3 days ago
Lifelong fan meets Vikings legends while attending training camp for grandson's 10th birthday
Dozens of kids waited in line at Vikings training camp to meet two legends who made their mark before they were even born: Leo Lewis, a standout for the purple and gold throughout the 1980s, and Autry Beamon, a Vikings safety in the mid-70s.
"Leo said to them, 'I played long before you were born,' and I just told them that he was a very good wide receiver," Dave Cornell said.
It was a special moment for Cornell, a lifelong fan in his 70s.
"I've been a Vikings fan since I was a little kid. We moved to Minnesota when I was 8 and I adopted them as my team. So to see Leo Lewis and Autry Beamon, guys I watched when I was a kid growing up, was just amazing. It's an amazing experience," Cornell said.
Beamon was part of the roster that made it to the 1975 Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers — a moment Cornell will never forget.
"They didn't win, but they got to them, so that was a big thing. So as a kid, you always rooted for that, and I continue to root for that as a 70-year-old guy," Cornell said.
And this is something Cornell won't forget either: getting their autographs with his grandson, Troy Tysver.
"It was pretty cool because he knew them," Tysver said.
Cornell and his wife treat all their grandkids to a special 10th birthday trip — and so far, it's always been Vikings training camp.
"We did it with his 12-year-old brother when he was 10, so we're glad to duplicate it," Cornell said. "And he's got a younger brother, who is 7, who I'm sure is going to ask for the same thing."
Because for them, football is all about family.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time, so it was pretty cool," Tysver said.
