Bud Grant To Be Honored With Statue

The greatest coach in the history of the Minnesota Vikings is going to be immortalized this fall for the job he had before making his way to Minnesota.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League have announced that they are going to unveil a statue of Bud Grant this coming October. Grant, who was the head coach of the Blue Bombers from 1956 to 1966, led the team to the Grey Cup (the CFL equivalent of the Super Bowl) six times, winning the prize on four separate occasions (1958, 1959, 1961, and 1962).

Grant had an offer to be the first coach of the Minnesota Vikings, as Max Winter offered him the job prior to the 1961 season. However, he chose to stay with the Blue Bombers, and Norm Van Brocklin coached the team for the first six seasons of their existence. Grant became the second head coach in Vikings' history prior to the 1967 season.

The statue, which will stand three meters tall (on top of a one-meter base). The article says it's a "life-size statue," but I don't recall Bud Grant being approximately nine feet tall, so I'm not sure about that.

Grant stated that he hoped to make it to the unveiling.

"Usually people who get this kind of honour are dead," Grant said, "so I'm glad I'm alive for this. Or at least I hope I still will be."

Well, of course he still will be. . .he's got a new stadium to help open up in 2016, so he'll certainly be available on October 22 of this year when the statue is unveiled.

Congratulations to Bud Grant on another honor in his prestigious life and career.