Former Vikings quarterback, punter Bob Lee dies at 81

The Minnesota Vikings have paid tribute to former quarterback and punter Bob Lee, who died earlier this month at the age of 81.

Lee’s passing was confirmed Saturday, though he actually died on Aug. 17. No details have been provided regarding his cause of death.

Lee holds the unusual record of punting in the VIkings’ first ever Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl IV, and then throwing the most recent touchdown by a Viking in Super Bowl XI, which was caught by Stu Voigt against the Raiders.

His NFL career spanned 11 years between 1969 and 1980, totaling 77 regular season games between Minnesota, Atlanta and the L.A. Rams.

His record as a quarterback with the Vikings was 19-11.

A graduate of the University of the Pacific, Lee was drafted in the 17th round of the 1968 draft, and debuted as a punter in the 1969 season opener.

After flitting between punter and quarterback between 1970 and 1972 – when Fran Tarkenton returned to the Vikings – Lee was traded to Atlanta in 1973, where he went 8-2 as a starting QB.

He returned to Minnesota in 1975 and was Tarkenton’s backup QB, going 4-1 in five starts in 1976-77.

Lee stepped in when Tarkenton broke his leg during the 1977 season, winning three out of four starts as the Vikings finished 9-5, playing with a broken right hand for a time, and then led the Vikings to victory over the Rams in the “Mud Bowl” NFC divisional round playoff game.

This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Aug 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Vikings section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.