The Green Bay Packers ended a nine-game winless streak against the Minnesota Vikings with a 19-7 win at Milwaukee County Stadium in Week 11 of the 1979 season. Defensive end Mike Butler broke a Packers record in this game by returning a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown while running back Terdell Middleton gained 135 yards on 27 carries to pace the offense. This game was thrilling for the Packers who had struggled through a disappointing, injury-riddled season. Winning this game was like getting a monkey off their backs.
Mike Butler Sets a Packers Record: The Buildup
The 1979 season was a disappointing one for the Packers. The previous season, the Pack finished 8-7-1, their first winning season under head coach Bart Starr. Unfortunately, they took a step back in 1979 and entered this game with a 3-7 record and were on a three-game losing streak.
The Vikings entered the game with a 4-6 mark and needed a win to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. The Vikings defeated the Packers earlier that season in overtime, 27-21 on a touchdown pass from Tommy Kramer to Ahmad Rashad.
The Packers hadn’t beaten the Vikings since 1974 and were looking to end an 0-8-1 slump against their division rivals.
Green Bay did get some good news before the game. Defensive end Ezra Johnson, who recorded 20.5 sacks the previous season, was returning to the lineup after missing the previous seven games. That would be a big boost to the Packers pass rush.
A Fast Start
The Packers offense, which had struggled all year, wasted little time in moving the football. The team had been rocked by injuries at running back including first round pick Eddie Lee Ivery who was lost for the season in Week 1 with a knee injury.
Quarterback David Whitehurst led the Pack on a 12-play, 89-yard drive after the opening kickoff. The Packers moved the ball mostly on the ground, with Middleton carrying the ball six times for 30 yards. Whitehurst completed key passes to tight end Paul Coffman for six yards and to second-year wide receiver James Lofton for 20. The drive ended on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Aundra Thompson. Tom Birney kicked the extra point and Green Bay led 7-0.
The Vikings responded with a drive of their own and reached the Green Bay 22. But there, rookie linebacker Rich Wingo intercepted Kramer to end the drive and give the Packers back the early momentum.
Mike Butler Sets a Packers Record: The Record Setting Play
The Vikings started another drive midway through the second quarter. They reached the Green Bay 28 when the Packers made the biggest play of the game.
Ezra Johnson came in and sacked Kramer. Butler scooped up the ball and ran it back 70 yards for a touchdown. The 70-yard fumble return was a new franchise record. The old mark was 60 yards, set by Hall of Famer Henry Jordan back in 1964.
“I tried to scoop up the ball and run but I stumbled,” Butler said after the game. “When I got going, I looked back and I saw number 51 (guard Jim Hough) chasing me. I never thought I’d make it to the end zone. I just wanted to make sure I held onto the ball and not fumble it when he caught me, but I must have gotten a couple of pretty good blocks.”
“I fell and I rolled over, then I got up. I kept running, running, running. I know now how it feels to make a long run,” Butler added.
“All of us were calling him Terdell Butler,” Middleton joked. “Now he thinks he’s a halfback.”
Butler almost didn’t survive the celebration. “My teammates were jumping on me. The fans were jumping on me. It’s hard to get any air under all that,” he said. In fact, he left the game as a result and didn’t return until five minutes had elapsed in the third quarter.
Birney’s extra point attempt was blocked by Minnesota’s Matt Blair so Green Bay’s lead was 13-0 at the half.
The Lead Extended
The third quarter was a slog. Both teams turned the ball over and couldn’t sustain drives. But on the second play of the fourth quarter, linebacker John Anderson forced Vikings running back Ted Brown to cough up the football and safety Johnnie Gray fell on it at the Packers 17. That ended another Vikings threat and started the Packers on another scoring drive.
Middleton ran off left tackle for 28 yards to open the drive. An 11-yard pass to running back Eric Torkelson helped convert a 3rd-and-10 situation for the Packers. Starr even gambled on 4th-and-1 at the 35 and it paid off when Whitehurst ran around left end for two yards and a first down. Middleton ran for another 18 yards.
The drive ended on a five-yard pass from Whitehurst to Middleton. Again, Birney missed the extra point, so the Packers led 19-0.
Mike Butler Sets a Packers Record: Closing Out the Game
The Vikings broke the shutout midway through the fourth quarter on a three-yard touchdown pass from Kramer to tight end Bob Tucker. That pulled the Vikings to within 19-7.
After the Packers went three-and-out, the Vikings drove to the Packers 20 with passes to Rashad, Sammy White, Brown, and Rickey Young. But on the next play, defensive back Mike McCoy stepped in front of Rashad and intercepted the pass that snuffed out the last Minnesota threat.
The Packers had ended their nine-game winless streak against the Vikings with a 19-7 win.
The Aftermath
The Packers were thrilled with the win. “The Vikings mistakes hurt them severely. It’s nice to win one against them, although it pales by comparison to what they’ve done to use over the years,” Starr told reporters.
Defensive coordinator Dave Hanner was thrilled with the pressure Johnson provided. The Packers recorded five sacks and Ezra had four of them. “You take all the penetration you can get and Ezra gives us that,” he said. “He and Butler compliment each other and when you make the quarterback hurry, it gives your defensive backs a better chance.”
“For someone who hadn’t started in seven weeks, I’d say Ezra had a hell of a day,” Butler added. “Having him back was a big psychological boost for the rest of the defense. When you lose a guy like that, you automatically lose some of your confidence.”
The Packers won the game but finished the season with a 5-11 mark while the Vikings finished 7-9. Other than the Packers thrilling upset win over the Patriots on Monday Night Football earlier that season, this was the most satisfying win in a frustrating season. And for Mike Butler, it was his first touchdown in football at any level and a career highlight.
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