The Minnesota Vikings have been a member of the NFL since 1961, when they joined the American Football League, which failed, allowing them the chance to join the NFL as an expansion team. They are now in the North Division of the NFC, but originated as a member of the Western Conference Central Division, and then moved to the NFC Central Division in 1970, where they played until 2002. They won one NFL championship prior to 1970, and have lost all four Super Bowls that they have played in since. However, a significant accomplishment in Minnesota Vikings history is their number of division wins. They have the most division wins of any NFL franchise, with a total of 17 division titles throughout their 40+ year career in the NFL.

Until 1982, the Minnesota Vikings history consisted of home games played at Metropolitan Stadium. At this point, they began playing at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which is also the home of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. Early in NFL history, the Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets were the team of the area. They played throughout the 1920s and 1930s as such, but then were disbanded. In 1959, three businessmen were awarded a new franchise as a part of the American Football League, which was quickly disbanded and teams were moved into the NFL franchise. The Minnesota Vikings roster didn't officially get a name until 1960, when they were chosen to be the Minnesota Vikings as a reflection on the Scandinavian culture in the state. Throughout Minnesota Vikings history, they had always had an energetic marketing program with home attendance meeting nearly 85% capacity at the outset.

In 1969, the Minnesota Vikings history included a schedule ending at 12-2, which was the best record in the NFL at the time. This record highlighted the longest single-season winning streak--12 games in a row. This hadn't happened for 35 years in the NFL. They were also the first expansion team to win an NFL championship, which secured their contention in Super Bowl IV (the Vikings lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.) Through the early 70s, the team continued to do well. The Minnesota Vikings roster included Alan Page, who won the NFL MVP award in 1971, making him only the second defensive player to win that award to date. They managed to make it to the Super Bowl again in 1973, which ended in another lost championship. Again in 1975, they earned their place in the Super Bowl game, but returned home empty handed. Two years later, as another significant event in Minnesota Vikings history, they graced the Super Bowl stage yet again against the Oakland Raiders. This Rose Bowl game ended similarly to the previous championship attempts-without the winning title. By the end of this decade, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was breaking ground and under construction.

Minnesota Vikings history at the hallmark of the 1980s brought many changes for the team, including a new team complex, named Winter Park, and a new stadium in the Metrodome. Their first game was against the Seattle Seahawks, and they defeated the Seahawks easily. This was a preseason game, however, and their first season game in the Metrodome was played against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which they also won. In 1984, then head coach Bud Grant retired, and Les Steckel moved up from offensive assistant to new head coach. At the time, he was the youngest head coach in the league. After coaching the team through their worst season ever, Steckel was fired and quickly replaced with Bud Grant, who came out of retirement until 1986.

The Minnesota Vikings roster acquired Herschel Walker from the Cowboys in 1989, which ended up costing them many draft picks, including the drafting of Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson. Walker only played for three seasons, which were all very bad seasons, and the Cowboys ended up with three Super Bowl Victories as a result of the deal they made with the Vikings. In retrospect, this transaction had a significant impact on the Minnesota Vikings history. At this point, Jerry Burns had been the coach since 1985. In 1991, he retired, and Dennis Green was made the new head coach. The Minnesota Vikings team scored more than 550 points in 1998, leading them to a record for the most points scored in a season. However, that record was defeated in 2007 by the New England Patriots, which was the team that former Viking Randy Moss moved to in the early 2000s.

Popular Minnesota Vikings memorabilia includes the Helga Hats, which are worn by fans at the games. There is also a lot of value in most Randy Moss Minnesota Vikings football cards and collectibles, because he was a stellar rookie player on the team in the late 1990s. Any Minnesota Vikings autographed memorabilia should also hold significance, because the team has had much success and many great players in their years as a franchise.