MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Lynn, the longtime Minnesota Vikings executive who made the ill-fated trade with Dallas for Herschel Walker, has died. He was 76.

The Vikings confirmed Lynn’s death Saturday with a statement on the team website. Lynn served as the team’s general manager from 1975 to 1990.

He is best remembered for one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history. The Vikings sent five players and seven draft picks to the Cowboys in 1989 for Walker, the running back Lynn considered the missing link to a Super Bowl run.

Walker never panned out in Minnesota and Dallas used the riches of players and picks to lay the groundwork for three Super Bowl wins in the 1990s.

“The Vikings are deeply saddened by the passing of Mike Lynn,” the team wrote in a statement on their website. “He was instrumental of the success of the Vikings for many years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Lynn family at this difficult time.”

The Vikings did not cite a cause of death, but Lynn was reportedly in failing health for several years.