EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings family lost one of the most beloved coaches in the history of the franchise late last month.
Tom Batta, who spent a decade from 1984-93 with the club coaching tight ends and special teams primarily, passed away on Oct. 30 at the age of 83 in Farmington, Minnesota, surrounded by family.
Batta was a football coach to the core, getting his start on the sidelines at the high school level in Warren, Ohio. He guided Harding High to a state title before moving to the college ranks in 1974 at Colorado. He went on to the Kansas Jayhawks from 1979-82 and North Carolina State in '83 before moving to the NFL in 1984 with the Vikings to coach defensive line and in '85 added kicking team duties to his plate under Bud Grant in his final season as head coach of the Vikings. From 1986-91 Batta coached tight ends for Jerry Burns, and under Dennis Green, he served as special teams coach from 1992-94.
Batta's personal touch and knowledge of the game made his players better, regardless of the position he coached, and left a lasting impression. Under his tutelage, kicker Fuad Reveiz became the first Vikings player to earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his game at Tampa Bay (Oct. 30, 1994) when he went 5-for-5 on field goals and scored 18 points. Reveiz earned his lone Pro Bowl berth in '94 playing under Batta.
"Tom was an incredible human being. He was so kind, super funny and truly cared for his players," Reveiz said. "He was the best special teams coach I had in professional football. His quick wit and humor is what I will miss the most."
Long snapper Mike Morris, who joined Minnesota in 1991 after spending time with five other teams, and played every game for nine seasons, said he owes his Vikings career to Batta.
"My career stabilized here with the Vikings because Coach Batta sold what he thought my worth was to Coach John Michels and Coach Jerry Burns," Morris said.
"He was an outstanding special teams coach. He could convey a message, paid great attention to detail, technique and fundamentals, and knew the intricacies of special teams play as well as anyone in the game," Morris continued. "He made sure I was ready and locked in before every game. He was also a great man and mentor. We remained good friends throughout the years.
"Because he convinced the powers that be to keep me back in 1991, I would go on to play here with the Vikings for another eight seasons, and eventually I decided to call Minnesota my home," Morris added. "I will miss him dearly. Thank you again, Coach Batta."
Batta was a devoted husband, father and grandfather who cherished time with his wife, Liz; sons Jeff and Tom and adored six grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 14 at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Farmington.
