Excited to see y'all next week. In case you didn't click the description and were curious, here's the release schedule. The first one will be a premiere (as you can tell) then from there we'll upload them as normal, but maybe swing another premiere for the finale if you're feeling it. Episode 1 (1960s) - Tuesday, August 1st Episode 2 (1970-1974) - Tuesday, August 8th Episode 3 (1974-1979) - Tuesday, August 15th Episode 4 (1980s) - Tuesday, August 22nd Episode 5 (1990s) - Tuesday, August 29th Episode 6 (2000s) - Tuesday, September 5th Episode 7 (2010s-2020s) - Friday, September 8th
A bit of a Vikings related hot take I have: The 1969 Vikings (who should be mentioned at the end of this episode if it covers all ten seasons of the 60’s) get my vote for one of the most underrated, or at minimum overlooked teams in NFL history. On one hand if you think in terms of quarterbacks, this team probably won’t stand out to you. The late Joe Kapp, who only played four seasons is one of the least accomplished quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl (though he played solidly in 69 itself). And this team gets overlooked I feel, not just because it didn’t win a Super Bowl, but also because we are so far removed from it, and because the teams in the mid 70’s with Fran Tarkenton, and the 1998 team also exist and are more recent in people’s minds. But the facts remain, this team had one of the best raw point differentials there is, and even metrics that adjust for strengths of schedule will find the 69 Vikings to have played the best regular season that year, and likely by a substantial margin. They are one of the few teams to send four defensive linemen to the pro bowl in the same season, they had nine pro bowlers total, along with eight players who were named first or second team all pro in the NFL side by the associated press. Their offense scored the most points in either the NFL or AFL, and the defense allowed the fewest as well I believe (less than ten points per game allowed at that). So they were on top on both sides of the ball, which doesn’t happen very often. If not for the 1977 Falcons, the 1969 Vikings defense would have allowed the fewest points in a 14 game season. If you go by the talent they had at the time, then I could see why the 69 Vikings wouldn’t stand out to you as much as some, but when people talk about the best teams in the history of the Vikings, and the best teams to not win a Super Bowl, I don’t see this one brought up much, but they deserve mention in my opinion, and for that, I find them underrated.
As a Browns fan, I'm morbidly comparing this to how my "Life in Hell" video would be expanded. That Browns video multiplied by the in-depth levels of the Cavs history would be a real rabbit hole.
You had sooo much success; ask cardinals fans, and teams that rarely went to or won playoff games. Detroit and cleveland and miami and nyj. Raiders since 03. sucking instead of mattering at ALL
I'm a gigantic Detroit Lions fan, but my grandpa was a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan. Whenever they would play each other we would always watch the game at his house with our whole family. It was the highlight of the season, tons of food and smack talk alike😂. He passed away last year after a battle with Alzheimers and Colon cancer. He was one of my best friends. I have a small piece of my heart that is purple now💜 I'm so glad I get to watch this and think of him, he would have loved it. Thanks John and Alex for making brilliant stuff, and making me think of great memories with my grandpa
I lost my father to cancer two years ago and he bled purple to the end. I carry on the tradition with my son adorned in my dad's hand me down Anthony Barr jersey. It was a present from my mom a few years before he passed. He would have loved this series as well. Much love to you and your family, Id have loved to enjoy a beer with your grandpa
There is something so fascinating with Jon’s direction. From Captain Ahab, The Bob Emergency, to the Seattle Mariners. The fragile emotion and pain that Jon and Alex convey is immersive. I’ve been filled with joy and pain because of this videos. I wanna be a sportwriter because of these guys, kudos gentleman!
@@YourFriendlyProgram_Agetha yeah the Bob emergency might be genuinely the most touching and breathtaking documentary ever made. I say this a lot but I feel in a couple decades or so, Boisian style documentaries will be studied academically. Because everyone else eon TH-cam ends up doing Boisian style documentaries. He's had such a gigantic impact on the history of Internet video content, that no history of the Internet can be complete without talking in depth about him. Genuinely. Even if Dorktown videos don't get like 100 million views or anything, he's basically the Velvet Underground of Internet documentary/video essay making. In that everyone who watches his videos, becomes a video maker (or wants to). Just like not many people ever listened to the Velvet Underground, but everyone who did, started their own band, and that way they had a monumental impact on the history of music. Bois is that, but for documentaries. You'll notice it if you watch enough good TH-cam channels. They all in one way or another are influenced by him. They all say he's a big inspiration for them. One day Jon Bois will hopefully be winning Oscars and making big studio documentaries with the budget and influence to actually interview these players he talks about. But nothing will ever match the DIY aspect of him making videos with Google maps and Google earth.
I looked Alan Page up because of this video and found that in addition to the gridiron feats Jon and Alex describe, in the dwindling years of his football career, Page went to law school - yes, while still a professional football player - and eventually became a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice as well as spending decades of his life backing campaigns to support childhood literacy. There goes a man who has not just worked incredibly hard, but made far-wiser-than-average choices about the goals which get the benefit of his work.
If you watch pages video in the nfls old top 100 players of all time from 2010 there's a cool story that a reporter talks about wearing a makeshift page jersey as a kid. When the reporter told him about it as an adult page sent him an autographed jersey even though he doesn't have much football mementos in his law office post career.
I’m embarrassingly excited for this. Jon and the fellas could make a four part series about Donovan McNabb’s bowel movements and I’d be sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Nah bro everything about a dorktown series makes the enjoyment and excitement worth it the music, the philosophy the emotion this man writes one hell of a story im always down to hear jon tell me about a team with a deep rich history I never really knew about and I didnt even like baseball much till i found this channel
35:40 - 36:25 That little presentation showing pictures of Bud with the almost ethereal music playing gave me the feeling of someone looking at a long lost family member. An unexplainable warmth and bittersweet emotion that this is a great man who I am glad existed but one I never met nor will ever be able to meet. A pillar of humanity.
Fun fact about Joe Kapp, after his NFL career he became the head coach at Cal, and his first season as head coach ended with the famous "Stanford Band" play
Elsewhere in this documentary you hear Jon talk about how most of the rest of the world takes a look at American football and says "nah, we're good". I think that one play contained so much cosmic stupidity (albeit, AWESOME stupidity) that it singlehandedly repulses the rest of the world, at least to some extent.
Coach Kapp was a bit eccentric but in a fun way. He called his special teams the "special forces". His motto was to play 100% for 60 minutes and came up (or at least made popular) the quote "the bear will not die; the bear will not quit". During one of his seasons he promised his team he wouldn't drink any rum until Cal won the Rose Bowl. Sadly he just passed away without Cal ever having won it. They most have traded all the luck and good fortune in the world in doing the "The Play" for 30+ years of irrelevancy.
Even as a Steelers fan, that part gave me goosebumps. No matter how much time passes, Bud Grant will always be the heart, soul, and spirit of the Minnesota Vikings. I’ve got no connection with the Vikings at all, but after watching this series, I badly want the Vikings to win it all at least once in my lifetime.
Hey, I wonder why the win-loss line is getting taller... "The Z axis is how long the team has gone without a Super Bowl win." Oh no, it's a surprise tool that will help us later.
Unofficial Table of Contents 0:00 Two Origin Stories 6:11 Opening Titles 7:08 The Comeback 16:01 The Prehistoric Era 21:49 The Legend of Fran Tarkenton 25:02 56 Pounds of Beer and a Yard of Martini 28:56 Norm the Man, Norm the Bully 36:25 It Seemed Like the Thing to Do 43:11 The Bud Grant Experience ft. Jim Marshall, Carl Eller, and more! 50:41 No Heaters Allowed 53:20 El Cid 56:22 Super Bowl IV 1:00:19 Most Valuable Viking
I just realized that this is an hour long video about the 1960s vikings, and there was not one mention of a fumble recovery made by Jim Marshall against the 49ers in 1964. Thank you all, so much.
To be honest, I actually was waiting for a mention of the Wrong Way Run. It can only be seen as funny because of it being just a regular season game that we still won on another Marshall fumble. It probably might come up in Part 2 as this was just the introduction to the Purple People Eaters.
I knew Tarkenton was a badass and way ahead of his time, but I didn't know how much he made HOF lineman look like kids on the field. I have developed a huge respect for the man after that sequence where he bought 12 extra seconds...straight monster
I'm surprised how much he looks like a modern qb. I didn't even know you were allowed to scramble like that back then, I thought if you tried that they just shot ya.
