Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Bob Lee has passed away at the age of 81. Born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in San Francisco, Lee won the final NFL Championship game in 1969 as a rookie on the Vikings squad that dominated the Browns, a year before the AFL-NFL merger.

Lee, who spent a successful 12-year career in the NFL with the Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Los Angeles Rams, passed away on August 17 in San Francisco. The news was first shared by the University of the Pacific, where he emerged as a standout student-athlete and later as its athletics director. However, the cause of death was not shared. He had a loving family and is survived by his wife, Janice; his children, Matt, Jenna, and Zac; as well as six grandchildren.

Born on August 7, 1945, Bob Lee started his NFL career after the Vikings picked him up in the 17th round of the 1968 NFL Draft. He played his rookie year in 1969 and was named the season’s outstanding rookie after playing in 14 games and throwing 7 of 11 passes for 79 yards, including a touchdown.

The Vikings’ 27-7 championship victory over the Browns, which had had a 10-3-1 regular season compared to the Vikings’ 12-2, was the cherry on top in his rookie season.

What makes the NFL championship even more special is the fact that this is the Vikings’ only NFL championship to date. The AFL was a major rival to the NFL back in the 1960s, with former Kansas City Chiefs owner, the late Lamar Hunt, leading the league as one of its founding members.

As competition increased and players’ prices rose as leagues competed to land the best talent, both leagues decided to merge. They announced it on June 8, 1966, with the unified schedule taking effect in the 1970 season, and the then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle leading the league.

After playing for four years with the Vikings, Lee went on a two-year stint with the Falcons, where he also won the team’s MVP award in 1973. One user on The Falcoholic, a Falcons community page, wrote about how “that 1973 season was magical” and that he also played golf with Lee a few times.

Lee then returned for his second stint with the Vikings and played for four more years. He recorded 159 of 306 passes for 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns, and had a 9-2 starting record with the team.

Lee’s NFL career ended in the 1980 season, but his passion for football remained. He would go on to return to his former collegiate team, but this time, in senior management.

Bob Lee Left a “Lasting Impact” at the University of the Pacific

His NFL career wasn’t the only thing for his fans and family to be proud of, with Bob Lee taking on the role of director of athletics at the University of the Pacific from 1991 to 1996. He had played for the Pacific Tigers in 1966 and 1967, being named the Tigers’ MVP as a senior and also holding the record for the longest field goal at Amos Alonzo Stagg Memorial Stadium (51 yards). He also earned the Pacific’s Hall of Fame honor in 1982.

Ray Purpur ’94, current deputy director of athletics at Stanford University, hailed Lee for having a “lasting impact” on his life and career and on those around him.

His mindset for the management job became clear when he stepped into those shoes.

“If you were to size up my philosophy, I would say, ‘Don’t tell me why we can’t do something, but tell me how we might go about accomplishing that something together,'” Lee said in a 1991 Pacific Review interview.

The progress became apparent, with him helping to construct the Baun Fitness Center, upgrading the Bill Simoni Softball Field and the athletic offices, and also funding and building the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center. This interest in constructing top-notch facilities came from his other professional background.

Apart from his NFL career, he was also a private businessman involved in real estate, sales, and brokerage since 1972. He also owned a brokerage company, Legion Properties Brokerage Co., and specialized in land development and renovation.

Lee also worked as a college football analyst for ABC Sports in 1982 and 1983, and his journalism roots came from his father, Paul Lee, who worked as the assistant bureau chief at the Associated Press.

Lee was an influential figure for the Vikings and the University of the Pacific, and will always be remembered for much more than his NFL heroics.