Last Kings of the Old NFL: The 1969 Minnesota Vikings

Before there was artificial turf on the field-before Monday Night Football and the corporate culture that swallowed the game-there were players playing simply for love of the sport, and they were dedicated to making a name for their team, despite any and all odds.

Last Kings of the Old NFL carries readers back to the golden age of football to follow the Minnesota Vikings' rise from last place to titans of the league in the two years from 1967 to 1969. From the team's struggles without a head coach, a quarterback, or direction to the acquisitions and lineups that were their saving grace, it chronicles the 1969 season that launched the Vikings into a Homeric journey of amazing triumphs and unfortunate finishes over the next thirteen years.

A must-read for serious football fans, especially those who cheer for the purple and gold, Last Kings of the Old NFL captures the essence of a bygone era and tells an inspiring story about one team's swift rise to the top. Full of information gleaned from interviews with members of the 1969 Vikings, opponents, coaches, and other expert sources, it's sure to entertain and enlighten anyone interested in learning more about the history of America's most beloved sport.

Pat Duncan holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from South Dakota State University and has worked as a sportswriter and columnist for more than thirty years. After a brief stint as a reporter with a newspaper in Marshall, Minn., he began writing for the Argus Leader in his hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D., where he has worked since 1984 and served as a news copy editor since 1995.

Duncan makes his home in the house in which he was raised. He is the oldest of four children and the proud son of a World War II veteran and former Roller Derby gal. Making his own mark in the world, Duncan has covered events and teams from youth, high school, and college sports to professional sports, including the Minnesota Vikings of the late 1980s and early ’90s, and the Minnesota Twins in the 1987 and 1991 postseason.