Tarkenton is legit one of the best NFL players ever. It's crazy how forgotten he is. If he stuck in Minnesota with Bud Grant they would've been the original Tom Brady/Bill Belichick partnership.
My dad lived in New England and was a Vikings fan from their inception. It was tough with so my much heartbreak for the Vikes and to see all the success of the local Patriots. He passed 8 years ago and I’m sad he won’t get to watch this amazing doc series.
I knew George Halas was one of the Packers' biggest supporters, practically keeping them alive at one stage before the Lombardi era began. Had no idea that he lobbied for the Vikes, too. What a legend. On another note, that Bud Grant intro was perfection. I was in tears, at that point.
Bears fan so similar boat, but yeah, no way I'm missing a dorktown documentary. I also didn't know how instrumental Halas was in the Vikings existence.
@@ElbowDropMO That's... one of the Vikings' leitmotifs, in a way. We always know where the road is going. Even in the world where it goes to the place we haven't been able to go, it loops back around on itself the very next year. At some point, we know where the road WILL go. So it can't be about where it goes. It's gotta be about what you see and do on the way there. And no other team in the NFL has the experience of living for the journey like the Minnesota Vikings. This team is just. So. Weird.
I'm a Welsh Rugby fan who was always mesmerised by the NFL when I first got exposed to it in the 80's but never really became a full fledged fan until I thought I need to pick a team to root for but unfortunately I had no geographical or family links to any area so decided to base my decision on a few things : 1) a lack of silverware 2) a location that is generally undesirable 3) Fanatical fans That narrowed it down a little but what made the Vikings stand out was when I realised that Mystery Science Theater 3000 started there and it's where Prince comes from. The first season i became a Vikings fan was the Minneapolis miracle Diggs catch so I took it as a good sign even though we got blown out the next game. Having this video series is such a boost for us fans who didn't grow up in the USA so many thanks for all the work put into this
Jon Bois!!!!!!!!!!! The single greatest creator in the history of youtube returns. The actual goat. Just seeing this preview has me so hyped im gonna go rewatch the Koo Dae Sung episode for like the 100th time. Im probbably still gonna get a tear in my eye too.
I've been waiting THREE YEARS for this--ever since I watched the History of the Seattle Mariners, I've been hoping Jon Bois and Co. would recognize these Vikings are a special, similar kind of story. I'm trying to remember the line from the History of the Mariners that made me think of the Vikings--i think it was something like "the Mariners aren't a team you root for to win: you root for them because they're the protagonists." I've always felt that way about the Vikings. I'm SO GLAD IT'S HERE THREE YEARS LATER
I have a theory about this series. In this episode Jon mentions that the word 'myth' is going to be heard a lot and while he's talking in the context of historical Viking myth there and probably will again in episodes to come, that's not really the myth he's driving at. The real myth, the one that's directly connected to the team and the one all Viking's fans believe, is that the team is 'cursed to lose'. He's talking about the myth of the Minnesota Vikings themselves. We know intellectually that this isn't the case. Maybe how a football team preforms in one particular year has some bearing on how it will perform the very next year to some extent, but a missed field goal in '98 or an interception in '09 has no real standing on how a team performs in 2023 when no player taking the field was even around for the previous events. There's nothing about the Vikings larger history that says their failures are preordained. Any given season could be the moment they have a sudden '01 Patriots or '09 Saints style explosion rattling off stupid amounts of wins and winning the Superbowl out of nowhere. Like historical Viking myths or the one about the rune stone they start the series off with here, there's not a lot of factual accuracy to it. And yet... And yet there's something innately human about perceiving it that way. There's something tantalizing about the vision that things happen for a reason beyond simple chaos, even in something as meaningless as sports.
Tied for the most Superbowl losses, haven't been in a Superbowl in almost 50 years, and whenever this team starts to look like they can actually do it, they collapse. It's like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football that Lucy is holding. Gary Anderson's legendary miss didn't lose the game on its own, but it is symbolic for the rest of the team also playing out-of-character. Catch-us-if-you-can offense stalls out and lose in OT. Dante Culpepper and Moss put the league on notice, promising an exciting showdown against the Giants for the NFC Championship. The Giants score in 4 plays, and the Vikings fumble the kick return leading to the Giants scoring the next play; down 14-0 before the offense has even stepped onto the field. When they do get to play, it's downright atrocious: Punt, Interception, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, End of Half, Fumble, Interception, Punt, Interception. Infamous 41-donut. The Bountygate screwjob in '09, where it takes legendary quarterback and poor excuse for a human being Brett Favre throwing across his body for the Vikings' 5th turnover of that game to let the Saints escape into OT, where multiple blown officiating calls let the Saints extend their drive to score without ever letting the Vikings touch the ball. The Minneapolis Miracle in another back-and-forth with New Orleans gives the Vikings a sniff of hosting a Superbowl in their own house, if they can only beat a strong, but beatable looking Eagles team in Philly. The Vikings score on their opening drive and force the Eagles to punt on theirs. Then...Case Keenum throws an interception, the Eagles end up on the board, and proceed to route the Vikings; stifling our offense completely and moving the ball downfield at-will: 38-7. In 2022, a team that has won every single game that came down to a single score faces off against a team it narrowly survived just a few weeks prior, and manages to lose their first single score game of the season in the wildcard round, where their run ends. It's hard as a fan year-in-year-out to not see the patterns and trends. When you zoom out, like this documentary does, it becomes even more bizarre. The 3rd winningest team in NFL history has 0 Superbowl wins. The 2nd most losing team in Tampa Bay has 2. This team's worst seasons were 3 win affairs under Les Steckler and Leslie Frazier. This team has other down years, and isn't always in the playoffs, but they are rarely out of the playoff hunt when snow is on the ground. Maybe there is no myth or curse, just a statistical anomaly that the human brain perceives as cursed, due to the desire to find order and patterns in chaos and noise. Either way, when the season kicks off again this year, I will be in purple every Sunday the team suits up, with horns on my head, ready to watch the next chapter in this team's saga unfold. SKOL
Mariners: "They're not competitors, they're protagonists." Falcons: "They're not a team, they're a trickster god." Vikings: "They're not cursed, they're mythical."
It's funny and interesting that this site uses the Kensington Runestone as an "origin myth" for the Minnesota Vikings NFL team, because for the longest time, many Minnesotans, Vikings fans have said and even a few have told me that the reason the "Vikings" name was applied to Minnesota's new expansion team in 1961 was due to Minnesota's historically large, Scandivinavian descended population and had very little to do with the 1898 Kensington Runestone controversy that was supposedly discovered by an illiterate wheat farmer and contained scraps of several different languages jumbled together on a runic tablet. Most Minnesotans who might still believe in the myth surrounding the Runestone will say it likely wasnt Norse settlers who wouldve left it there, but fleeing Knights Templars, whose order had been excommunicated, disbanded, and persecuted after 1314 and Philip IV of France invented occult rumors to disparage French Templars and get rid of the order due to their monetary, military power, order, and extraterritorial presence and the fact he owed them money and reportedly, French Templar grandmaster refused to give him an extension. The history and myths surrounding the Runestone itself are a little bit more complex and nuanced then how these documentations portray it here. As far as Bud Grant being offered the chance of being Vikings first HC, they interviewed him, but its sketchy if they really did offer him the job over Norm van Brocklin. In 1961, Brocklin was a much more well-known, familiar NFL player, raconteur, personality and wouldve been a more popular pick, if you'd polled most Minnesota fans back in 1961 about who they wanted as Vikings HC. I mean, Brocklin had just won a NFL title with Philadelphia, 17-13, the year before and he won another NFL title, 11 years earlier, with Rams in 1949. It was assumed and, Brocklin believed, that after retiring in 1960, he'd become the next Eagles HC. The Eagles, for whatever reasons, backed out of whatever commitment or promises they'd made to Brocklin, and Brocklin took the Vikings HC job instead.
