On Oct. 12, 1989, the Vikings did something that they thought would push them over the edge and finally help the franchise win a Super Bowl. Instead … well, their trade with Dallas for running back Herschel Walker did not do that. Instead, it became one of the most lopsided swaps in sports history and even the subject of a documentary. But if Vikings fans remember it one way, Walker remembers it quite differently. While in the Twin Cities this past week on his motorcycle as part of NASCAR legend Kyle Petty's Charity Ride Across America, Walker chatted with the Star Tribune's Michael Rand:
Q How many years have you been doing this ride?
A This is my 12th year. I started 12 years ago, and I thought it was crazy to ride across America. I got a chance to ride halfway. I got a chance to visit Victory Junction, and it freaked me out with how much they were doing to help out. To have the Petty family do something like this for kids with chronic illness, it's a privilege to be able to do that.
Q Is this the first time the ride has been through Minnesota?
A I know since I've been on it this is the first time. I know because I was excited that it was coming to Minnesota. If you read anything I've ever said, I think Minnesota is one of the greatest places I've ever lived in my life. The people, the area. I tell people I love Minnesota. It's an absolutely incredible place.
Q Going back to your playing days here — what do you remember about the circumstances that brought you here and the trade?
A What's so funny is that I don't think too much about the trade. I think what I remember about Minneapolis is how nice people treated me. I tell everyone about Byerlys. I used to go to Byerlys a lot and get that wild rice soup. I think I mentioned that in an article once and they sent me a recipe book that had the wild rice soup in it.
Q You don't have control over where you get traded, but history has judged the trade harshly. Is that hard at all when you think about it in retrospect?
