Vikings Fan Refuses to Shave Until They Win it All Written by slanch Monday, 25 January 2010 15:07
People who go half-way grow a beard just for the playoffs; Emmett Pearson, a farmer in
Welch, MN has been growing his beard since the Minnesota Vikings lost the 1974 Super Bowl, 36 years ago.
Now 79, Pearson has no intention of shaving until his Vikings win it all.
"I made a vow and I'm going to stick with it," he said. "But I think my wife would just as soon I give it up."
Yesterday's loss means another year of the beard at least for Pearson and his wife.
In 1998 when the team was en route to one of the best offensive seasons of all time Pearson found his mailbox regularly filled with shaving cream and razors from friends and family, after the Vikings lost to the Falcons in the playoffs the light-hearted gifts were stuffed into a closet, where they remain.
Pearson is dedicated, when he had to have surgery on his cartoid artery a few years ago he refused to allow the doctors to shave the beard before the operation. Despite it not being a "religious beard" he somehow managed to sweet talk them into letting him keep it.
For his granddaughter's wedding last month he compromised and trimmed about 4 inches off the beard, initially he wanted to, in exchange, have "Favre" stitched onto the back of his suit, he settled for a new Favre jersey instead though.
"We don't watch anything else," said his wife Rosanne. "We don't read anything else. I don't think he owns any other clothing."
The family was extremely hopeful that this was the year, they even rented a special hall for the day of the Super Bowl and had the clippers ready.
"We've been on the doorstep so many times," Pearson said before Sunday's disappointment.