It would be ruined. These are made out of a labor of love. And it seems they take about 4-6 months to make just one the right way. The jon bois alex rubenstein way
The reason these are so good is that they're passion projects. Not every team has a history that lends itself to Jon and Alex's documentary style and not every team is interesting enough to get this level of passion
Eh idk I think the Bucs could potentially have a narrative arc for one of these series. I’d imagine it would look something like the Mariners series, with goofy shenanigans in the beginning as they were largely inept (John McKay’s execution quote comes to mind.) This would transition to the very slow climb that culminated in their ‘02 Super Bowl win. I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to make of the rest of the 2000’s, as they have been largely forgettable, but that’s what I would’ve said about the Mariners as well. Maybe it’s not enough for a series but I think there’s something there.
@@carterf3585Moreover, going over the history of a more successful team might be a bit redundant for them because the mainstream of the sports media would’ve probably done so at length already. That’s probably part of why we see them do certainly teams and not others.
Jon's unique combination of subject matter, writing/speaking style, choice of background music, and graphics/cinematography (aka complete mastery of Google Earth) make his documentaries absolute masterpieces every time. And I know that it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to put these together, so despite their scarcity, the quality makes them well worth the wait. Much appreciated, y'all folks over at SB.
This is probably my sixth time watching this documentary and one thing really stands this one apart from all others: the music. Secret Base couldn't possibly have paired a better soundtrack to this series.
I seriously can't wait. Life long vikings fan, and soooo many football fans think we're a team that has only lost, and doesn't know how many greats have played for this team and how close we've truly gotten to becoming a juggernaut of the NFL time and time again.
Saints fan here. Really used to love Culpepper, Moss, and the Vikings when I was little. It went south…well, know. I’m really excited for this series, it’s definitely a franchise worth this close of an examination.
tbh, I can't wait to get an in-depth history lesson on my home team. Never had the time to really dive in for every single detail, so having it all here is nice.
As a Vikings fan this is going to be interesting and fun as well as heartbreaking. It will be fun to watch this series and I'm hyped that Jon Bois is back
@@kangkim150 I wasn't alive for most of the history, so it is very engaging to learn facts that don't get talked about often even within our fanbase. I'm happy to see other people who aren't necessarily fans of the Vikings be interested in our team. It's tough being a fan of the Vikings, but it's also worth it and I hope this series shows that.
I have been being disappointed for 30 seasons now as a Viking diehard. I bleed purple. Everyone used to make fun of me in my little hometown in Oklahoma, Boomer Sooner, because I was the only Minnesota Vikings fan in town. Then our town had two very fine young men within 10 years of each other get drafted by the Vikings and now everyone in town is a Vikings fan!!! Your channel does such a terrific job on videos like these. I watched the entire Falcons one and I hate the falcons but was so interested I couldn't stop watching. I'm also a Cleveland Indians fan if you can't tell I'm a sucker for suffering!!😂 All I can do is like and share these Vikings videos and pray that I am blessed and you do a series on how some of us longtime Indians fans will never see out team win the world series. My son's a Cubs fan and even he got to experience it. I'm really like when Lord? When's gonna be my time?? 😂
I am so excited to watch this series. I've rewatched the Mariners and Falcons documentaries multiple times, I can't wait to see how this one delivers. Edit as I start my third rewatch of the whole series: It delivered.
@@coletrickle1775The second part of the Stieb doc in particular is one of my favorite videos they’ve made. Along with parts three and four of the doc on my Mariners, part four on the Falcons, and (if you want to count stuff Jon did on his own) part two of the Bob Emergency.
I dunno if it is the music or the theme, if it is the story of people that we will not know anymore or just the surprise to see another video by some of the greatest storytellers of our time; but every time I see a video made by this guy's, my heart decides to skip a beat, my eyes take the decision to tear a bit, my whole life becomes so meaningful and meaningless at the same time, I just love u Secret Base. Thank you
What a fantastic episode and its gonna be an incredible series. RIP Bud Grant, amazing coach and an even better human. I have faith Kevin O'Connell will continue his legacy on.
I keep coming back and watching these first few episodes featuring the tenure of Bud Grant. Something comforting about this series and cant really place why
Being a Vikings fan is work. If you were to introduce American football to someone who doesn't understand it, and you asked them to pick a team, they're picking the Packers, or the Patriots, or the Chiefs, whatever. NOBODY is picking the Vikings. Why would you? Nobody signs up to be a Vikings fan, you just end up as one. Thanks, dad.
Guys I am from Serbia and I love what you are doing with these videos. Been here since Bob emergency if i am correct. Love you all from Serbia and keep doing this cuz this is awesome!!
Hearing Jon Bois narrate one of his videos is like being right in front of a fan on a steaming hot day. It does a lot of things to you all at once. It paralyzes you with relaxation, with calm. Like a hungry lion might feel after a big meal. Every time it is too long in between, but always long enough in between to enjoy it thoroughly.
Jon, I will be remembering this video forever because I am currently vacationing IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA here on the very night this video was uploaded and I only go here for a few days once a year. And I am a packers fan!
I'm so enamored with attention to detail here. The writing and presentation are phenomenal. Cant wait for the next episodes. Much love from a Minnesota fan.
The Vikings FO and van Brocklin sort of unknowingly hurt the teams' short-term future when they traded Tarkenton to New York Giants in the 1966 off-season. During Fran's first stint in Minnesota, the defense was decent, but not the dominant, unstoppable forces of nature it would become by late 60's when Grant drafted Carl Eller, Alan Page, brought in Paul Krause, Wally Hildenberg, so while their defense became more dominant and top-rate over Grant's first few seasons, at QB, their was clearly a missing link. Kapp could play inspired, tough-as-nails football but he wasnt the athlete or player that was going to improve Vikings offense for the long-haul. Kapp had a very good, successful 2-3 year run in Minnesota but his flaws were pretty apparent and on agonizing display during Super Bowl IV and after 1969, a contract dispute led Jim Finks to ship him off to New England and for a few seasons, Minnesota's offense became a bit of a rudderless, ineffective anchor because they were lead by mediocre, second-rate QB's like Gary Cuozzo. And all this time, Tarkenton remains stuck on an aging, barely above-average Giants team and ownership that never gave him a more complete, array of weapons or a more competent supporting cast and he is still getting older.
@@davidroberts7282 yep. I commented earlier on how the Vikings have had some of the best football players ever on their roster in every era, have played some of the best ball, and just never seem to line it up. It’s so sad. The randy moss era is going to make me cry probably
@@davidroberts7282Kapp was decent in 69, but in my opinion if you put Tarkenton on that team, they may have won it all vs Kansas City. Also, not to mention that the defense was at its best in 1969, 70 and 71; the three years before Tarkenton got there. It was still well above average in the years that followed, but Minnesota wasn’t by far the top defense with Tarkenton.
Considering the trailer for this series started with... *that wild card game* and it kicked off with *that comeback game* I have no clue how wild this is gonna get. *I'M HERE FOR IT*
I absolutely love these Dorktown series and I’m glad that they’re tackling another interesting football team in the Minnesota Vikings. Let the journey begin!
As a lifelong Vikings fan I look forward to the series and showing the suffering we've gone through over the decades. I'll never forget the 1998 NFC title game, screwed me up for life.
35:15 The truly beautiful yet melancholic introduction to the greatest core to never get a ring. Cheers to a decade of greatness in part due to the man of the hour-Bud
There are many words I could say. I will be brief. I really appreciate these works of art and the untold hours of work and heart that go into telling their stories. Thank you
35:34 Idk what it is, but the music and editing when introducing Bud Grant are really powerful. This is one of those moments where watching a Dorktown video where I've actually teared up a bit. Outstanding work.
As a Minnesotan, this is f**king awesome! Seeing this channel put out a straight up doc on the Vikings is like Christmas. I'm not even 10 minutes in and this Bud Grant story is legendary. Might seem kinda trivial, but it was cool to see the newspaper clipping about the 1940 Blizzard have an excerpt from Red Wing; I'm not super-knowledgeable about it, but my Great Grandfather wrote for the Red Wing Republican Eagle, and probably worked there at the time. I had this almost crippling realization as that frame came up that my Great Grandfather probably spent a significant portion of his life as a Packers fan. As much as I'm probably going to enjoy the rest of this documentary, that does leave me feeling a little wrong inside.
It's amazing to me that such thoroughly researched documentaries are published on TH-cam. I adore Dorktown so much. We need one of these multi-chapter deep dives into the history of the team for every NFL team.
