1989 Minnesota Vikings season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Minnesota Vikings 1989 10–6 1st NFC Central Jerry Burns Bob Schnelker Floyd Peters Mike Lynn Metrodome Lost Divisional Playoffs(at 49ers) 13–41 S Joey BrownerWR Anthony CarterDE Chris DolemanTE Steve JordanCB Carl LeeG Randall McDanielT Gary Zimmerman DE Chris Doleman (1st team)DT Keith Millard (1st team)S Joey Browner (2nd team) File:Vikings1989.png Vikings seasons 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 NFL draft 1989 Minnesota Vikings Draft Draft order Player name Position College Notes Round Selection 1 24 Traded to the Pittsburgh SteelersThe Vikings traded their first-round selection (24th overall) to the Steelers in exchange for LB Mike Merriweather. 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 draftThe Vikings forfeited their fifth-round selection (136th overall) after selecting DB Ryan Bethea in the fifth round of the 1988 NFL supplemental draft. 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 PatriotsPatriots The Vikings traded their ninth-round selection (247th overall) to the Patriots in exchange for a 1988 11th-round selection (296th overall). 10 275 Traded to the Miami DolphinsThe Vikings traded their 10th-round selection (275th overall) to the Dolphins in exchange for OT Greg Koch. 11 303 Brad Baxter Running back Alabama State 12 331 Shawn Woodson Linebacker James Madison 335 Everett Ross Wide receiver Ohio State From 49ers, via RaidersThe Vikings traded their 1990 11th-round selection to the Raiders in exchange for the 12th-round selection the Raiders received from the 49ers. Notes: Undrafted free agents + 1989 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegePat BeatyKickerNorth DakotaRobert CarterRunning backTroy StateJarrod DelaneyWide receiverTCUDarrell EllisonLinebackerTulsaDevin HarbertsWide receiverIowaKen JohnsonDefensive backFlorida A&MAndy KeelerGuardNebraskaTony PetersonQuarterbackMarshallEverett RossWide receiverOhio StatePat ThompsonPunterBYU Staff 1989 Minnesota Vikings #3B0160 white #F0BF00 President – Wheelock Whitney, Jr. General manager – Mike Lynn Head coach – Jerry Burns Offensive coordinator – Bob Schnelker Assistant offensive coordinator/passing game – Dick Rehbein Running backs – John Brunner Wide receivers – Jerry Brown Offensive line – John Michels Defensive coordinator – Floyd Peters Defensive line – Paul Wiggin Linebackers – Monte Kiffin Defensive backs – Pete Carroll Special teams/tight ends – Tom Batta 2010 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide 265 http://www.vikings.com/news/media-guide.html February 18, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20101224103239/http://www.vikings.com/news/media-guide.html December 24, 2010 dead Roster 1989 Minnesota Vikings 47 4 4 16 Rich Gannon  9 Tommy Kramer 11 Wade Wilson American football 46 Alfred Anderson American football FB 33 Jessie Clark 42 D. J. Dozier KR 31 Rick Fenney FB 34 Herschel Walker KR 81 Anthony Carter American football 80 Jim Gustafson 84 Hassan Jones 87 Leo Lewis wide receiver PR 86 Darryl Ingram y 83 Steve Jordan tight end 85 Brent Novoselsky 62 Chris Foote American football 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 71 Ken Clarke American football DT 56 Chris Doleman DE 79 Doug Martin defensive end DE 75 Keith Millard DT 99 Al Noga DE 94 Thomas Strauthers DE 97 Henry Thomas American football DT 50 Ray Berry OLB 53 David Braxton y OLB 59 Mark Dusbabek OLB 90 John Galvin linebacker MLB 57 Mike Merriweather OLB 55 Scott Studwell MLB 44 Mike Brim CB 47 Joey Browner SS 49 Travis Curtis FS 27 Brad Edwards American football FS 29 Darrell Fullington FS 39 Carl Lee American football CB 26 Audray McMillian CB/S 48 Reggie Rutland CB  3 Rich Karlis K 60 Mark Rodenhauser LS 13 Bucky Scribner P -- Curtis Greer DE IR 82 Carl Hilton TE IR 52 Randy Rasmussen American football, born 1960 C/G IR 36 Allen Rice RB IR 32 Rick Bayless American football RB —- John Buddenberg y LB -- Jarrod Delaney y WR 22 Ken Johnson defensive back CB/S y Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendancehttps://www.profootballarchives.com/1989nflmin.html 1989 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives 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. After the November 5th game against the Los Angeles Rams, in which kicker Rich Karlis led the team to victory with 7 field goals, Head Coach Jerry Burns gave an expletive laden press conference berating the press and Vikings fans for their