Amid 50 years of Purple pageantry, is this team the biggest flop?

The Vikings will close the celebration of their 50th season by playing the Chicago Bears on Monday night at the emergency location of TCF Bank Stadium.

There is some justice in this, for the Vikings' greatest moments often came in the cold of the Bloomington prairie, and now the honored warriors from the Super Bowl years will be taking their halftime bows in a familiar sub-zero wind chill.

And there should be no hint of heaters on the home sideline. The Purple of 2010 have done enough to disgrace their heritage -- and for a current player to be seen near a heater vs. the Bears would be the equivalent of delivering a direct kick to the shin of Harry P. Grant, the most iconic Viking of all.

One night earlier at the "gala," many grand moments will be recalled for a franchise that has reached the postseason 26 times and won 19 playoff games.

Yet, you wouldn't be a true follower of the Purple if you neglected this week to recall the angst of the most disappointing seasons in this franchise's five decades. We're not talking moments here -- a campaign ended by a Morten Andersen field goal or a Drew Pearson push -- but the result of a team's journey from the summer heat to the dead of winter.

Here, in reverse order, are the five most disappointing seasons in Vikings history, based on expectations and the magnitude of the flop that followed:

The 1964 Vikings went 5-0 in exhibition games and created the first anticipation of success. Norm Van Brocklin's club sputtered to a 2-3 start, but then went on a 6-2-1 run to close the season.

The Vikings lost the opener 35-16 in Baltimore, but were 5-3 when the Colts came to Met Stadium for a rematch on Nov. 14. Could the Vikings play with the big boys? Final: Colts 41, Vikings 21.

A day later, the Dutchman summoned reporters to announce he was quitting. He changed his mind the next day, but the coach's hold on his players was gone. That first season of big hopes finished 7-7.

A year later, the Vikings went 4-9-1, quarterback Fran Tarkenton demanded a trade and Van Brocklin resigned for keeps.

The finish to the 2000 season was a shocking comeuppance -- Giants 41, Vikings 0 in the NFC Championship Game -- and then running back Robert Smith delivered another blow with his retirement.

Still, this was a team coming off an 11-5 record and with a dynamic young quarterback, Daunte Culpepper, to throw to Randy Moss and Cris Carter.

Remarkable Mike Lynn made the trade for Herschel Walker in October 1989 that was supposed to get the Vikings over the hump and back to a Super Bowl. They were 7-4 after Herschel's arrival, won the NFC Central and then were buried 41-13 in a playoff game at San Francisco.

Dallas started collecting the bounty of draft choices from the Vikings in April 1990. And in their first full season with Herschel, the Vikings went 6-10 and Lynn resigned as the team's CEO.

Tarkenton was reacquired from the New York Giants. A quarterback was the missing piece for a team with a stodgy offense and phenomenal defense, but in Tark's first season back, the Vikings were 7-7 and a non-playoff team for the only time from 1968 through 1978.

Minnesotans waited breathlessly for Brett Favre to make his return official. When that happened, we figured the blocks were in place for another deep playoff drive -- even with Sidney Rice missing for a half-season after hip surgery.

The start was slow, but when Moss returned, we couldn't wait for the amazing sight of Moss on one side and Rice on the other. Moss was waived after 26 days and then coach Brad Childress was fired, and the playoffs are officially out of reach with three games left.