Wilf Great for Vikings NFL

By Krupka  |   Thursday, December 01, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Minnesota Vikings
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When Zygi Wilf purchased the Minnesota Vikings for $600 million in May there were some skeptics that doubted if he knew enough about running a football team. Those people underestimated him. He is quickly becoming one of the top owners in the NFL, and the Minnesota Vikings fans are lucky to have him.

Quickly after purchasing the team, Wilf showed the fans he would be much different than previous owner Red McCombs. He assured the fans that he would never relocate the team, something McCombs often threatened with when negotiating with Minnesota State Government Officials for a new stadium. He was quoted as saying, "We will be in the Minneapolis area forever. Look, I'm not changing that at all. We will do our best to make sure that we get the best venue and right location."

Zygi Wilf has also shown a great knack for fan friendliness. When asked about the fans he had this to say, "Vikings fans are extraordinary. They're very passionate about their team. They're very friendly, to both me and my family when we've been here, and I've enjoyed being with them as they've enjoyed seeing our team practice. It's very important to continue to have the ability to see them practice, without having to pay for it."

After an unfortunate incident that has been labeled the "sex cruise" in which some Minnesota Vikings players chartered two boats and allegedly participated in lewd acts some of which may be illegal, Wilf had the tough task of smoothing over the teams image. A new stadium he had been lobbying for was apparently off the table (talks have since resumed), and fans were angered and upset with the image the players were casting on the community. Since the incident, a new 77 page employee code of conduct was issued by Wilf for all employees-players and front office staff. He has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the whole incident and that once the investigation is over the organization would enforce punishment stricter than the NFL calls for, and has insisted that nothing of the sort will ever happen again.

If all that wasn't enough, there's plenty more. Wilf has been campaigning for a new state of the art stadium to be built. He is prepared to put down $280 million of his own money for the estimated $560 million dollar stadium that would be built in Anoka County. He has visited numerous other stadiums, taking tours helping him decide how he would want the stadium built. He favors an open air stadium, which would put the Vikings back outdoors like the good old days. He says that an open air stadium would bring the Vikings closer to their historic roots and provide a home-field advantage.

Another outstanding thing Wilf has brought to the organization is his new alumni program. The alumni program basically honors players that used to play with the Vikings. It brings players back from the old days to games and has them hang out on the sideline with the team. He does this to bring back tradition and loyalty to the franchise, and also to allow the players to become acclimated with the franchise again. It's a fantastic idea and great to see. In this weeks upcoming game former Viking hall of fame defensive lineman Carl Eller and former great running back Chuck Foreman will accompany the team to Detroit as part of this new program.

In his first six months as owner he has taken over a team that had traded all pro game breaking wide receiver Randy Moss just prior to him purchasing the team, running back Onterrio Smith was suspended for violating the leagues drug policy when he was found with a whizzinator, head coach Mike Tice was caught scalping Super Bowl tickets, and the aforementioned bye week "sex cruise" occurred. None of these can be attributed to Wilf, as McCombs left a decimated front office because he was too cheap. McCombs was always known as a shrewd business man who loved his money. Under McCombs leadership the team was not known for fan friendliness or for spending a lot of money. In fact, Wilf inherited the lowest paid coaching staff in the NFL. He plans to rebuild the front office, and it is likely the Vikings will create a general manager position.

Wilf has brought class, dignity, community, fan friendliness, and tradition back to the Vikings already in only six months. It will be amazing to see what he continues to do in his quest to create a model franchise and win a Super Bowl. He has already commented that he will be proactive and do whatever it takes to bring a proud winning tradition to the Vikings and its fans. He has vowed to build an organization the fans and community can and will be proud of, and that he will spend whatever amount of money, time, and energy it takes to win. The Vikings and their fans are extremely lucky to have such a great man as the owner, an owner that should be a model for the rest of the league.
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