continued haranging of Offensive Coordinator Bob Schnelker.Jerry Burns Uncensored - Minnesota Vikings NFL Rant - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNcBFZ26lcI 2026-09-10 www.youtube.com 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, 1989 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 Game summaries Week 2 at Chicago Bears Minnesota Vikings 1989 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears September 17, 1989 12:00 p.m. CST Vikings 0 7 0 0 Bears 7 3 0 28 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Overcast, 62 F C CBS Pat Summerall and John Madden First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers MIN – Wade Wilson – 24/42, 253 yards, TD, 4 INT CHI – Mike Tomczak – 10/26, 142 yards, TD, INT Top rushers MIN – Alfred Anderson – 5 rushes, 25 yards CHI – Neal Anderson – 23 rushes, 97 yards, 2 TD Top receivers MIN – Anthony Carter – 6 receptions, 80 yards CHI – Neal Anderson – 3 receptions, 58 yards, TD Week 3 at Pittsburgh Steelers Minnesota Vikings 1989 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 3: Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers September 17, 1989 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EDT Vikings 7 7 0 0 Steelers 7 14 0 6 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Overcast, 54 F C CBS Steve Zabriskie and Hank Stram First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers MIN – Wade Wilson – 12/22, 118 yards, INT PIT – Bubby Brister – 16/22, 157 yards, TD Top rushers MIN – Hassan Jones – 1 rushes, 37 yards PIT – Merril Hoge – 17 rushes, 64 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Anthony Carter – 5 receptions, 56 yards PIT – Tim Worley – 4 receptions, 45 yards Week 5: vs Detroit Lions Minnesota Vikings 1989 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 5: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary October 8, 1989 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EDT Lions 7 3 0 7 Vikings 0 24 0 0 Metrodome, Minnesota CBS Tim Ryan and Randy Cross Box score First quarter DET – Eric Hipple 1-yard rush (Eddie Murray) kick good, 1:40. Detroit 7–0 Drive: 4 plays, 31 yards, 1:40. Second quarter MIN – Rich Karlis 22-yard field goal, 12:45. Detroit 7–3 Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 4:38. MIN – Mike Merriweather 15–yard interception return (Rich Karlis kick good), 11:42. Minnesota 10–7. MIN – Issiac Holt 90-yard interception return (Rich Karlis kick good), 5:19. Minnesota 17–7. MIN – Brent Novoselsky 2-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rich Karlis kick good), 0:54. Minnesota 24–7 Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 4:25. DET – Eddie Murray 50-yard field goal, 0:54. Minnesota 24–10 Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 0:54. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter DET – Bob Gagliano 1-yard rush (Eddie Murray kick good), 4:25. Minnesota 24–17 Drive: 19 plays, 80 yards, 7:12. Top passers DET – Eric Hipple – 7/18, 90 yards, 3 INT MIN – Tommy Kramer – 11/18, 146 yards, TD Top receivers DET – Richard Johnson – 3 receptions, 38 yards MIN – Hassan Jones – 2 receptions, 44 yards Top rushers DET – Barry Sanders – 23 attempts, 99 yards MIN – Rick Fenney – 9 attempts, 35 yards Week 6 vs Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings 1989 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 6: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings October 15, 1989 12:00 p.m. CST Packers 7 0 0 7 Vikings 0 17 9 0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota None (indoor stadium) CBS Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers GB – Don Majkowski – 9/24, 198 yards, TD, 2 INT MIN – Tommy Kramer – 14/24, 172 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers GB – Keith Woodside – 3 rushes, 36 yards MIN – Herschel Walker – 18 rushes, 148 yards Top receivers GB – Sterling Sharpe – 2 receptions, 82 yards MIN – Hassan Jones – 4 receptions, 68 yards Standings Postseason 1989–90 NFL playoffs 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 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)".History: Walker Trade http://min.scout.com/2/11653.html Scout.com June 20, 2001 January 29, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080110132609/http://min.scout.com/2/11653.html 10 January 2008 live 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 External links Vikings on Pro-Football-Reference.com 1989 Minnesota Category:NFC Central championship seasons Minnesota Vikings