1989 Minnesota Vikings season

1989 Minnesota Vikings season
1989 Minnesota Vikings season
General manager	Mike Lynn
Head coach	Jerry Burns
Home field	Metrodome
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs; (at 49ers) 13–41
Pro Bowlers	S Joey Browner; WR Anthony Carter; DE Chris Doleman; TE Steve Jordan; CB Carl Lee; G Randall McDaniel; T Gary Zimmerman
AP All-Pros	DE Chris Doleman (1st team); DT Keith Millard (1st team); S Joey Browner (2nd team)
Uniform
	← 1988; Vikings seasons; 1990 →;

The 1989 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 29th in the National Football League (NFL). They finished with a 10–6 record to win the NFC Central Division. This title was secured during one of what is considered by many to be among the most exciting Monday Night Football contests ever: a Christmas Day victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at home, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which was the de facto first playoff game of the year. The Vikings were beaten 41–13 in the divisional round of the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.

This season was also notable for the number of sacks the defense recorded: 71 overall, with 39 coming from only two players (Chris Doleman and Keith Millard). Millard was named the Defensive Player of the Year after putting up record numbers by a defensive tackle.

Offseason

1989 draft

1989 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Selection	Player name	Position	College	Notes
1	24	Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers^[A]
2	52	David Braxton	Linebacker	Wake Forest
3	80	John Hunter	Offensive tackle	BYU
4	108	Darryl Ingram	Tight end	California
5	136	Pick forfeited during 1988 supplemental draft^[B]
6	163	Jeff Mickel	Offensive tackle	Eastern Washington
7	191	Benji Roland	Defensive end	Auburn
8	219	Alex Stewart	Defensive end	Cal State Fullerton
9	247	Traded to the New England Patriots^[C]
10	275	Traded to the Miami Dolphins^[D]
11	303	Brad Baxter	Running back	Alabama State
12	331	Shawn Woodson	Linebacker	James Madison
12	335	Everett Ross	Wide receiver	Ohio State	From 49ers, via Raiders^[E]

Notes:

^ The Vikings traded their first-round selection (24th overall) to the Steelers in exchange for LB Mike Merriweather.
^ The Vikings forfeited their fifth-round selection (136th overall) after selecting DB Ryan Bethea in the fifth round of the 1988 NFL supplemental draft.
^ The Vikings traded their ninth-round selection (247th overall) to the Patriots in exchange for a 1988 11th-round selection (296th overall).
^ The Vikings traded their 10th-round selection (275th overall) to the Dolphins in exchange for OT Greg Koch.
^ The Vikings traded their 1990 11th-round selection to the Raiders in exchange for the 12th-round selection the Raiders received from the 49ers.

Undrafted free agents

1989 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player	Position	College
Pat Beaty	Kicker	North Dakota
Robert Carter	Running back	Troy State
Jarrod Delaney	Wide receiver	TCU
Darrell Ellison	Linebacker	Tulsa
Devin Harberts	Wide receiver	Iowa
Ken Johnson	Defensive back	Florida A&M
Andy Keeler	Guard	Nebraska
Tony Peterson	Quarterback	Marshall
Everett Ross	Wide receiver	Ohio State
Pat Thompson	Punter	BYU

Staff

**1989 Minnesota Vikings staff**
	Front office President – Wheelock Whitney, Jr. General manager – Mike Lynn Head coaches Head coach – Jerry Burns Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Bob Schnelker Assistant offensive coordinator/passing game – Dick Rehbein Running backs – John Brunner Wide receivers – Jerry Brown 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 – Tom Batta

^[1]

Roster

**1989 Minnesota Vikings roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 16 Rich Gannon 9 Tommy Kramer 11 Wade Wilson Running backs (RB) 46 Alfred Anderson FB 33 Jessie Clark 42 D. J. Dozier KR 31 Rick Fenney FB 34 Herschel Walker KR Wide receivers (WR) 81 Anthony Carter 80 Jim Gustafson 84 Hassan Jones 87 Leo Lewis PR Tight ends (TE) 86 Darryl Ingram 83 Steve Jordan 85 Brent Novoselsky		Offensive linemen (OL) 62 Chris Foote C 74 Brian Habib T/G 72 Dave Huffman G 76 Tim Irwin T 69 Todd Kalis G 63 Kirk Lowdermilk C 64 Randall McDaniel G 65 Gary Zimmerman T Defensive linemen (DL) 71 Ken Clarke DT 56 Chris Doleman DE 79 Doug Martin DE 75 Keith Millard DT 99 Al Noga DE 94 Thomas Strauthers DE 97 Henry Thomas DT		Linebackers (LB) 50 Ray Berry OLB 53 David Braxton OLB 59 Mark Dusbabek OLB 90 John Galvin MLB 57 Mike Merriweather OLB 55 Scott Studwell MLB Defensive backs (DB) 44 Mike Brim CB 47 Joey Browner SS 49 Travis Curtis FS 27 Brad Edwards FS 29 Darrell Fullington FS 39 Carl Lee CB 26 Audray McMillian CB/S 48 Reggie Rutland CB Special teams 3 Rich Karlis K 60 Mark Rodenhauser LS 13 Bucky Scribner P		Practice squad 32 Rick Bayless RB —- John Buddenberg LB -- Jarrod Delaney WR 22 Ken Johnson CB/S Reserve -- Curtis Greer DE (IR) 82 Carl Hilton TE (IR) 52 Randy Rasmussen C/G (IR) 36 Allen Rice RB (IR) Rookies in italics 47 active, 4 reserve, 4 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance^[2]
1	August 12	vs Kansas City Chiefs	W 23–13	1–0	Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN)	63,528
2	August 21	Washington Redskins	W 24–13	2–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	50,213
3	August 26	at Los Angeles Rams	L 14–24	2–1	Anaheim Stadium	45,087
4	September 1	Cincinnati Bengals	W 17–10	3–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	49,867

