(born May 20, 1927) is a former American football and Canadian football head coach. Bud served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League for 18 seasons. Grant was the second (1967-83) and fourth (1985) head coach of the team. Prior to coaching the Vikings, he was the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League for ten seasons, winning the Grey Cup four times. Along with being the most successful coach in Vikings history, Grant is the third most successful professional football coach, behind Don Shula and George Halas, with a combined 290 wins in the NFL and CFL. Grant was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He was the first coach in the history of professional football to guide teams to the Grey Cup finals and the Super Bowl. Grant attended the University of Minnesota and was a three sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. Following college, he had a professional playing career for the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA),Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL.
A first round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1950, Grant was unsatisfied with their initial contract offer, and decided to play basketball for the Minneapolis Lakers, who were for all intents and purposes being run by his friend, Star Tribune reporter Sid Hartman. Playing for the Lakers also allowed Grant to continue to pitch as a "hired gun" for town teams around Minnesota and Wisconsin in his summers, a lucrative side career for Grant. After two seasons (and two NBA championships) as a reserve for the Lakers, Grant finally agreed to play for the Eagles in the NFL. After one season as an undersized defensive end, in which he led the team in sacks (un unofficial statistic at the time), he switched to offense for his second season, and was the second leading receiver in the NFL with 56 catches and 997 yards.
