Vikings fans take over Rocky Steps with Skol Chant in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (KMSP) - The landmark Rocky Steps in Philadelphia turned purple on Sunday, with Minnesota Vikings fans coming together for a Skol Chant ahead of the team’s NFC Championship Game showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Vikings fans also took some liberties with Rocky, draping the statue in purple and gold and the No. 14 of Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

VIKINGS-EAGLES ON FOX 9: Pregame coverage begins with a special two-hour edition of Vikings Gameday Live on Fox 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by the NFL on FOX pregame show at 5 p.m. and kickoff at 5:40 p.m. on Fox 9.

Immediately following the game, Fox 9 will have a special postgame edition of Fox 9 News for 90 minutes. The premiere episode of the new Fox show The Resident will air after the Fox 9 postgame coverage concludes.

DILLY, DILLY, FLIGHT TO PHILLY: Fox 9's Rob Olson flew to Philadelphia on the Sun Country same-day charter flight for Vikings fans. Skol Chants sound even better at cruising altitude.

CRISCO COPS PREP PHILLY: City crews dubbing themselves the Crisco Cops were greasing light poles around Philadelphia Sunday morning to prevent Eagles fans from climbing after the game. 

SKOL CHANT TRADITION: The Skol Chant has echoed across Minnesota throughout this playoff run. This relatively new tradition is a keeper for Vikings fans. The team adopted it when they moved into U.S. Bank Stadium last year.  The Skol Chant actually started as the "Vikings War Chant" used by fans of the Icelandic National Football Team during their Cinderella run at the European Championship in 2016. The Vikings asked the Icelandic team if they could borrow the chant, incorporating their rallying "Skol" cry, after receiving emails from fans saying, "You gotta do this." The Skol Chant has become a Fox 9 Purple Friday tradition, and with respect to superstitions, we’re not stopping it anytime soon. We put some of our favorites from Minnesota schools into one video.