Awesome first start by Jon & Alex for this Yorktown series about the Minnesota Vikings. But I have to say, I'm particularly pleased to learn more about Bud Grant and his history. Bud was a truly tough and disciplined man way before he first become the Vikings head coach. And Bud's Vikings teams mirrored his personality perfectly.
As a lifelong Vikings fan (35 yrs old) ive grown up listening to this history as told by my grandfather who lived through it, i own a couple books, even watched a documentary or two. This is incredible. Well done. You captured the early era of this team perfectly, people still talk about the Norm and Fran feud. As you work your way through this teams history you’ll see the anguish and tragedy that is MN sports and in particular the MN vikings. By the way Jim Marshal should be HOF too. Cant wait to see the rest of the series. I might skip the 98 season though.
The sad/beautiful thing about these history of videos is that these teams never win the big game so you know there’s never gonna be the big win and every season will end in heartbreak. But that’s what makes it great it allows us to appreciate the ride and all the moments that lead up to the big games. The characters that make up the story, the story is about the journey and that’s enough
Everyone talks about missing the field goal in 98 and the Minneapolis miracle but I’m here for the love boat and Brett Farve and all the other chaos that this team attracts.
Huge shout out to whoever it was who had the idea to put labels on the field. I don't know American football very well, so when I watched these videos sometimes it's very confusing to figure out what's actually going on. The chart with the win differential scores is also so much better than the old system. Cheers x
As a 28 year old life long Viking fan who loves football and football history, this makes me so happy. Like Christmas, but 8 days before my birthday lol thank you for the amazing content! Truly great!
Jon Bois & Alex Rubinstein, the definition of the perfect duo for grade A documentary production! This one I’m very much excited about as a Packers fan, not because I want to bask in the pain of a rival, but because the Vikings have a very interesting history, despite all the shortcomings attached to it! It’s a history very much deserving of this kind of documentary!
Incredible start, can’t wait for the rest. As someone who’s read the original Poem of the Cid but not seen the movie, the section about that whole story was utterly shocking😂
I can’t wait to see you guys cover Fran Tarkenton. the dude whent to my high school and still holds most of our all time passing records, he also played for the university of Georgia (where he led one of the most comically stupid drives of all time). And even to this day the dude is a Legend Among the old timers of Athens!
I can't stop watching this series. I can't wait for tomorrow's upload. And the next one. Been watching as a kid (with memories) as a 5 year old - and 1974 is the first season I can remember most of it.
Jon Alex and Will are some of my favorite creators on this platform and every project from y’all is a work of art. Truly rare appointment viewing here on YT
Jon's videos are so well crafted. So stylistically unique. Soundtrack, graphics and editing all such high quality. Bois content is the crown jewel in the crown of the best channel on TH-cam.
Every year is a roller coaster of insanity until you're inevitably kicked in the nuts in January. And then you just smile, wave, and say "See you in September!" And at that time, there you'll be happy and somehow willing to go through it all again.
Jon Alex and the team are just incapable of missing with these long form videos. Time to care way to much about to shenanigans of a random team for 7 hours and love every second
Been waiting for your next video and since I am from and live in Minnesota seem this new Dork Town video was made just for me.Thanks to everyone who worked on this.❤
Excited to see y'all next week. In case you didn't click the description and were curious, here's the release schedule. The first one will be a premiere (as you can tell) then from there we'll upload them as normal, but maybe swing another premiere for the finale if you're feeling it.
Episode 1 (1960s) - Tuesday, August 1st
Episode 2 (1970-1974) - Tuesday, August 8th
Episode 3 (1974-1979) - Tuesday, August 15th
Episode 4 (1980s) - Tuesday, August 22nd
Episode 5 (1990s) - Tuesday, August 29th
Episode 6 (2000s) - Tuesday, September 5th
Episode 7 (2010s-2020s) - Friday, September 8th
Thank-you SO much for doing them on my day off - pretty-sure I can drink 8 beer per episode :)
Looking forward to the series. Vikings have a fascinating history to them
A bit of a Vikings related hot take I have:
The 1969 Vikings (who should be mentioned at the end of this episode if it covers all ten seasons of the 60’s) get my vote for one of the most underrated, or at minimum overlooked teams in NFL history.
On one hand if you think in terms of quarterbacks, this team probably won’t stand out to you. The late Joe Kapp, who only played four seasons is one of the least accomplished quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl (though he played solidly in 69 itself).
And this team gets overlooked I feel, not just because it didn’t win a Super Bowl, but also because we are so far removed from it, and because the teams in the mid 70’s with Fran Tarkenton, and the 1998 team also exist and are more recent in people’s minds.
But the facts remain, this team had one of the best raw point differentials there is, and even metrics that adjust for strengths of schedule will find the 69 Vikings to have played the best regular season that year, and likely by a substantial margin.
They are one of the few teams to send four defensive linemen to the pro bowl in the same season, they had nine pro bowlers total, along with eight players who were named first or second team all pro in the NFL side by the associated press.
Their offense scored the most points in either the NFL or AFL, and the defense allowed the fewest as well I believe (less than ten points per game allowed at that). So they were on top on both sides of the ball, which doesn’t happen very often.
If not for the 1977 Falcons, the 1969 Vikings defense would have allowed the fewest points in a 14 game season.
If you go by the talent they had at the time, then I could see why the 69 Vikings wouldn’t stand out to you as much as some, but when people talk about the best teams in the history of the Vikings, and the best teams to not win a Super Bowl, I don’t see this one brought up much, but they deserve mention in my opinion, and for that, I find them underrated.
There better be week 17 of the 2003 in this series. Also you guys do great work
What time?
As a Vikings fan, I am so excited to relive 60 years of heartbreak
As a Browns fan, I'm morbidly comparing this to how my "Life in Hell" video would be expanded. That Browns video multiplied by the in-depth levels of the Cavs history would be a real rabbit hole.
@@johnstebbins24A Browns series would be dope. I'd also really love to hear about the 80s Browns tbh
👍
You had sooo much success; ask cardinals fans, and teams that rarely went to or won playoff games. Detroit and cleveland and miami and nyj. Raiders since 03. sucking instead of mattering at ALL
60 years of being kinda ok feels very Minnesota though.
I'm a gigantic Detroit Lions fan, but my grandpa was a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan. Whenever they would play each other we would always watch the game at his house with our whole family. It was the highlight of the season, tons of food and smack talk alike😂. He passed away last year after a battle with Alzheimers and Colon cancer. He was one of my best friends. I have a small piece of my heart that is purple now💜 I'm so glad I get to watch this and think of him, he would have loved it.
Thanks John and Alex for making brilliant stuff, and making me think of great memories with my grandpa
So sorry for your loss. Glad to hear this video could bring you some happiness.
I lost my father to cancer two years ago and he bled purple to the end. I carry on the tradition with my son adorned in my dad's hand me down Anthony Barr jersey. It was a present from my mom a few years before he passed. He would have loved this series as well. Much love to you and your family, Id have loved to enjoy a beer with your grandpa
May your father rest in peace ❤
There is something so fascinating with Jon’s direction. From Captain Ahab, The Bob Emergency, to the Seattle Mariners. The fragile emotion and pain that Jon and Alex convey is immersive. I’ve been filled with joy and pain because of this videos. I wanna be a sportwriter because of these guys, kudos gentleman!
And that makes the Vikings a perfect subject for them to dive into
Dude, the Bob Emergency was dope!
@@YourFriendlyProgram_Agetha yeah the Bob emergency might be genuinely the most touching and breathtaking documentary ever made. I say this a lot but I feel in a couple decades or so, Boisian style documentaries will be studied academically. Because everyone else eon TH-cam ends up doing Boisian style documentaries. He's had such a gigantic impact on the history of Internet video content, that no history of the Internet can be complete without talking in depth about him. Genuinely.
Even if Dorktown videos don't get like 100 million views or anything, he's basically the Velvet Underground of Internet documentary/video essay making. In that everyone who watches his videos, becomes a video maker (or wants to). Just like not many people ever listened to the Velvet Underground, but everyone who did, started their own band, and that way they had a monumental impact on the history of music. Bois is that, but for documentaries.
You'll notice it if you watch enough good TH-cam channels. They all in one way or another are influenced by him. They all say he's a big inspiration for them.
One day Jon Bois will hopefully be winning Oscars and making big studio documentaries with the budget and influence to actually interview these players he talks about. But nothing will ever match the DIY aspect of him making videos with Google maps and Google earth.
