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Friday, Apr. 11, 2025

Is it universally accepted that the Minnesota Vikings logo and colors were inspired by Wisconsin?

Winter Keefer, MinnPost
no

While one theory traces the Vikings’ name and colors to Wisconsin, it’s not the definitive explanation.

The Vikings’ original helmet, uniform and logo were designed by Los Angeles cartoonist Karl Hubenthal in 1961. According to notes and drawings saved by Hubenthal’s family after his death in 1997, the Vikings’ first general manager, Bert Rose, instructed Hubenthal to use the colors purple and gold—the colors of Rose’s college alma mater, the University of Washington.

Some people have claimed the Vikings logo and colors were inspired by the alma mater of former Vikings minority owner Ole Haugsrud, Superior Central High School in Wisconsin, where the team nickname was the Vikings and one of its colors was purple. However, this theory is contested. 

According to the Vikings’ website, the name was selected “because it represented both an aggressive person with the will to win and the Nordic tradition in the northern Midwest.”

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