University of Minnesota Athletics
Bud Grant - M Club Hall of Fame
Harry "Bud" Grant
Football, 1946-49
Men's Basketball, 1946-49
Baseball, 1946-49
HOF Class of 1991
Golden Gophers legend Bud Grant earned nine letters in three sports from 1946 to 1949.
Twice an All-Big Ten end, as a basketball forward Grant was that team’s MVP. He played centerfield and pitched for the baseball team, too.
Grant edged icons Bronko Nagurski and Bruce Smith in voting for the University’s top athlete for the first half of the 20th century.
After graduation, Grant played for the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers for two years, each culminating in a national championship. He then switched sports and joined the NFL Philadelphia Eagles, who had made him their No. 1 draft pick.
In 1952, after switching from linebacker (where he led the team in sacks) to wide receiver, he finished second in the league in receiving. Voters sent him to the Pro Bowl.
Grant joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 1954. Four years later the 29-year-old became head coach, and his team played in six Grey Cups over 10 years, winning four.
In 1967, Grant became head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, who under him made the playoffs 12 times and won 11 Central Division, one NFL and three NFC championships, appearing in four Super Bowls.
In 28 years of coaching, Grant won 290 regular season and postseason games, and was the first to be elected to both the NFL and CFL halls of fame.