Yes.
The Minnesota Vikings played their first-ever game as a professional football team at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls on Aug. 5, 1961.
About 5,000 fans saw the Dallas Cowboys beat the Vikings 38-13 in an exhibition game, which also featured the debut of future Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton.
Local coaching legend Bob Burns played a crucial role in bringing the team to Sioux Falls. At a chance encounter at a Minneapolis bar, Burns overheard a conversation involving the Vikings president discussing a preseason game in Fargo-Moorhead. Burns then advocated for Sioux Falls. Burns was told it would require $40,000, and he secured it from Sioux Falls contributors.
Grandstand seats cost $5.50 (roughly $60 today), but attendance was lower than expected – organizers lost $10,000.
To commemorate the game, two Sioux Falls men are trying to get a plaque placed near Howard Wood Field.
This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, The day the Vikings played at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls
KELO-TV, Historic marker project to honor first Vikings game
SDPB, Birth of a franchise, Minnesota Vikings In South Dakota
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