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Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Chilly Who Dats and Vikings fans outside U.S. Bank Stadium

By Michael DeMocker | NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Sunday, Oct. 28: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN at 7:20 p.m. CST

1. History of the city and team:

The name Minneapolis derives from the Dakota word minne, meaning “waterfall” and the Greek word for city, polis. “Waterfall City” was born following the Louisiana Purchase when the U.S. Government sent Army Lieutenant Zebulon Pike to explore the northern parts of its new acquisition. Pike’s mission eventually led to the 1819 building of Fort Snelling at the spot where the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers meet. Two towns, St. Anthony and Minneapolis, sprang up on either side of the Saint Anthony Falls, which provided waterpower for sawmills and flour mills. Trade, lumber and flour brought settlers from the east as well as the railroad. Eventually a suspension bridge connected the two cities and gradually St. Anthony was absorbed into the growing city of Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Vikings began play as an NFL expansion team during the 1961 season. The team’s nickname was suggested internally to reflect the region’s Nordic heritage. The Vikings were the first professional team to use the state, not the team’s city, as the first part of their name. They chose purple as the primary team color because, well, no one else had done it yet. The team has been to four Super Bowls, but have never won.

The last time the teams met was early this year on Jan. 14 in Minnesota for the divisional playoffs. Not sure of final score; the Saints were winning with less than a minute to go, so I left to beat the traffic. ...

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