@@duffman18dude you need to chill. You are drastically overstating the impact of these videos. To the point where it's more than a little unhinged
I’ve cried to more Job bois videos than feature length films
I looked Alan Page up because of this video and found that in addition to the gridiron feats Jon and Alex describe, in the dwindling years of his football career, Page went to law school - yes, while still a professional football player - and eventually became a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice as well as spending decades of his life backing campaigns to support childhood literacy. There goes a man who has not just worked incredibly hard, but made far-wiser-than-average choices about the goals which get the benefit of his work.
If you watch pages video in the nfls old top 100 players of all time from 2010 there's a cool story that a reporter talks about wearing a makeshift page jersey as a kid. When the reporter told him about it as an adult page sent him an autographed jersey even though he doesn't have much football mementos in his law office post career.
Genuinely an American Hero
Overall great human
He's a damned good supreme court justice too, also has an elementary school named after him that I live less than 10 blocks away from
He also attends the Twin Cities marathon every year and cheers on runners while playing the Sousaphone. LITERAL KING.
I’m embarrassingly excited for this. Jon and the fellas could make a four part series about Donovan McNabb’s bowel movements and I’d be sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Nah bro everything about a dorktown series makes the enjoyment and excitement worth it the music, the philosophy the emotion this man writes one hell of a story im always down to hear jon tell me about a team with a deep rich history I never really knew about and I didnt even like baseball much till i found this channel
@@senLuno jon is single-handedly responsible for me getting back into baseball, I’m positive we aren’t alone. He’s truly a god of TH-cam.
@@Taylose6 also his pretty good series saves my boredom
So you'd be assuming the same position as McNabb, then, as a guinea pig in the new age of documentaries that bring you right into the action
One of those movements occurred all over the Metrodome turf in 2011
35:40 - 36:25 That little presentation showing pictures of Bud with the almost ethereal music playing gave me the feeling of someone looking at a long lost family member. An unexplainable warmth and bittersweet emotion that this is a great man who I am glad existed but one I never met nor will ever be able to meet. A pillar of humanity.
A Insurmountable Matt Ryan blown lead and Norm Van Brocklin coached team, a perfect sequel
You're stupid if you think Ryan himself blew that
How is that blamed on one person?
Oh, yeah. Marketing of the cult of the qb position.
@wankertanker1813 I never blamed him, he's just on both teams...
@@sighduck9789 the falcons blown lead in sb vs pats. How is that Matt Ryan's fault?
@@wankertanker1813it's... not. he was just relevant to both stories.
This was beautiful. The part where Bud Grant got him and his friend to safety at the beginning made me shed a tear a bit. Incredible work!
The way they tie the horn of the Vikings and the horn of the train together is such great storytelling
@@WilcoRoZ Yep, Even the jump to the Colts game last year made the Z axis narrative tie together nicely.
He's a CFL legend, it was cool to learn more about him.
Shed. Haha
Fun fact about Joe Kapp, after his NFL career he became the head coach at Cal, and his first season as head coach ended with the famous "Stanford Band" play
Elsewhere in this documentary you hear Jon talk about how most of the rest of the world takes a look at American football and says "nah, we're good". I think that one play contained so much cosmic stupidity (albeit, AWESOME stupidity) that it singlehandedly repulses the rest of the world, at least to some extent.
Coach Kapp was a bit eccentric but in a fun way. He called his special teams the "special forces". His motto was to play 100% for 60 minutes and came up (or at least made popular) the quote "the bear will not die; the bear will not quit".
During one of his seasons he promised his team he wouldn't drink any rum until Cal won the Rose Bowl. Sadly he just passed away without Cal ever having won it. They most have traded all the luck and good fortune in the world in doing the "The Play" for 30+ years of irrelevancy.
The Bud Grant connection with the train horn and the Viking horn is SO FUCKING COOL
Even as a Steelers fan, that part gave me goosebumps. No matter how much time passes, Bud Grant will always be the heart, soul, and spirit of the Minnesota Vikings. I’ve got no connection with the Vikings at all, but after watching this series, I badly want the Vikings to win it all at least once in my lifetime.
"The Vikings couldn't stop shooting themselves in the foot when it mattered the most."
Get ready for that to be something of a recurring theme.
I5s happening again.
The Falcons 28-3 blown lead in that Super Bowl just might be the most "Vikings" thing that ever happened.
Hey, I wonder why the win-loss line is getting taller...
"The Z axis is how long the team has gone without a Super Bowl win."
Oh no, it's a surprise tool that will help us later.
Unofficial Table of Contents
0:00 Two Origin Stories
6:11 Opening Titles
7:08 The Comeback
16:01 The Prehistoric Era
21:49 The Legend of Fran Tarkenton
25:02 56 Pounds of Beer and a Yard of Martini
28:56 Norm the Man, Norm the Bully
36:25 It Seemed Like the Thing to Do
43:11 The Bud Grant Experience ft. Jim Marshall, Carl Eller, and more!
50:41 No Heaters Allowed
53:20 El Cid
56:22 Super Bowl IV
1:00:19 Most Valuable Viking
Appreciate this so much. I've come back here to revisit certain sections, especially the Bud Grant stuff, so this is really useful :)
I’d change the bud grant chapter to 35:48 but that’s just my opinion
So much heartache, pain, and tears packed into a entire series of videos. I CAN’T WAIT (I’ll be crying along with you Vikings fans)
I am a European who doesn't really care about the NFL but somehow I can't stop watching the stuff that Jon puts out. Really good stuff as always.
I just realized that this is an hour long video about the 1960s vikings, and there was not one mention of a fumble recovery made by Jim Marshall against the 49ers in 1964. Thank you all, so much.
To be honest, I actually was waiting for a mention of the Wrong Way Run.
It can only be seen as funny because of it being just a regular season game that we still won on another Marshall fumble.
It probably might come up in Part 2 as this was just the introduction to the Purple People Eaters.
The wrong way run was of such little importance, I'm not at all surprised it was left out.
OH COME ON
@@notpsicoh2107lmaoo
That would come in the next episode
I knew Tarkenton was a badass and way ahead of his time, but I didn't know how much he made HOF lineman look like kids on the field. I have developed a huge respect for the man after that sequence where he bought 12 extra seconds...straight monster
I'm surprised how much he looks like a modern qb. I didn't even know you were allowed to scramble like that back then, I thought if you tried that they just shot ya.
@@SuperDogCoinNo rules stopped you from doing it, but most game plan’s didn’t involve it, and thus most quarterbacks were regularly pocket passing.
Tarkenton is legit one of the best NFL players ever. It's crazy how forgotten he is. If he stuck in Minnesota with Bud Grant they would've been the original Tom Brady/Bill Belichick partnership.
@@QwertyCaesarNot to mention, Kapp was ok, but if they made their first Super Bowl without him, then maybe they could have won one with him.
@@QwertyCaesarjust wait til next episode
My dad lived in New England and was a Vikings fan from their inception. It was tough with so my much heartbreak for the Vikes and to see all the success of the local Patriots. He passed 8 years ago and I’m sad he won’t get to watch this amazing doc series.
I'm growing to like the vikings. I'm a manchester utd fan from England but follow nfl too now and I like the eagles the bills and the vikings
I knew George Halas was one of the Packers' biggest supporters, practically keeping them alive at one stage before the Lombardi era began. Had no idea that he lobbied for the Vikes, too. What a legend. On another note, that Bud Grant intro was perfection. I was in tears, at that point.
As a bears fan, there’s something so right about us basically creating our rivals and then getting our asses kicked by them for the next 50 years
@@pjcunningham6869 But as a Bears fan, you can take credit for more of the league being in existence than Paul Brown could. True greatness
As a devout Packers Fan, I must say that Secret Base is the only channel that could make me excited to watch a 7 hour documentary on the Vikings!
Skol
Bears fan so similar boat, but yeah, no way I'm missing a dorktown documentary. I also didn't know how instrumental Halas was in the Vikings existence.
Chiefs fan here. I was trying not to get so "behind" the team as this started, because I KNEW where the road was going. But it was impossible.
@@ElbowDropMO That's... one of the Vikings' leitmotifs, in a way. We always know where the road is going. Even in the world where it goes to the place we haven't been able to go, it loops back around on itself the very next year. At some point, we know where the road WILL go. So it can't be about where it goes.
