When Minnesota faced the Los Angeles Rams in the 1977 divisional playoffs, they were without inured starting quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
So who came to the rescue for the Vikings?
“The General’’ did.
Bob Lee, who had been the Falcons starting quarterback two years prior, was the winning quarterback in what is called the “Mud Bowl.’’
On a December afternoon at Memorial Coliseum in L.A. where it had rained for three consecutive days, the Vikings came to town after being destroyed by the Rams 35-3 in the regular season. Tarkenton had a broken leg, but Lee was very capable of beating anyone.
He completed only five passes and running back Chuck Foreman ran for 101 yards and touchdown and the Vikings won 14-7, helped by three interceptions by Rams quarterback Pat Haden.
“Earlier in the year they had killed us on ‘Monday Night Football’ and I had gotten hit in that game by Fred Dryer and Jack Youngblood at the same time and they fractured my hand in three places,’’ Lee said. “But we came back and started playing well before Fran got hurt against Cincinnati. In the Los Angeles game, we were up 14-0 in that game and one of my receivers, Sammy White, ran a post corner and I just missed him. If we would have scored there, the game would have been over then.’’
Said Vikings offensive coordinator Jerry Burns after the game, “Bobby here was a master, a real master of his trade who’s had to convince a lot of people. Well there were millions of them watching television. I don’t know if all of them were convinced. But I can tell you 45 people who are, and they belong to the Rams.’’
The next week, however, didn’t go so well for Lee and the Vikings as they were beaten 23-6 in the NFC Championship game at Dallas.
Still the “Mud Bowl” is a great memory for Lee, who said, “What’s most interesting about it is two years later I went to the Rams, and they accepted me immediately, and I think it all had to do with that game.’’
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