The Minnesota Vikings played their first game, an exhibition against the Dallas Cowboys on August 5, 1961, at Howard Wood Field. Legendary local football coach, Bob Burns, promoted the game.
Howard Wood was born March 3, 1884, in Marvelville, Ontario, Canada. It is unlikely that any individual had more influence on the young people of Sioux Falls than Wood, who built the state's greatest sports dynasty at Washington High. Wood became coach at Washington in 1908, and except for two years as head football coach at North Dakota State, he remained at WHS until his death in 1949 at age 65, becoming the most famous high school coach in the Midwest. During much of his career, he was head coach of all three major sports plus athletic director. He coached basketball for 33 years, until 1945, compiling a 430-141 record and winning state titles in 1916, '34, '41 and '43. He coached football for 35 years, through the 1946 season; his teams were 246-74-16. He coached track for 38 years. His track teams won 16 state titles (including 11 in 13 years from 1931-43) and were runners-up nine times. He founded the Dakota Relays in 1923 and built it into the region's premier track meet. His records in all three sports remain among the best in state history.