Grant left the NBA to play in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles before leaving for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL.

[2] He is the fifth-most winningest coach in professional football history with a combined 286 wins in the NFL and CFL.

[6] As a child, Grant was diagnosed with poliomyelitis and a doctor suggested he become active in sports[7] to strengthen his weakened leg muscles over time.

In 1940, Grant and two friends were duck hunting on Yellow Lake in northern Wisconsin when the Armistice Day Blizzard occurred.

[9] He was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois and played on the football team coached by Paul Brown.

He chose to continue his basketball career with the Lakers because they were local and because he was offered a raise to stay for the season.

[6] Grant's close friend Sid Hartman was the Lakers' general manager, which may have influenced his decision to remain with the team.

[9] In his first season with the Eagles, Grant played as a defensive end and led the team in sacks (an unofficial statistic at the time).

[9][18] Grant's contract expired at the end of the 1952 NFL season and the Eagles refused to pay him what he thought he was worth.

[10] He also holds the distinction of having made five interceptions in a playoff game, played on October 28, 1953, which is a record in all of professional football.

[9] On January 30, 1957, Grant accepted the Blue Bombers head coaching position after impressing management with his ability to make adjustments on offense and defense as a player.

[21] During his ten seasons as head coach in Winnipeg, he led the team to six Grey Cup appearances winning the championship four times in 1958, 1959, 1961, and 1962.

[19] Max Winter, the Minnesota Vikings founder, contacted Grant in 1961 and asked him to coach the new NFL expansion team.

[23] Over his tenure as Vikings head coach, Grant was known for instilling discipline in his teams and displaying a lack of emotion during games.

[6] Grant required outdoor practice during the winter to get players used to the cold weather[9] and did not allow heaters on the sidelines during games.

The Vikings lost in Super Bowl IV to the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs.

[9] Grant retired as the eighth most successful coach in NFL history with an overall record of 161 wins, 99 losses, and 5 ties.

[4][32] Until his death, Grant was still listed as a consultant for the Vikings and maintained an office at the team's headquarters at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota.

[1][33] In 2004, Bud Grant would be asked to return to the position of Vikings head football coach by Red McCombs, hypothetically replacing Mike Tice.

[36] Bud married Pat (née Patricia Nelson; born March 28, 1927) in 1950, and they had six children (Kathy, Laurie, Harry III "Peter", Mike, Bruce, and Danny).