A solid 8-5-1 record helped vault the Vikings to third place in the-then seven team NFL Western Conference. Minnesota Vikings Football History Things were looking better for head-coach Norm Van Brocklin during the 1964 season. An expansion team, the newly formed Vikings were awarded a NFL franchise just three years earlier - 1961 - and Van Brocklin was the team's first head-coach.
After going 3-11 in 1961, the team's first season, they fell to a lowly 2-11-1 in 1962, and then the Vikings finished at 5-8-1 in 1963. Led by defensive ends Jim Marshall and Carl Eller, quarterback Fran Tarkenton, Halfback Tommy Mason, fullback Bill Brown, place-kicker Fred Cox, center Mick Tingelhoff, and wide receiver Paul Flatley and a host of other solid team-players, the Vikings were fast becoming a popular talk-topic with Minnesota's fans. However, it took a few games to get the ball rolling... the Vikings lost their first three games and were 1-4 after five.
Then, they steam-rolled past opponents, beating Pittsburgh 30-10, beat SF 27-22, lost to GB, beat SF again at home, 24-7, and, at season's end were 8-5-1.
Minnesota Vikings 1964 Roster:
Grady Anderson... Hal Bedsole... Larry Bowie... Charley Britt... Bill Brown... Mike Bundra... Bill Butler... Ken Byers... Lee Calland... John Campbell... Fred Cox... Ted Dean... Bob Denton... Paul Dickson... Carl Eller... Paul Flatley... Tom Hall... Rip Hawkins... Bill Jobko... Karl Kassulke... John Kirby... Bob Lacey... Darrell Lester... Errol Linden... Jim Marshall... Tommy Mason... Bill McWatters... Tom Michel... Dave O'Brien... Jim Prestel... Palmer Pyle... Jerry Reichow... George Rose... Ed Sharockman... Howard Simpson... Gordon Smith... Milt Sunde... Bill Swain... Fran Tarkenton... Mick Tingelhoff... Ron Vander Kelen... Larry Vargo... Bobby Walden... Roy Winston
Players Bios: 1964 Fred Cox, Kicker - drafted out of the University of, Pittsburgh he was one of the NFL top scorers throughout his long 15-year career - 1963-1977 all with Minnesota... in '64 Cox finished 5th in the league with 103 points - 21 field goals and 40 point after touchdowns. In 1969 and 1970, he led the NFL in scoring. An accurate kicker he also led in field goals made in both of those years.
Ed Sharockman, Corner Back - well-regarded with fans in the Twin City area, he gained All-Pro status in '64 and was rated one of the leagues' fastest defensive warriors. Sharockman also was used as a punt and kickoff return-man in long 12-year NFL career, all with Minnesota 1961-1972... he averaged 20.5 yards/per/KO return, one for a TD, and had 40 career interceptions for 804 yards, with 3 TD. *
Gordon 'Gordie' Smith, Tight End - a power-packed, 6-ft, 2-inch, 220-pounder, he scored 4 TD for the Vikes in their inaugural season and became the squads' regular tight-end in '63... Smith caught 57 career passes for 1,277 yards and had 13 career touchdowns... attended Arizona St and Missouri U.
Karl Kassulke, Defensive Back - a hard-hitting, defensive stalwart, he attended West Milwaukee High School and Drake University before signing with Minnesota... Kassulke played ten years with Vikings 1963-1972 and picked off 19 career interceptions for 187 yards in 131 games.
Ross 'Rip' Hawkins, Linebacker - starred at the U of North Carolina after attending Sewanee Military Academy in Tennessee... one of the team's original Vikings, the muscular 6-ft, 3-inch, 235-pounder anchored the Minnesota linebacker position for five seasons - 1961-65 and grabbed 12 career interceptions for 232 yards and 3 TD. footballhistorian.com - Pro Football History - All Rights Reserved
