Savage Words: Ever wondered where the Minnesota Vikings played their first game?

I’m always surprised when I ask someone, and they’re completely unaware, where the Minnesota Vikings played their first game.

I’ve known the answer to that question since I was a little kid, and I’m not entirely certain why. Someone told me once, and I’ve always hung onto it. But I’m a trivia nerd, especially when it comes to sports. I will never forget things like that.

If you don’t know, it might come as a bit of a shocker. The Minnesota Vikings played their first game ever – a preseason game – against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 5, 1961 … at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.

If you’re headed to Howard Wood on Friday to watch the Lynx play Sioux Falls Washington in the season-opener, I’d love to point you to the spot where the Vikings’ first game is commemorated with a plague. 

But I can’t.

Because there’s not one.

And that’s strange to me. It’s always been strange. That’s why I was glad to hear a friend of mine made it his mission to get that very thing done, to get a commemorative plaque noting the game between the Vikings and Cowboys.

Lance Balk is the same age as me. We graduated from high school the same year. He played football for O’Gorman and USF, but I never knew his fandom for the Vikings.

And I was right. He’s not necessarily a Vikings fan. He’s just someone in the community who saw a need to mark a historical site.

He’s raised the money, and has an artist picked out to design it. The finances are all covered. So, it seems like a no-brainer that the plaque should be placed, right?

But Lance has hit some surprising road blocks in his quest to get the project completed. Howard Wood Field is owned and operated by the Sioux Falls School District. Lance formally reached out to them to tell them of the idea, and that there would be no cost to them to have such a historical plaque erected.

The response was bristly, at best. 

It read, in part: We know Howard Wood Field is rich in history and traditions as it has hosted many memorable events throughout the years. We have decided not to move forward with placing a Minnehaha Historical Marker at Howard Wood Field. Thank you for your understanding and thank you again for your efforts to honor the history of Sioux Falls.

When Lance showed me that response, I’ll be honest, I was taken back. I agree that Howard Wood Field has played host to many memorable events over the years, but with all due respect to various high school football teams, the Dakota Relays, and even an occasional SDSU, USD, Augustana and USF regular season football games in the past, can there be a bigger moment at Howard Wood Field than the Vikings’ first game – ever?

The Vikings are about to begin their 65th season of existence, and it all started where the Lynx and Washington play this Friday.

I guess I don’t get it, but I hope my friend keeps banging on their doors. He’s heard ‘no’, but he’s not discouraged.

I reached out to Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken about the issue. I told him I understood it was a school district decision, and out of his control. But I asked him anyway, what his thoughts were about the issue.

He gave me an appropriate name on his staff that handles “all things historical for the city.” What surprised me most about his email, is that he, too, had no idea the game was ever played.

Perhaps that might be reason enough to keep pursuing it.

Even if you’re not a Vikings fan, I think it’s fair to assume that most football fans would like to see that piece of history commemorated. 

Actually, if you’re not a Vikings fan, you might especially want a plaque to commemorate the game.

The Cowboys won 38-13.