Minnesota Vikings
Young was the first CIS football player, playing for Queens University, drafted into the National Football League in 1965. He played Running back/halfback for the Minnesota Vikings in the 1965 and 1966 seasons (playing 6 games, rushing 3 times for 4 yards, and returning 6 punts).
Young ended up signing with the Canadian Football League's BC Lions in a multi-player "trade" between the NFL and the CFL teams, one of the very few transactions to ever occur between the two leagues.
Young wanted to return to Canada, and the BC Lions were very interested in acquiring him, however the Toronto Argonauts had his CFL rights.
The Minnesota Vikings were very interested in signing BC Lions quarterback Joe Kapp.
The Minnesota Vikings general manager at the time was Jim Finks, who had brought Kapp to Canada back in the 1959 CFL season, and their head coach was Bud Grant who had faced Kapp while coaching the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Both Finks and Grant, wanted to sign Joe Kapp to replace Fran Tarkenton who had been traded to the New York Giants.
To make this transaction possible, the BC Lions traded all-star defensive lineman Dick Fouts, and future Canadian Football Hall of Fame running back Bill Symons to the Argonauts for the CFL rights to Jim Young. They then managed getting Kapp waived out of the Canadian Football League.
The Minnesota Vikings managed getting Jim Young waived out of the NFL. The expansion New Orleans Saints wanted Young and it took some work from Finks to keep them from claiming Young.
Young, now waived from the NFL, signed with the BC Lions and Joe Kapp, who was waived from the CFL, was free to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, who had previously claimed his NFL playing rights from the Washington Redskins.
Read more about this topic: Jim Young, National Football League