It's gotta be about what you see and do on the way there. And no other team in the NFL has the experience of living for the journey like the Minnesota Vikings. This team is just. So. Weird.
I'm a Welsh Rugby fan who was always mesmerised by the NFL when I first got exposed to it in the 80's but never really became a full fledged fan until I thought I need to pick a team to root for but unfortunately I had no geographical or family links to any area so decided to base my decision on a few things :
1) a lack of silverware
2) a location that is generally undesirable
3) Fanatical fans
That narrowed it down a little but what made the Vikings stand out was when I realised that Mystery Science Theater 3000 started there and it's where Prince comes from.
The first season i became a Vikings fan was the Minneapolis miracle Diggs catch so I took it as a good sign even though we got blown out the next game.
Having this video series is such a boost for us fans who didn't grow up in the USA so many thanks for all the work put into this
I'm so excited. Thank you for your hard work Secret Babes
Secret Baes
Nah, Jon Bois. You can thank Jon bois
@@maxnchiefrespect Alex and Seth wtf
@@Zionicle my bad thank you zionicle.
@@maxnchief SO REAL no problem just wanted to make sure they get their props too
I learned a friend/co-worker passed away today, and the opening monologue about Bud Grant and his friend got to me. Thank you for making this series.
Sorry for your lost
Jon Bois!!!!!!!!!!! The single greatest creator in the history of youtube returns. The actual goat. Just seeing this preview has me so hyped im gonna go rewatch the Koo Dae Sung episode for like the 100th time. Im probbably still gonna get a tear in my eye too.
Yep, he's... pretty good.
:')
I've been waiting THREE YEARS for this--ever since I watched the History of the Seattle Mariners, I've been hoping Jon Bois and Co. would recognize these Vikings are a special, similar kind of story.
I'm trying to remember the line from the History of the Mariners that made me think of the Vikings--i think it was something like "the Mariners aren't a team you root for to win: you root for them because they're the protagonists."
I've always felt that way about the Vikings. I'm SO GLAD IT'S HERE THREE YEARS LATER
These documentaries are the best thing to happen to sports
I have a theory about this series. In this episode Jon mentions that the word 'myth' is going to be heard a lot and while he's talking in the context of historical Viking myth there and probably will again in episodes to come, that's not really the myth he's driving at. The real myth, the one that's directly connected to the team and the one all Viking's fans believe, is that the team is 'cursed to lose'. He's talking about the myth of the Minnesota Vikings themselves.
We know intellectually that this isn't the case. Maybe how a football team preforms in one particular year has some bearing on how it will perform the very next year to some extent, but a missed field goal in '98 or an interception in '09 has no real standing on how a team performs in 2023 when no player taking the field was even around for the previous events. There's nothing about the Vikings larger history that says their failures are preordained. Any given season could be the moment they have a sudden '01 Patriots or '09 Saints style explosion rattling off stupid amounts of wins and winning the Superbowl out of nowhere.
Like historical Viking myths or the one about the rune stone they start the series off with here, there's not a lot of factual accuracy to it. And yet... And yet there's something innately human about perceiving it that way. There's something tantalizing about the vision that things happen for a reason beyond simple chaos, even in something as meaningless as sports.
Tied for the most Superbowl losses, haven't been in a Superbowl in almost 50 years, and whenever this team starts to look like they can actually do it, they collapse. It's like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football that Lucy is holding. Gary Anderson's legendary miss didn't lose the game on its own, but it is symbolic for the rest of the team also playing out-of-character. Catch-us-if-you-can offense stalls out and lose in OT. Dante Culpepper and Moss put the league on notice, promising an exciting showdown against the Giants for the NFC Championship. The Giants score in 4 plays, and the Vikings fumble the kick return leading to the Giants scoring the next play; down 14-0 before the offense has even stepped onto the field. When they do get to play, it's downright atrocious: Punt, Interception, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, End of Half, Fumble, Interception, Punt, Interception. Infamous 41-donut. The Bountygate screwjob in '09, where it takes legendary quarterback and poor excuse for a human being Brett Favre throwing across his body for the Vikings' 5th turnover of that game to let the Saints escape into OT, where multiple blown officiating calls let the Saints extend their drive to score without ever letting the Vikings touch the ball. The Minneapolis Miracle in another back-and-forth with New Orleans gives the Vikings a sniff of hosting a Superbowl in their own house, if they can only beat a strong, but beatable looking Eagles team in Philly. The Vikings score on their opening drive and force the Eagles to punt on theirs. Then...Case Keenum throws an interception, the Eagles end up on the board, and proceed to route the Vikings; stifling our offense completely and moving the ball downfield at-will: 38-7. In 2022, a team that has won every single game that came down to a single score faces off against a team it narrowly survived just a few weeks prior, and manages to lose their first single score game of the season in the wildcard round, where their run ends.
It's hard as a fan year-in-year-out to not see the patterns and trends. When you zoom out, like this documentary does, it becomes even more bizarre. The 3rd winningest team in NFL history has 0 Superbowl wins. The 2nd most losing team in Tampa Bay has 2. This team's worst seasons were 3 win affairs under Les Steckler and Leslie Frazier. This team has other down years, and isn't always in the playoffs, but they are rarely out of the playoff hunt when snow is on the ground. Maybe there is no myth or curse, just a statistical anomaly that the human brain perceives as cursed, due to the desire to find order and patterns in chaos and noise. Either way, when the season kicks off again this year, I will be in purple every Sunday the team suits up, with horns on my head, ready to watch the next chapter in this team's saga unfold.
SKOL
Mariners: "They're not competitors, they're protagonists."
Falcons: "They're not a team, they're a trickster god."
Vikings: "They're not cursed, they're mythical."
It's funny and interesting that this site uses the Kensington Runestone as an "origin myth" for the Minnesota Vikings NFL team, because for the longest time, many Minnesotans, Vikings fans have said and even a few have told me that the reason the "Vikings" name was applied to Minnesota's new expansion team in 1961 was due to Minnesota's historically large, Scandivinavian descended population and had very little to do with the 1898 Kensington Runestone controversy that was supposedly discovered by an illiterate wheat farmer and contained scraps of several different languages jumbled together on a runic tablet. Most Minnesotans who might still believe in the myth surrounding the Runestone will say it likely wasnt Norse settlers who wouldve left it there, but fleeing Knights Templars, whose order had been excommunicated, disbanded, and persecuted after 1314 and Philip IV of France invented occult rumors to disparage French Templars and get rid of the order due to their monetary, military power, order, and extraterritorial presence and the fact he owed them money and reportedly, French Templar grandmaster refused to give him an extension.
The history and myths surrounding the Runestone itself are a little bit more complex and nuanced then how these documentations portray it here.
As far as Bud Grant being offered the chance of being Vikings first HC, they interviewed him, but its sketchy if they really did offer him the job over Norm van Brocklin. In 1961, Brocklin was a much more well-known, familiar NFL player, raconteur, personality and wouldve been a more popular pick, if you'd polled most Minnesota fans back in 1961 about who they wanted as Vikings HC.
I mean, Brocklin had just won a NFL title with Philadelphia, 17-13, the year before and he won another NFL title, 11 years earlier, with Rams in 1949. It was assumed and, Brocklin believed, that after retiring in 1960, he'd become the next Eagles HC. The Eagles, for whatever reasons, backed out of whatever commitment or promises they'd made to Brocklin, and Brocklin took the Vikings HC job instead.
You’re clearly not a Vikings fan.
your point, being? @@skyrimelitevids7419
I wish the NFL payed you guys to make one for every team. I get goosebumps everytime I see an episode of this series.
It would be ruined. These are made out of a labor of love. And it seems they take about 4-6 months to make just one the right way. The jon bois alex rubenstein way
The reason these are so good is that they're passion projects. Not every team has a history that lends itself to Jon and Alex's documentary style and not every team is interesting enough to get this level of passion
@@user-po2lu3dv1t yupp. works well for the teams that have never made it to the mountaintop
Eh idk I think the Bucs could potentially have a narrative arc for one of these series. I’d imagine it would look something like the Mariners series, with goofy shenanigans in the beginning as they were largely inept (John McKay’s execution quote comes to mind.) This would transition to the very slow climb that culminated in their ‘02 Super Bowl win. I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to make of the rest of the 2000’s, as they have been largely forgettable, but that’s what I would’ve said about the Mariners as well. Maybe it’s not enough for a series but I think there’s something there.
