I Did It My Way: A Remarkable Journey to the Hall of Fame

by Bud Grant, Jim Bruton, Sid Hartman (Foreword)

Minnesota sports legend Bud Grant tells the story of his remarkable life as a player and coach in this rich firsthand account. From surviving polio in childhood to a shining college sports career and playing both basketball and football professionally, and from coaching a championship-winning Canadian team to leading the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowls, Grant shares his personal perspective for the first time in this autobiography with entertaining detail and refreshing openness. The book recounts his experiences with star players and gives the inside story on Grant's controversial retirement in 1983 and his return to the sideline in 1985. Minnesota sports lovers will also enjoy Grant's reflection on his own idiosyncrasies, including his famous love of cold-weather football and banning of sideline heaters, and his postretirement life spent devoted to environmental protection and being an outdoorsman.

Genres: Football, Sports

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Topher Fronda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an interesting man. Born into a lower middle class family on Lake Superior. Polio survivor. Great Depression. Played 3 sports in college. Served in the military. Played in the NBA and NFL. Quit playing to coach at age 29. Win multiple CFL Championships. Bring the Vikings to 4 Super Bowls. Retire to spend more time with family and hunting.

It may sound like I just spoiled the book but the best parts were all the stories throughout. Those alone were worth it.

It wasn’t very well written though. It felt like he was giving a mostly chronological train of thought with side tracks and skips. When he was excited about something he’d go into it and give a good story, but then glaze over the next part.

Very much worth the read though just for all the stories.

[Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bud Grant seems like a real cool guy. The book has some great stories (especially about his youth) and a charmingly straightforward, no-nonsense tone that made me appreciate Grant’s philosophy about coaching and about life in general. (On coaching, he basically says that coaching strategy is pointless and that you just have to get the best players. Makes sense!) There’s a lot of repetition, though; it gives the book a casual, informal feel, but it also makes the text a decent bit longer than it needs to be. I think this was a solid editing pass away from being truly great, but I still got a lot out of it.

[Lisa Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hall of Fame inductee, NFL coach Bud Grant has led a remarkably unpretentious and successful life in I Did It My Way: A Remarkable Journey to the Hall of Fame (pp. 288). A recent story about Grant appeared in the Star Tribune about how he spends his days hunting in ND at the age of 93. The article referenced this book. This is a great memoir and not because it's all about sports. Although, there's plenty here about sports because Grant was a talented athlete. Born Harry Peter Grant after his Dad the name Bud came from his mother, Bernice, who called him Buddy Boy. Grant is associated with his years coaching the Minnesota Vikings but beforehand he had a successful coaching career in Winnipeg, Canada. It's fair to say he has been the most successful coach the Vikings have had but he doesn't consider himself a coach; he's more of an evaluator of talent. However, early on Grant with an incredible amount of confidence learned how to be resourceful with his time and lack of money. It's perhaps the more powerful part of his story. Cleary, his parents were also instrumental in shaping who he became. Grant was happily married to his wife Pat whom he met at the University of Minnesota until her passing in 2009 and they had 6 children. All the praise on the back of the book is spot-on. The forward by the late Sid Hartman and introduction by Fran Tarkenton will give readers goose bumps because it is complimentary and true. I will always remember going down to the Mankato Training camp as a kid and as the players were coming off the field Bud Grant was one of the many who stopped to talk to fans and sign autographs.

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outside of a little more writing dedicated to hunting, fishing and nature than I was expecting, there is nothing I don't like about this book. From growing up in Superior, WI where I have spent some time, to playing high school sports there and 3 sports at the University of Minnesota, to coaching in Winnipeg and Minneapolis, Grant's observations on life are valuable if a bit rigid. He is living proof that big money or a high salary are not necessary to a successful life.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up in the 60's and 70's, I always loved the great northern football teams who played out in the elementary, regardless of how cold, wet, muddy or snowy. The Coach called the players up from the bench, they were given their assignments, and they replied with a "Yes Sir". The best of these was Bud Grant of the mighty Vikings. Nothing symbolized the physical and mental toughness like the team in purple.

Having heard stories about Bud Grant in the past and now having lived in Northern MN for 15 years, I was interested in reading his story. I found the book in the library, and checked it out and had started reading it when we learned of Bud Grant's passing on
March 11th, 2023. RIP Sir! The tales of his upbringing, hobbies and pursuits did not differ much from my own. Bud lived some tough times, but always seemed to come e out if every situation unscathed, and usually better off. He was acquainted with a wide assortment of notables and his choices in life kept him always moving forward. He either led an extre.ely blessed life, or is extremely gifted in .aking things up!

Some parts of the book, especially the latter half, become a bit repetitive and wordy. A few things were probably best to have been not included, as they don't ring out with the same values as they did to Bud 30 -40 years ago. Such are the memoirs of an 85 year old man, though. Overall, a great glimpse into a man's life and accomplishments that would be impossible to repeat today.

