Mike Zimmer will be the ninth head coach to lead the Vikings into a season opener for the first time on Sunday in St. Louis. That's the number as long as you don't insist on counting Bud Grant twice (1967-83, 1985).

The first opener was the best, at Met Stadium on Sept. 17, 1961. Norm Van Brocklin, 35 and fresh from quarterbacking Philadelphia to the NFL title, started with a 37-13 win over the Chicago Bears.

Van Brocklin switched from veteran quarterback George Shaw to rookie Fran Tarkenton early in the game, and Tarkenton immediately brought a new term to the NFL lexicon: scrambling.

Van Brocklin's falling-out with Tarkenton led to both a trade of the quarterback and the departure of the Dutchman after the 1966 season. Grant, 39, arrived after big success in Canada with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Vikings lost Bud's first game 27-21 to San Francisco on Sept. 17, 1967, at Met Stadium, but not before scoring 21 fourth-quarter points to rally from a 27-0 deficit.

Grant resigned after 17 seasons, and Les Steckel, 37, was chosen as the assistant to promote. The Vikings lost 42-13 to San Diego in his first game (Sept. 2, 1984 in the Metrodome), and he was fired after one 3-13 season.

Bud came back for a year and then Jerry Burns, 59, passed over previously for Steckel, was promoted. Burnsie's first game was a ho-hum 13-10 loss to Detroit in the Metrodome on Sept. 7, 1986.

Denny Green, 43, was next, and won his opener 23-20 in overtime over Green Bay at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6, 1992. He lasted through a controversial, successful decade.

Next: Mike Tice, 43, watched a 10-point lead disappear late and lost his first season opener 27-23 to the Bears at Soldier Field on Sept. 8, 2002.

Next: Brad Childress, 50, won his opener 19-16 at Washington on Sept. 11, 2006.

Next: Les Frazier, 52, had his first season opener start with a 103-yard kickoff return by Percy Harvin, before it turned into an ugly-fest that the Vikings lost 24-17 in San Diego on Sept. 11, 2011.

That's a 3-5 record in first-ever Vikings openers that Zimmer inherits.

Plus Three from Patrick

Three more "debuts'' for Vikings coaches:

Sept. 8, 1985: Bud Grant returns and the Vikings score 21 points in the fourth quarter to beat the San Francisco 49ers 28-21 in Metrodome.

Jan. 7, 2002: Injuries force interim coach Mike Tice to play third-string QB Spergon Wynn in the season finale and the Vikings lose 19-3 to the Ravens on a Monday night in Baltimore.

Nov. 28, 2010: Interim Les Frazier takes over 10 games into schedule and wins 17-13 at Washington.