Regular season

The defensive line of Chris Doleman, Keith Millard, Al Noga and Henry Thomas were key contributors in helping the Vikings rank number one in the NFL in total defense. In addition, the Vikings set a franchise record with 71 sacks in one season. Chris Doleman had 21 sacks and was one shy of tying the NFL record.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 10	Houston Oilers	W 38–7	1–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	54,015
2	September 17	at Chicago Bears	L 7–38	1–1	Soldier Field	66,475
3	September 24	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 14–27	1–2	Three Rivers Stadium	50,744
4	October 1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 17–3	2–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	54,817
5	October 8	Detroit Lions	W 24–17	3–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	55,380
6	October 15	Green Bay Packers	W 26–14	4–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	62,075
7	October 22	at Detroit Lions	W 20–7	5–2	Silverdome	51,579
8	October 30	at New York Giants	L 14–24	5–3	Giants Stadium	76,041
9	November 5	Los Angeles Rams	W 23–21 (OT)	6–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	59,600
10	November 12	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 24–10	7–3	Tampa Stadium	56,271
11	November 19	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 9–10	7–4	Veterans Stadium	65,944
12	November 26	at Green Bay Packers	L 19–20	7–5	Milwaukee County Stadium	55,592
13	December 3	Chicago Bears	W 27–16	8–5	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	60,664
14	December 10	Atlanta Falcons	W 43–17	9–5	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	58,116
15	December 17	at Cleveland Browns	L 17–23 (OT)	9–6	Cleveland Stadium	70,777
16	December 25	Cincinnati Bengals	W 29–21	10–6	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	58,829

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Minnesota Vikings⁽³⁾	10	6	0	.625	6–2	8–4	362	356	W1
Green Bay Packers	10	6	0	.625	5–3	10–4	362	275	W2
Detroit Lions	7	9	0	.438	4–4	6–6	312	364	W5
Chicago Bears	6	10	0	.375	2–6	4–8	358	377	L6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	11	0	.313	3–5	5–7	320	419	L4

Postseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Wild Card	Bye
Divisional	January 6	at San Francisco 49ers (1)	L 13–41	0–1	Candlestick Park	64,585

Herschel Walker trade

In 1989, at the height of his NFL career, the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a total of five players (LB Jesse Solomon, DB Issiac Holt, RB Darrin Nelson, LB David Howard, DE Alex Stewart) and six draft picks (which led to Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, and Darren Woodson). This was judged to be one of the turning points in the rise of the Cowboys to the top echelon of the NFL. Walker's trade was widely perceived as an exceptionally poor move considering what the Vikings had to give up in order to get him, and remains one of the most frequently vilified roster moves of the team's history. The Vikings coaches reluctantly accepted Walker after the trade and never totally used the tool they had been given. Scout.com says, "Walker was never used properly by the coaching brain trust (a total oxymoron in this case)".^[3]

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Wade Wilson	2,543
Passing touchdowns	Wade Wilson	9
Rushing yards	Herschel Walker	669
Rushing touchdowns	Herschel Walker	5
Receiving yards	Anthony Carter	1,066
Receiving touchdowns	Anthony Carter	4
Points	Rich Karlis	120
Kickoff return yards	Herschel Walker	374
Punt return yards	Leo Lewis	446
Tackles	Chris Doleman Henry Thomas	94
Sacks	Chris Doleman	21.0
Interceptions	Joey Browner	5
Forced fumbles	Chris Doleman	5

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 28)
Passing offense	3,189	199.3	17th
Rushing offense	2,066	129.1	7th
Total offense	5,255	328.4	14th
Passing defense	2,501	156.3	1st
Rushing defense	1,683	105.2	11th
Total defense	4,184	261.5	1st

Awards and records

Keith Millard – NFL Defensive Player of the Year (AP, UPI, PFWA)
Chris Doleman – NFL sacks leader (21.0)
Randall McDaniel – NFC Pro Bowl selection

Milestones

Chris Doleman, third player in NFL history to reach 20 sacks in a season
Chris Doleman, franchise record, 21 sacks

References

^ 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
^ "1989 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".
^ "History: Walker Trade". Scout.com. June 20, 2001. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.

External links

Vikings on Pro-Football-Reference.com

[1] The Vikings traded their first-round selection (24th overall) to the Steelers in exchange for LB Mike Merriweather.

[2] The Vikings forfeited their fifth-round selection (136th overall) after selecting DB Ryan Bethea in the fifth round of the 1988 NFL supplemental draft.

[Patriots-3] The Vikings traded their ninth-round selection (247th overall) to the Patriots in exchange for a 1988 11th-round selection (296th overall).

[4] The Vikings traded their 10th-round selection (275th overall) to the Dolphins in exchange for OT Greg Koch.

[5] The Vikings traded their 1990 11th-round selection to the Raiders in exchange for the 12th-round selection the Raiders received from the 49ers.

[6] 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 265. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.

[7] "1989 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".

[8] "History: Walker Trade". Scout.com. June 20, 2001. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.

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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 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" 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 Herschel Walker trade Gary Anderson's missed field goal Love Boat scandal Minneapolis Miracle 33–0
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