Hall of Fame Vikings coach Bud Grant is holding what has been described widely as his last garage sale. Appearing on Thursday’s PFT Live, Grant said it’s definitely his last garage sale -- until his next one.
Grant made it clear that there still could be another garage sale. Which makes sense, given the response to Grant’s latest event. Hundreds showed up on late Wednesday afternoon and evening in the rain, on the first day of the three-day event.
While Grant started the garage sale as a way to move merchandise from years of his career in football, this year’s sale features new limited-edition bobblehead dolls. And future sales could have other things not from Grant’s closets or basement or attic, possibly with Grant selecting items from outsiders who would essentially sell on consignment, with Grant getting a chunk of the revenue in return for supplying a large throng of customers. Grant didn’t say that, but it’s a logical extension of the event, if/when his personal stash of garage-salable items has been fully depleted.
As to Grant’s career as coach of the Vikings, a team he took to four Super Bowls, he provided a pragmatic response when asked to reflect on the biggest win of his career: “Well, if you’re going to succeed in this business, you don’t live in the past. If you win or lose, the next day you got to to move on. And remember, football is entertainment. It’s not life or death. It may appear to be that for some people. But it’s basically entertainment. It’s like going to a show of any kind. It’s over, it’s over, and you move on. I don’t dwell or replay or have anything that would -- I have no trophies up here, I have no trophy room. Nothing that stands out as a signature game or a signature win or loss. You kind of move on.”
Move on he has, with more than 30 years of active retirement since leaving the Vikings for a second time, after a one-year return to the team following a disastrous 3-13 season under Les Steckel. In Grant’s wake is a career that still has him being the winningest coach in Vikings history, a four-time Grey Cup winner as a CFL coach, a former CFL player, a former NFL player, a former NBA player (with the Minneapolis Lakers), and a three-sport athlete at the University of Minnesota.
In two days, Grant turns 90, and he’s blessed with a large family that remains actively involved with him, and with his latest garage sale. Here’s hoping it really won’t be his last.