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Earlier this month, the Superior Telegram released its 19th episode of Archive Dive. It is part one of a two-part series where we look back at the life of the legendary Bud Grant.

Harry Peter Grant, Jr., was born on May 20, 1927 in Superior and excelled at multiple sports before going on to guide the Minnesota Vikings as their head coach for 18 seasons, including four Super Bowl appearances. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. On March 11, 2023, Grant passed away at the age of 95. May 21st, the day after what would have been his 96th birthday; numerous friends, fans and family members memorialized him at a public celebration of life at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings will be honoring Grant all season long, including special patches on their jerseys for their opening game.

In part one, we’re joined by one of Bud’s granddaughters, former Northern News Now anchor and reporter Natalie Grant as she shares stories and special memories. 

"He was grandpa to me," says Natalie Grant. "Honestly, he was a stoic guy, but he also loved a smile and loved to laugh. He loved his family more than anything. But, yeah, for me, he was just grandpa. I was born in 1996, and he was inducted into the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame a couple of years before that, so I kind of missed in my lifetime of him being this big NFL coach in a sense, and so to me, I didn't quite realize how big of a deal he was to the state of Minnesota until I was a lot older."

Natalie is now a reporter and multimedia journalist for KXLY-TV, the ABC affiliate in Spokane, Washington. Among the topics she’ll talk about in this episode are her grandpa’s early days in Superior, spending time with him at his cabin in Gordon, those famous garage sales he held at his home in Bloomington, what the family thought when he walked onto the field in a short-sleeved shirt for the coin toss before the Vikings cold outdoor playoff game against Seattle in January of 2016, words of advice, what made him emotional, besides their last name, something else she has in common with her grandpa, and much more.

You can find that episode at superiortelegram.com or whatever streaming service you listen to this podcast.  Look for part two of our series in September when telegram reporter Maria Lockwood sits down with another NNN alum, longtime sportscaster and currently a Communicating Arts senior lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Tom Hansen for more about the great Bud Grant.

In case you missed Archive Dive’s 18th episode, we are re-sharing it here. Bud Grant was one of a number of famous alums of Superior Central High School. In July’s podcast, titled Stories from Superior Central, Maria and local historian Teddie Meronek discussed the history of the school and the impact that it and its students had on the community. Enjoy and thank you for listening!