When I first started rifling through the 200-plus letters that Hall of Fame Head Coach Bud Grant piled on the desk in front of me, I didn't expect to recognize any names in the return addresses.
Soon, however, surnames jumped out at me.
Nixon. Manning. Hunt.
Discovering that Grant had received a personal letter from President Richard Nixon, then soon after speaking with Archie Manning over the phone about the way he had been influenced by the legendary coach – these were stories that needed telling.
Included in our first grouping of letters are seven individuals who became nationally known as a result of their influence on the NFL, business or pop culture – as is the case with Richard Durrell, the first publisher of People magazine.
Dive into the letters and corresponding stories to learn more about the individuals themselves and the Vikings coach they had so much respect for.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Vikings.com unveils the five chapters in our "Letters to Bud" content series.
