FS Special teams (ST) 8 Greg Coleman P 3 Jan Stenerud K		Reserve 58 Walker Lee Ashley LB (IR) 21 Rufus Bess CB (IR) 64 Grant Feasel C (IR) 80 Jim Gustafson WR (IR) 61 Wes Hamilton G (IR) 44 Keith Kidd WR (IR) 54 Fred McNeill LB (IR) 53 Tim Meamber LB (IR) 35 Kyle Morrell S (IR)^[3] -- Toussaint Tyler RB (IR) Rookies in italics

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Tommy Kramer	3,522
Passing touchdowns	Tommy Kramer	19
Rushing yards	Darrin Nelson	893
Rushing touchdowns	Ted Brown	7
Receiving yards	Anthony Carter	821
Receiving touchdowns	Anthony Carter	8
Points	Jan Stenerud	86
Kickoff return yards	Buster Rhymes	1,345
Punt return yards	Darrin Nelson	133
Tackles	Chris Doleman	113
Sacks	Keith Millard	11.0
Interceptions	John Turner	5

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 28)
Passing offense	3,635	227.2	7th
Rushing offense	1,516	94.8	27th
Total offense	5,151	321.9	16th
Passing defense	3,241	202.6	15th
Rushing defense	2,223	138.9	22nd
Total defense	5,464	341.5	16th

25th anniversary team

The team recognized an all-time team in 1985 as part of the celebration of the 25th season.

Position	Player	Tenure
Offense
QB	Fran Tarkenton	1961–1966, 1972–1978
RB	Bill Brown	1962–1974
RB	Chuck Foreman	1973–1979
WR	Ahmad Rashad	1976–1982
WR	Sammy White	1976–1985
TE	Stu Voigt	1970–1980
OT	Ron Yary	1968–1981
OT	Grady Alderman	1961–1975
G	Ed White	1969–1977
G	Milt Sunde	1964–1974
C	Mick Tingelhoff	1962–1978
Defense
DE	Jim Marshall	1961–1979
DE	Carl Eller	1964–1978
DT	Alan Page	1967–1978
DT	Gary Larsen	1965–1974
OLB	Matt Blair	1974–1985
OLB	Roy Winston	1962–1976
MLB	Jeff Siemon	1972–1982
MLB	Scott Studwell	1977–1990
CB	Bobby Bryant	1968–1980
CB	Ed Sharockman	1961–1972
S	Paul Krause	1968–1979
S	Karl Kassulke	1963–1972
Special teams
K	Fred Cox	1963–1977
P	Greg Coleman	1978–1987
Coach
HC	Bud Grant	1967–1983, 1985
Source:^[4]

References

↑ "1985 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".
↑ 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
↑ "Frustration for Morrell". Provo (UT) Daily Herald. December 8, 1985. p. 9. Retrieved May 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "VIKINGS 25TH SEASON ALL-TIME TEAM 1961–85" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2011.

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[Falcons-1] 1 2 3 When Kosar did not declare for the draft and instead controversially waited for the supplemental draft, the Vikings traded the first-round selection they received from the Oilers to the Falcons in exchange for a first- and third-round selections (4th and 60th overall).

[Oilers-2] 1 2 3 4 In an attempt to select QB Bernie Kosar, the Vikings traded their first-round selection (3rd overall) and a provisional second-round selection (30th overall)^[C] to the Oilers in exchange for a first-round selection (2nd overall).

[Provisional-3] 1 2 As part of the trade between the Vikings and Oilers,^[B] the Vikings agreed not to select DE Ray Childress or trade the pick to a team that would draft him. Houston selected Childress with the 3rd overall pick and this provisional selection was returned to Minnesota.

[4] The Vikings traded CB John Turner to the Chargers in exchange for a third-round selection (66th overall).

[5] The Vikings traded QB Steve Dils to the Rams in exchange for the a fourth-round selection (106th overall).

[6] The Vikings traded LB Brad Van Pelt to the Raiders in exchange for the a sixth-round selection (164th overall) and a 1986 second-round selection (53rd overall).

[7] The Vikings traded their seventh-round selection (171st overall) to the Packers in exchange for K Jan Stenerud.

[8] "1985 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".

[9] 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.

[PDH_1985.12.08-10] "Frustration for Morrell". Provo (UT) Daily Herald. December 8, 1985. p. 9. Retrieved May 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.

[11] "VIKINGS 25TH SEASON ALL-TIME TEAM 1961–85" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2011.

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v t e Minnesota Vikings
Founded in 1961 Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota Headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota
Franchise	Franchise History Expansion draft All-time roster First-round draft picks Quarterbacks Head coaches Seasons Records 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" 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 Philadelphia Eagles Santa Claus incident Miracle at the Met Herschel Walker trade Gary Anderson's missed field goal Love Boat scandal 2013 game vs. Baltimore Ravens Minneapolis Miracle 33–0 65 Toss Power Trap
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 2025
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates Super Bowl (1966–) appearance