[Luke Koran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Settle in, Vikings fans, for a deep look into the man behind the curtain of the Purple People Eaters’ greatest years, as Bud Grant finally details his life in “I Did It My Way: A Remarkable Journey to the Hall of Fame.” Though his 4 Super Bowl appearances with the Minnesota Vikings did not get adequate commentary, Bud pleases his readership with his interesting life story from Superior, Winnipeg, and Minneapolis. Both his athletic and coaching career are retold nicely, as well as his love of family and the outdoors. I still yearned for a few more tidbits from Coach, especially concerning the Vikes, but I’ll take any sporting autobiography I can get my hands on, as should you.

[Dylan Sites · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gifting this to a friend and wanted to read it first. I really wanted to like this book. I watched a documentary a few years ago that referenced Bud Grant and this book a lot and have had it on my list since. I guess there is a reason he wasn’t a writer but the Vikings head coach instead. Pretty boring overall unless you care about football in a deep way. I will say though his calmness and more laid back approach to NFL coaching is basically unheard of. He does give a lot of general life advice I found interesting especially regarding growing up in the Great Depression and managing a team of dozens of the best athletes in the world at the time.

[Desarae Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly was not born when Bud coached the Vikings, but what an auto biography! I didn’t know much about him, but when he passed he definitely still makes an impact on football! He was a man that did great things, but also made family his life too! Even if you are not a football fan, this is still a great book to read and learn about this man!

[Alli Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Vikings fans will enjoy this purely for the respect they have for Bud and what he represents as a Viking.
It’s not exactly well written but enjoyable. It certainly reminds me of a grandfather reminiscing.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:
Bud Grant is a legend to Minnesota sports fans, so when I saw that he wrote an autobiography I immediately picked up a copy. I was hoping to not only read about his time coaching the Vikings, but also more about his time in the Canadian Football League, his playing days and what he has done since coaching. Those were all covered, but there is a lot more to the book than that, and it is some of those stories that make this an outstanding book.

No matter what topic is discussed, Grant writes much like he coached - he stated his view or point, talked about the important aspects to either give credence to the story or explain his opinion, and then moved onto the next topic. He stated several times during the book that he would not dwell too much on games that were lost or players that left the team because he felt that it did not help to dwell on the mistakes if the team was to move forward. He wrote the book with that concept in mind, as there is not a lot of reflection on the four Super Bowl losses by the Vikings during his tenure or other tough losses. Instead, he talks a lot about the great players he coached such as Fran Tarkenton, Chuck Foreman and Alan Page. Vikings fans who followed the team during this time will recall fondly those players who were the stars of the team’s heyday.

There were several “firsts” that Grant accomplished during his sports career as both a player and a coach that are covered in this book. One of these are becoming the first “hardship” case when he left the University of Minnesota’s basketball team to play professionally for the Minneapolis Lakers. Many readers may not know that Grant was a fine athlete, excelling in basketball and baseball as well as football. He also talks about the Vikings running the “West Coast” offense in the 1970’s before the San Francisco 49’ers did, giving it that moniker. His writing comes across as prideful yet not boastful when covering these topics.

However, I believed some of the best sections of this book were not about his playing or coaching career. His account of how his family got through the tough economic times was fascinating reading (I won’t give away too many details of that.) His chapters on animals and the outdoors are also well written.

But the best chapter was chapter 3 when he describes his ordeal when he was caught outside during the famous Armistice Day blizzard of 1940. An avid hunter and fisherman since he was a young boy, Grant was hunting when the storm suddenly arrived and the tale of what he did to survive that storm and ensure his hunting companions were safe was nothing short of incredible. That chapter alone makes the book worth the time to read.

This is an outstanding book written by a legendary coach that captures his life in the same manner as he coached his football teams. It covers many topics and aspects of the man’s life in an even-keeled manner and comes across as sincere, not boastful or regretful. Readers who are sports fans, especially Minnesota sports fans, will love this book.


Did I skim?
No.

Pace of the book:
Very good. The book does follow a true timeline and does not skip much. There are times Grant will go off on a tangent with a related story, but these are infrequent and short – it doesn’t steer off course for too long.

Do I recommend?
Pro football fans will like this book, especially Minnesota Vikings fans. Also, those who enjoy the outdoors will like Grant’s chapters on hunting and animals in general. Something for many tastes.

Book Format Read:
e-book (Kindle)

[Graham Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bud writes the way he lived his life: to the point and without unnecessary frills. There's little drama in the autobiography, so if you know nothing about Coach Bud Grant I'd suggest watching something on YouTube (Secret Base's seven-part, 8+ hour "History of the Minnesota Vikings") because he doesn't really introduce important events so much as reference them for people who know them already.

But the saving grace of the book is his coaching philosophy. There's so much there to glean that you realize why he was so successful. A good read for mentors, teachers, and coaches alike.

[Glenn Kaufmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Bud's story. I could've done without some of the end of the book's hunting and fishing stories, but that's part of his make up. Good story about a great guy. Worth the read.

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well told, easy to read, interesting story about the life and philosophy of Bud Grant.

[Dave Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into a great man

I was a big fan of Grant and the Vikings growing up. This book is a must read for anyone who is a fan of football in general and or common sense.

[Andy Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great book! The Armistice Day blizzard was a great story as well as his hitchhiking to Cardinal tryouts at 15.