@@carterf3585Moreover, going over the history of a more successful team might be a bit redundant for them because the mainstream of the sports media would’ve probably done so at length already.
That’s probably part of why we see them do certainly teams and not others.
Jon's unique combination of subject matter, writing/speaking style, choice of background music, and graphics/cinematography (aka complete mastery of Google Earth) make his documentaries absolute masterpieces every time. And I know that it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to put these together, so despite their scarcity, the quality makes them well worth the wait. Much appreciated, y'all folks over at SB.
This is probably my sixth time watching this documentary and one thing really stands this one apart from all others: the music. Secret Base couldn't possibly have paired a better soundtrack to this series.
In particular Oilfield Panorama when they introduced Bud Grant
I listen to a lot of the music from these videos very often 😅 the closing tune of this one, "Black Rose", never fails to make me wistful
as an Falcons fan who has rewatched the Falcons series about 5 times, the reveal of Norm Van Brocklin at 28:58 had me absolutely *cackling*
56 pounds of beer, eh? It’s gonna take more than that for a Vikings fan to get through this…
That’s a lot of beer.
There is a reason this comes out the same day Weed goes legal in MN.
@@coletrickle1775 yo for real
@@fortynights1513it’s a lot of pain 😢
@@fortynights1513Less than a pound per season. If you're an enjoyer of a few pints with the lads, less than a pint per season
A 7 part series! This is so great. Thank you guys for making this!
I seriously can't wait. Life long vikings fan, and soooo many football fans think we're a team that has only lost, and doesn't know how many greats have played for this team and how close we've truly gotten to becoming a juggernaut of the NFL time and time again.
Most fans think you are a team that has only lost, but really, you are a team that excels at doing well besides when it matters the most.
Saints fan here. Really used to love Culpepper, Moss, and the Vikings when I was little. It went south…well, know. I’m really excited for this series, it’s definitely a franchise worth this close of an examination.
tbh, I can't wait to get an in-depth history lesson on my home team. Never had the time to really dive in for every single detail, so having it all here is nice.
As a Packers fan I am also excited to revel in the 70s and 98
But..juggernaut would denote winning..something..
I’m only 16 minutes in and this is already one of the best videos Jon and Alex have ever put out.
As a Vikings fan this is going to be interesting and fun as well as heartbreaking. It will be fun to watch this series and I'm hyped that Jon Bois is back
As a non Vikings fan the history behind the team was pretty engaging
@@kangkim150 I wasn't alive for most of the history, so it is very engaging to learn facts that don't get talked about often even within our fanbase. I'm happy to see other people who aren't necessarily fans of the Vikings be interested in our team. It's tough being a fan of the Vikings, but it's also worth it and I hope this series shows that.
I have been being disappointed for 30 seasons now as a Viking diehard. I bleed purple. Everyone used to make fun of me in my little hometown in Oklahoma, Boomer Sooner, because I was the only Minnesota Vikings fan in town. Then our town had two very fine young men within 10 years of each other get drafted by the Vikings and now everyone in town is a Vikings fan!!! Your channel does such a terrific job on videos like these. I watched the entire Falcons one and I hate the falcons but was so interested I couldn't stop watching. I'm also a Cleveland Indians fan if you can't tell I'm a sucker for suffering!!😂 All I can do is like and share these Vikings videos and pray that I am blessed and you do a series on how some of us longtime Indians fans will never see out team win the world series. My son's a Cubs fan and even he got to experience it. I'm really like when Lord? When's gonna be my time?? 😂
So glad to see Fran Tarkenton getting some love. My favourite player from before my time, one of the greatest to play and could definitely hang today.
I don’t like sports, but I love all of Jon Bois’ videos, because the sheer storytelling and video are amazing
I am so excited to watch this series. I've rewatched the Mariners and Falcons documentaries multiple times, I can't wait to see how this one delivers.
Edit as I start my third rewatch of the whole series: It delivered.
Same here and the Dave Steib one several times as well. I am a Vikings fan, so this couldn't be greater or worse lol. The doublest edged sword.
Pats an cards fan
@@coletrickle1775The second part of the Stieb doc in particular is one of my favorite videos they’ve made.
Along with parts three and four of the doc on my Mariners, part four on the Falcons, and (if you want to count stuff Jon did on his own) part two of the Bob Emergency.
I think, like David Ortiz (nee Arias) he'll knock it out of the park
I’m a Minnesotan adrift in the west and I can’t wait to send this to everyone I know and watch all seven hours. Amazing.
I’m so happy Secret Base just let’s these guys make absolute art for these dorktown videos. Some of the best videos on TH-cam by far
I dunno if it is the music or the theme, if it is the story of people that we will not know anymore or just the surprise to see another video by some of the greatest storytellers of our time; but every time I see a video made by this guy's, my heart decides to skip a beat, my eyes take the decision to tear a bit, my whole life becomes so meaningful and meaningless at the same time, I just love u Secret Base. Thank you
What a fantastic episode and its gonna be an incredible series. RIP Bud Grant, amazing coach and an even better human. I have faith Kevin O'Connell will continue his legacy on.
I keep coming back and watching these first few episodes featuring the tenure of Bud Grant. Something comforting about this series and cant really place why
The best part about new Jon Bois content is it reminds me Jon Bois exists and I can go back and rewatch all the old Jon Bois content
We talk about athletes being generational talents....Jon Bois is a generational talent. There's no one like him as a storyteller.
Being a Vikings fan is work. If you were to introduce American football to someone who doesn't understand it, and you asked them to pick a team, they're picking the Packers, or the Patriots, or the Chiefs, whatever. NOBODY is picking the Vikings. Why would you? Nobody signs up to be a Vikings fan, you just end up as one. Thanks, dad.
Thanks!
42:42 thanks for relegating 54 years of torture to half a minute, Jon.
Guys I am from Serbia and I love what you are doing with these videos. Been here since Bob emergency if i am correct. Love you all from Serbia and keep doing this cuz this is awesome!!
I’m from Minnesota and have family in Serbia. Welcome брат!
@@assrammington7961 hello hello brat 👍💪
Hearing Jon Bois narrate one of his videos is like being right in front of a fan on a steaming hot day. It does a lot of things to you all at once. It paralyzes you with relaxation, with calm. Like a hungry lion might feel after a big meal. Every time it is too long in between, but always long enough in between to enjoy it thoroughly.
Jon, I will be remembering this video forever because I am currently vacationing IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA here on the very night this video was uploaded and I only go here for a few days once a year. And I am a packers fan!
I'm so enamored with attention to detail here. The writing and presentation are phenomenal. Cant wait for the next episodes. Much love from a Minnesota fan.
Amazing how simple, yet compelling this is. Unbelievable that this is just free content I can watch on TH-cam.
Tarkenton was the Mahomes of his era and should’ve won so many rings
The Vikings FO and van Brocklin sort of unknowingly hurt the teams' short-term future when they traded Tarkenton to New York Giants in the 1966 off-season. During Fran's first stint in Minnesota, the defense was decent, but not the dominant, unstoppable forces of nature it would become by late 60's when Grant drafted Carl Eller, Alan Page, brought in Paul Krause, Wally Hildenberg, so while their defense became more dominant and top-rate over Grant's first few seasons, at QB, their was clearly a missing link. Kapp could play inspired, tough-as-nails football but he wasnt the athlete or player that was going to improve Vikings offense for the long-haul. Kapp had a very good, successful 2-3 year run in Minnesota but his flaws were pretty apparent and on agonizing display during Super Bowl IV and after 1969, a contract dispute led Jim Finks to ship him off to New England and for a few seasons, Minnesota's offense became a bit of a rudderless, ineffective anchor because they were lead by mediocre, second-rate QB's like Gary Cuozzo. And all this time, Tarkenton remains stuck on an aging, barely above-average Giants team and ownership that never gave him a more complete, array of weapons or a more competent supporting cast and he is still getting older.
@@davidroberts7282 yep. I commented earlier on how the Vikings have had some of the best football players ever on their roster in every era, have played some of the best ball, and just never seem to line it up. It’s so sad. The randy moss era is going to make me cry probably
@@davidroberts7282Kapp was decent in 69, but in my opinion if you put Tarkenton on that team, they may have won it all vs Kansas City.
