Jerry Burns, an NFL innovator as a longtime Vikings offensive coordinator and later as their head coach, died Wednesday at his home in Eden Prairie. He was 94.
Known as “Burnsie,” he was Minnesota’s offensive coordinator from 1968-85 under hall of fame coach Bud Grant, and helped the team to four Super Bowls. He later served as head coach from 1986-91, compiling a 52-43 record and leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game after the 1987 season.
Burns had been in poor health. Grant said in a phone interview he last saw him about a month ago.
“He wasn’t in very good shape,” said Grant, who turns 94 on May 20. “He had dementia. We talked but half of what I was saying wasn’t getting through. He was getting old like I am. Sometimes you just get old, and you just die.’’
Grant said Wednesday was “a tough day” due to the death of Burns and of Jim Klobuchar, a longtime writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the father of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Grant was good friends with Jim Klobuchar, who once was a Vikings beat writer and who died in Burnsville at the age of 93.
“It’s terrible to grow old and have your friends keep dying around you,” Grant said. “I had a good cry after hearing about Burnsie, I really did,”
Burns’ daughter, Erin Burns-Gaarder, said her father died shortly after 2 p.m. while surrounded by his wife Maryln, his five children and several other relatives. Burns had 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Burns-Gaarder said her father’s dementia had taken a turn for the worse after last Christmas and this year he had been going “rapidly downhill.” She said he had been in hospice care at the family home since April 19, and that his final communication with family members was on Tuesday, when he said, “I love you.’’
“He’s where he needs to be,’’ she said. ““I told him he was ready and it was peaceful. He’s a rock star. He’s my hero. I think anybody who met him, their life is better because of it. That was the main thing for him in his life was love for his family and the people around him.”
Former Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer, who played for Burns when he was offensive coordinator and head coach, said he last saw him at a team alumni function in September 2019.
“I’m very sad to hear it, but he had a good, long life,” said Kramer, who played Minnesota from 1977-89. “And he was the funniest person I’ve ever met, I’ll tell you that.”
Burns was known for his sense of humor and for being an innovator. Chuck Foreman, a Vikings running back from 1973-79, said Burns developed the Purple Offense, a forerunner of the West Coast offense that hall of fame coach Bill Walsh used to win three Super Bowls for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s.
“Bill Walsh got credit for Jerry Burns’ offense,” Foreman said. “That was our offense. That wasn’t their offense. We incorporated that to take advantage of my abilities as a receiver, so we were throwing that way before the West Coast offense.”
Foreman, who developed into a top running and receiving threat under Burns, was saddened to learn of his death.
“I’m very disheartened, of course, to hear about Jerry,” Foreman said. “Jerry was a wonderful man, certainly just a great person. Also, a great football coach. He was certainly instrumental in my success as a football player.”
Burns was born Jan. 24, 1927 in Detroit and was a backup quarterback at Michigan. He went into coaching following his graduation, and was Iowa’s head coach from 1961-65, compiling a 16-27-2 record before being fired. Burns spent 1966 and 1967 as a Green Bay assistant under the legendary Vince Lombardi, and the Packers won the Super Bowl both seasons.
Grant brought Burns to Minnesota in his second season in 1968 to be offensive coordinator. When Grant retired for the first time after the 1983 season, Burns was passed over as head coach when the Vikings hired receivers coach Les Steckel, who went 3-13 in 1984.
After Steckel was fired, Grant came back to coach in 1985. After that season, Grant retired again, and this time was replaced by Burns.
“Of course, they made an error,” Grant said of Burns initially being passed over. “He should have gotten the job at that time.”
Burns’ top moment as head coach came when Minnesota, as an 11-point underdog, beat the Walsh-coach 49ers 36-24 on the road in a 1987 divisional playoff game. The Vikings lost 17-10 at Washington the following week in the NFC Championship Game. They had a chance to tie the game in the final minute but Darrin Nelson dropped a pass from Wade Wilson just shy of the goal line. Washington went on to defeat Denver 42-10 in Super Bowl XXII.
“(The Vikings) would have beaten Denver,” Grant said. “Burnsie was one play away from winning the Super Bowl in my opinion.”
Burns retired as Minnesota’s coach after the 1991 season, when he was just shy of his 65th birthday. He was named to the team’s Ring of Honor in 2005.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family,” said hall of fame guard Randall McDaniel, who played for the Vikings from 1988-99. “I’m thinking about all the good times I had with him. There really weren’t any bad times. My career started with Burnsie. I owe him a lot.”
McDaniel said Burns was known for often forgetting the names of players and for his sense of humor, which included plenty of one-liners. Kramer recalled Wednesday when he threw six touchdown passes in a 1986 game against the Packers before Burns took him out in the third quarter of what eventually was a 42-7 win.
“After I threw my sixth touchdown pass in the third quarter, I told Burnsie, ‘I think I can throw 10 or 12 touchdown passes,’’’ Kramer said. “He said, ‘The only thing you’re going to do is throw your butt on the bench.’ He kept us laughing all the time.’’
Burns-Gaarder said funeral arrangements are pending and are being handled by Washburn-McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel. The other children surviving Burns are son Mike Burns and daughters Kelly Amighi, Kathy Siegfried and Kerry Erickson.
