Some sad news has struck the Minnesota Vikings: former team owner Red McCombs has passed away at the age of 95.
McCombs was a San Antonio, Texas-based businessman who not only owned the Vikings for a period of time, but also owned two NBA franchises at one point- the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs. In the San Antonio area, he was also known for his group of car dealerships.
Paying $250 million for the franchise, McCombs owned the Vikings from 1998 to 2005. During this period, the team made four playoff appearances, won four playoff games and two division titles, and made two NFC Championship Game appearances (both losses). The first year of the McCombs era saw the Vikings go 15-1 and advance to the NFC Championship, infamously losing to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. It’s safe to say that, despite the lack of true playoff success, the Vikings were one of the NFL’s better franchises under the ownership of McCombs.
McCombs’ main goal as Vikings owner was to replace the Metrodome. These attempts were unsuccessful, and rumors began to swirl that the team could have been forced to move if the aging stadium wasn’t replaced. These rumors led to McCombs becoming a controversial figure among Vikings fans. The failure to replace the Metrodome led to McCombs selling the team to its current owners, Mark and Zygi Wilf, in 2005 for a price of $625 million.
Though never fully embraced by the fans, McCombs oversaw one of the better eras of Vikings football during his ownership. We at NFCNorthReport would like to send our condolences to the McCombs family during this difficult time.
