Going pro

Posted at 8:00 PM on January 20, 2011 by Tim Nelson
Filed under: Vikings stadium

A couple of interesting tidbits from the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission meeting this morning:

Tim Baylor took his oath of office today, making him what staff said is the first former Viking to serve on the board that runs the team's home field. He was also DFL Sen. Becky Lourey's running-mate during her 2006 run for governor.

Baylor played safety for the Vikings in 1979 and 1980. He's a real estate developer and McDonalds franchisee in the Twin Cities.

But Baylor wasn't the only former pro athlete to join the MFSC ranks today.

The commission's executive director Bill Lester pointed out that MSFC Chair and former DFL state senator Ted Mondale could have made a living in the Dome himself -- as a pro motocross racer back in the day.

Here's a picture the American Motorcyclist Association News ran in May, 1977, with a profile of biker "Teddy," the then-vice-president's son.

"So we have joining two former athletes, marvelous athletes," Lester told the commission. "We've never had that before."

Mondale demurred to the former NFL player: "I think he got paid a lot more than I did. I'm still looking for my pension fund."

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