In 1964, Finks was named the general manager of the
Minnesota Vikings. In
1968,
Minnesota won its first NFL Central Division Championship, marking the start of a dynasty that produced 11 division championship teams and four Super Bowl appearances in the following 14 years. In
1969, the
Vikings won 12 of 14 games and claimed the NFL championship before losing to the
American Football League's
Kansas City Chiefs 23–7 in
Super Bowl IV. The Vikings team that Finks put together was powered by a dynamic defensive front four, popularly known as The "
Purple People Eaters". The first member of the unit, defensive end
Jim Marshall, came to the Vikings in a 1961 trade before Finks arrived. In
1964, the new general manager added two potential stars to the line: end
Carl Eller as a first-round pick in
the NFL draft, and tackle
Gary Larsen in a trade. He completed "The Purple People Eaters" in 1967 by picking
Alan Page in
the draft. In
1967,
Norm Van Brocklin resigned as head coach and Finks immediately hired
Bud Grant, who had been a successful coach of the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL for 10 seasons. That year, Finks also brought in a new quarterback,
Joe Kapp, from the CFL. Kapp had played for the Calgary Stampeders when Finks was its general manager. During the
1969 NFL championship season, Kapp passed for a record seven touchdowns against the
Baltimore Colts and was a major contributor to his team's success. In
1972, Finks made another daring trade with the
New York Giants, this time to bring back
Fran Tarkenton, the quarterback he had traded in 1967. In 1973, the Vikings defeated the
Dallas Cowboys for the NFC championship but lost to the
Miami Dolphins 24–7 in
Super Bowl VIII. It turned out to be the last game with the Vikings for Finks, who that season was named the NFL Executive of the Year. Finks, who had been named a club vice-president in 1972 as a reward for his brilliant work, resigned in May 1974, reportedly because the Vikings refused to award him the stock that had been held by Van Brocklin and also because of the decision by NFL Commissioner
Pete Rozelle to have all team owners have offices.
Chicago Bears Finks joined the
Chicago Bears as executive vice-president and general manager. Owner
George Halas had made most of the football decisions himself for most of the time since joining the team in 1920 (when it was the Decatur Staleys), even after buying the team in 1921 and overseeing its move to Chicago. However, he finally saw the need to modernize and gave Finks complete control of football operations. Finks spent the
1974 season studying the Bears player talent as well as opposition players from all around the NFL. The next year, he began employing the same formula he used so well in Minnesota to improve the Bears' talent pool. The Bears under Finks improved. By
1977, they reached the playoffs for the first time since 1963. They were a playoff team again in
1979 with a 10–6 record, best-ever for the Finks-led Bears. But Finks' tenure in Chicago ended suddenly in
1982 when he resigned because Halas did not consult him in the hiring of
Mike Ditka as head coach. However, he did stay with the Bears until after the 1983 Draft. By the time he left the Bears he held a minor portion of the franchise, which he relinquished when he resigned. Finks contributed to one of the most dominant NFL teams of the 1980s. The
1985 Bears went over 15–1 in the regular-season and shut out both the
New York Giants and
Los Angeles Rams in playoff games leading to the Super Bowl. After leaving the Bears, Finks joined the
Chicago Cubs as president and chief executive officer in September 1983. He remained through the
1984 season when the
Cubs captured the 1984
National League's
Eastern Division crown. His record as GM with the Bears from 1974 to 1983 (Including 1983 because that was his last draft) was 65 wins – 80 losses
Later career On January 14, 1986, Finks took charge of a
New Orleans Saints team that never had experienced a winning season in its 19-year history. His first move was to hire a new coach,
Jim Mora. Success came more quickly for Finks in New Orleans than it had in either Minnesota or Chicago. In just his
second season, the
Saints won 12 games for their first winning season ever. Finks was named NFL Executive of the Year for the second time. When NFL Commissioner
Pete Rozelle retired in
1989, Finks was the leading candidate to replace him. He was the only candidate put forward for the job by a six-owner search committee (
Wellington Mara,
Lamar Hunt,
Art Modell,
Robert Parins,
Dan Rooney, and
Ralph Wilson). However, a group of 11 newer owners who wanted more of a voice in the selection process abstained from voting, preventing Finks from receiving the 19 votes necessary to become Commissioner. Six months later, a second meeting was held and it ended with 13 votes for Finks and 13 for attorney
Paul Tagliabue. At a third meeting, a compromise was reached by the two groups that would make Tagliabue Commissioner and Finks president in charge of football operations. However, Finks declined this position and Tagliabue was elected by an undisclosed number of votes. ==Death==