Also, not to mention that the defense was at its best in 1969, 70 and 71; the three years before Tarkenton got there. It was still well above average in the years that followed, but Minnesota wasn’t by far the top defense with Tarkenton.
I'm here because Kirk Cousins just tore his Achilles tendon and this is my "chicken soup". Go give a hug to the Vikings fan in your life.
A year later, JJ McCarthy tore his meniscus in his knee. The pain endures.
@@jasonriehl8742 Hopefully the solid season we've had with Sammy D and a fantastic defense is a small comfort
Considering the trailer for this series started with... *that wild card game* and it kicked off with *that comeback game* I have no clue how wild this is gonna get.
*I'M HERE FOR IT*
I absolutely love these Dorktown series and I’m glad that they’re tackling another interesting football team in the Minnesota Vikings.
Let the journey begin!
Its nice to see everyone again, gather round while Jon and Alex treat us to some of the best programming on sports history
I grew up in the 70's a Vikings fan living in Michigan. I cannot overstate how good this is! Looking forward to the rest.
As a lifelong Vikings fan I look forward to the series and showing the suffering we've gone through over the decades. I'll never forget the 1998 NFC title game, screwed me up for life.
Imagine 98’s offense and 69’s defense on one team.
Both teams were pretty good at the other component, but you get my drift.
I was at that game, and it was on my birthday. So messed up.
I broke an entire computer lab right after that game.
"Hasn't missed one all year"
Me too i was 9or 10 at the time. I get a sick feeling now whenever we line up for a field goal
You guys are such engaging story tellers. The sports fan in all of us appreciates you!
35:15 The truly beautiful yet melancholic introduction to the greatest core to never get a ring. Cheers to a decade of greatness in part due to the man of the hour-Bud
You guys don't know how much I missed the long form vids. I am going to enjoy this immensely.
6:05-6:15 just made my skin crawl. Amazing work as always guys
Easily one of my favorite series on this app. Perfection
All of these documentaries and stories are amazing! Thank you for putting all of this together.
This is the best video I have seen this entire year. Great work. Gained a viewer for life.
There are many words I could say. I will be brief. I really appreciate these works of art and the untold hours of work and heart that go into telling their stories. Thank you
35:34 Idk what it is, but the music and editing when introducing Bud Grant are really powerful. This is one of those moments where watching a Dorktown video where I've actually teared up a bit. Outstanding work.
As a Minnesotan, this is f**king awesome! Seeing this channel put out a straight up doc on the Vikings is like Christmas. I'm not even 10 minutes in and this Bud Grant story is legendary. Might seem kinda trivial, but it was cool to see the newspaper clipping about the 1940 Blizzard have an excerpt from Red Wing; I'm not super-knowledgeable about it, but my Great Grandfather wrote for the Red Wing Republican Eagle, and probably worked there at the time.
I had this almost crippling realization as that frame came up that my Great Grandfather probably spent a significant portion of his life as a Packers fan. As much as I'm probably going to enjoy the rest of this documentary, that does leave me feeling a little wrong inside.
It's amazing to me that such thoroughly researched documentaries are published on TH-cam. I adore Dorktown so much. We need one of these multi-chapter deep dives into the history of the team for every NFL team.
Awesome first start by Jon & Alex for this Yorktown series about the Minnesota Vikings. But I have to say, I'm particularly pleased to learn more about Bud Grant and his history. Bud was a truly tough and disciplined man way before he first become the Vikings head coach. And Bud's Vikings teams mirrored his personality perfectly.
As a lifelong Vikings fan (35 yrs old) ive grown up listening to this history as told by my grandfather who lived through it, i own a couple books, even watched a documentary or two. This is incredible. Well done. You captured the early era of this team perfectly, people still talk about the Norm and Fran feud. As you work your way through this teams history you’ll see the anguish and tragedy that is MN sports and in particular the MN vikings. By the way Jim Marshal should be HOF too. Cant wait to see the rest of the series. I might skip the 98 season though.
The sad/beautiful thing about these history of videos is that these teams never win the big game so you know there’s never gonna be the big win and every season will end in heartbreak. But that’s what makes it great it allows us to appreciate the ride and all the moments that lead up to the big games. The characters that make up the story, the story is about the journey and that’s enough
The "Dorktown" franchises should be revisited if their teams win it all at some point. In my opinion anyway.
@@fortynights1513 I would love that like how they remade the ending of the believland 30 for 30 after the cavs came back Down 3-1
this production is off the chart.. you guys have put together something truly wonderful!!!! thank you so very much.. this is beyond awesome!
This is gonna be so electric. I screamed when Norm showed up. I can already tell this will be my favorite since Mariners. Let's go
As a Vikings Fan I’m prepared for the Heartbreak, the Triumph, and the absolute emotion that this series will bring out of me
Everyone talks about missing the field goal in 98 and the Minneapolis miracle but I’m here for the love boat and Brett Farve and all the other chaos that this team attracts.
I love you guys for making this. Thank you. We all want one Owl before we die. Skol.
Huge shout out to whoever it was who had the idea to put labels on the field. I don't know American football very well, so when I watched these videos sometimes it's very confusing to figure out what's actually going on. The chart with the win differential scores is also so much better than the old system. Cheers x
As a 28 year old life long Viking fan who loves football and football history, this makes me so happy. Like Christmas, but 8 days before my birthday lol thank you for the amazing content! Truly great!
Jon Bois & Alex Rubinstein, the definition of the perfect duo for grade A documentary production!
This one I’m very much excited about as a Packers fan, not because I want to bask in the pain of a rival, but because the Vikings have a very interesting history, despite all the shortcomings attached to it!
It’s a history very much deserving of this kind of documentary!
Their history is interesting, ours is better though 😅
This is so damn good! The simple animations are perfect for the story telling and the writing is excellent. Major respect to everybody involved!
As a Vikings fan, I can’t wait to relive every moment that has caused me mental anguish for the past 35 years.
Whether this get 10 view or a million, this is the series I’ve waited for. Thank you Secret Base.
Incredible start, can’t wait for the rest. As someone who’s read the original Poem of the Cid but not seen the movie, the section about that whole story was utterly shocking😂
As a Vikings fan and long time Jon Bois fan, this is everything I’ve been waiting for. Thank you, Secret Base.
I can’t wait to see you guys cover Fran Tarkenton. the dude whent to my high school and still holds most of our all time passing records, he also played for the university of Georgia (where he led one of the most comically stupid drives of all time). And even to this day the dude is a Legend Among the old timers of Athens!
I'm very interested in the comically stupid drive if you could share any more about it haha. Go dawgs
Go Dawgs! Also looking forward to seeing Bret Favre’s catastrophic interception.
Top 10 QB all-time. Could have been the GOAT if he played for Grant.
@@QwertyCaesarhe did play for Grant from 72-78
I can't stop watching this series. I can't wait for tomorrow's upload. And the next one. Been watching as a kid (with memories) as a 5 year old - and 1974 is the first season I can remember most of it.
A secret base series on my favorite team! Time to feel all the pain all over again.
I'll be with you there brother, Skol Vikings!
Jon Alex and Will are some of my favorite creators on this platform and every project from y’all is a work of art. Truly rare appointment viewing here on YT
20 seconds in and... bless you, Jon. I didn't know I missed Dorktown until "meanwhile, offer us two".
Never stop making these.
Its impossible not to know u miss dorktown. I find myself watching each video 10 times
Jon's videos are so well crafted. So stylistically unique. Soundtrack, graphics and editing all such high quality. Bois content is the crown jewel in the crown of the best channel on TH-cam.
It’s not just Jon making these videos.
I've never watch football, but I'm ready to become a fan of this team.
Same lol they’re so relatable
Don't get ur hopes up ;)
Don't do it. That way lies madness.
Every year is a roller coaster of insanity until you're inevitably kicked in the nuts in January.
And then you just smile, wave, and say "See you in September!"
And at that time, there you'll be happy and somehow willing to go through it all again.
@@timfortune9 that sounds amazing
Jon Alex and the team are just incapable of missing with these long form videos. Time to care way to much about to shenanigans of a random team for 7 hours and love every second
6:05 I’m not even a Vikings fan and that gave me chills
Been waiting for your next video and since I am from and live in Minnesota seem this new Dork Town video was made just for me.Thanks to everyone who worked on this.❤