08-30-2020, 09:26 PM
A look at the Vikings top players over six decades....
We could all argue the order, but the names are pretty damn good...
![[Image: fran-tarkenton-scramble.jpg?w=495]](https://www.twincities.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/fran-tarkenton-scramble.jpg?w=495)
It all started for the Vikings on Sept. 17, 1961, before some curiosity seekers at a half-full Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.
The Vikings entered the NFL as an expansion team, and their first game figured to be ugly one. They faced the mighty Chicago Bears, coached by the legendary George Halas. Two weeks earlier, the teams met in a preseason game that the Bears won 30-7.
“They thought they were going to come in and whip us,” remembered Frank Youso, then a Vikings starting tackle. “And a lot of people in our own stadium were hollering, ‘They’re going to kick your butt.’ But we didn’t think so.”
In one of the most shocking upsets in NFL history, the Vikings won 37-13. Rookie quarterback Fran Tarkenton came off the bench in the first quarter to throw for four touchdowns and run for another.
The defense, led by defensive end Jim Marshall, was solid. The Bears managed just six points until adding a meaningless touchdown late in the game to close the scoring.
“It was a great first victory for us, but even more important for our fans and Minnesota,” Marshall said. “We showed we were ready to compete in the NFL. Minnesota embraced us from that game forward.”
OK, so things didn’t go so smoothly right after that. The Vikings lost their next seven games and finished their first season 3-11. And the Bears delivered some payback by walloping them 52-35 in the finale.
Eventually, though, Minnesota became one of the NFL’s most respected franchises — in spite of its 0-for-4 performance in Super Bowls. And now the Vikings will celebrate their 60th season.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, it remains to be seen what the Vikings will do at games this season regarding the anniversary. But the Vikings Museum in Eagan is open, and features a Season of Firsts exhibit, which includes the shocking Game 1 upset of the Bears.
During the Vikings’ 50th season, in 2010, the team named its top 50 Vikings of all time, and most of those honored attended the home finale against the Bears. That one didn’t go nearly as well as the 1961 opener, with Chicago winning 40-14.
The Vikings aren’t naming a top-60 list for the first 60 years, but the Pioneer Press is.
Those looking for current quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Dalvin Cook on the list will need to wait until the next anniversary all-time team. Cousins has played two seasons with the Vikings, Cook three. And longevity was considered in the rankings. All of these top-60 players logged at least four seasons with the team:
1. FRAN TARKENTON, QB, 1961-66, 1972-78Tarkenton began his Vikings career in spectacular fashion, and he never slowed down. OK, so there was a brief interruption.
During his first Vikings stint, Tarkenton got into a feud with then-coach Norm Van Brocklin about his scrambling style of play, the result of which was him being traded to the New York Giants. But he returned six years later, in 1972, when the coach was Bud Grant, who just happened to embrace Tarkenton’s scrambling.
“We had the nucleus of a great team, but we needed a quarterback,” Grant said. “That, of course, was a great move on our part.”
Tarkenton went on to lead the Vikings to three Super Bowls and was named 1975 NFL MVP. When he retired after the 1978 season, he held all of the league’s most important career passing records, including throwing for 47,003 yards (33,098 with Minnesota) and 342 touchdowns (239 with the Vikings).
“He was as good as any quarterback you could ask for,” Vikings hall of fame tackle Ron Yary said. “He was the perfect quarterback for our team.”
2. ALAN PAGE, DT, 1967-78Only twice in NFL history has a defensive player been named MVP. The first was Page in 1971, and the second was New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986.
“It was quite the honor to be in the league for five years and to be recognized at that level,” Page said. “Up to that point, defensive players just weren’t recognized for their overall contributions.”
Page was named to nine Pro Bowls and selected first-team all-pro six times. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 1988 and named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team in 2019 in conjunction with the league’s 100th anniversary.
Midway through the 1978 season, Page was surprisingly cut when Grant believed he had lost too much weight and his game slipped. Page continued playing well, though, in his final 3 1/2 seasons with the Bears.
Page returned to Minnesota and went on to become an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.
3. RANDALL McDANIEL, G, 1988-99McDaniel was, quite simply, one of the most dominant offensive linemen in NFL history.
He played in 12 Pro Bowls, which ties Will Shields for the most by a guard (Bruce Matthews was in 14 but four were at center). He was named all-pro seven times. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 2009 and a decade later named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
“After going against Randall in practice, the games were a lot easier,” former Vikings defensive tackle and fellow hall of famer John Randle said.
McDaniel was known for being a tremendous athlete — and for his modesty. He has been a elementary school teacher in the Twin Cities for the past two decades.
“I tell the new students that I used to play a little football, but I never say what I accomplished,” McDaniel said. “Then they’ll Google me later or figure it out and they’ll come back and say, ‘You didn’t tell us you were that good.’ ”
4. RANDY MOSS, WR, 1998-2004, 2010Moss burst upon the scene like few players have in Vikings history.
After slipping to the No. 21 pick in the 1998 draft due to off-the-field concerns, Moss had 69 catches for 1,313 yards and 17 touchdown receptions as Minnesota went 15-1 his rookie year.
“He took the NFL by storm,” said former Vikings receiver Jake Reed.
Moss didn’t slow down. He had 587 of his 982 career receptions and 92 of his 156 career touchdowns in six seasons with the Vikings and a four-game stint with them in 2010. He played 14 seasons overall.
Moss made six of his seven Pro Bowl appearances and received three of his four all-pro nods with Minnesota. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 2018 and the next year named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
“It was a pleasure to watch him,” McDaniel said. “You knew watching him as a rookie in 1998 that he was going to be something special. You knew he was going to be one of the Vikings greats."
The rest are here:
https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/28/60-for-60-a-look-at-the-vikings-top-players-over-six-decades/
We could all argue the order, but the names are pretty damn good...
It all started for the Vikings on Sept. 17, 1961, before some curiosity seekers at a half-full Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.
The Vikings entered the NFL as an expansion team, and their first game figured to be ugly one. They faced the mighty Chicago Bears, coached by the legendary George Halas. Two weeks earlier, the teams met in a preseason game that the Bears won 30-7.
“They thought they were going to come in and whip us,” remembered Frank Youso, then a Vikings starting tackle. “And a lot of people in our own stadium were hollering, ‘They’re going to kick your butt.’ But we didn’t think so.”
In one of the most shocking upsets in NFL history, the Vikings won 37-13. Rookie quarterback Fran Tarkenton came off the bench in the first quarter to throw for four touchdowns and run for another.
The defense, led by defensive end Jim Marshall, was solid. The Bears managed just six points until adding a meaningless touchdown late in the game to close the scoring.
“It was a great first victory for us, but even more important for our fans and Minnesota,” Marshall said. “We showed we were ready to compete in the NFL. Minnesota embraced us from that game forward.”
OK, so things didn’t go so smoothly right after that. The Vikings lost their next seven games and finished their first season 3-11. And the Bears delivered some payback by walloping them 52-35 in the finale.
Eventually, though, Minnesota became one of the NFL’s most respected franchises — in spite of its 0-for-4 performance in Super Bowls. And now the Vikings will celebrate their 60th season.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, it remains to be seen what the Vikings will do at games this season regarding the anniversary. But the Vikings Museum in Eagan is open, and features a Season of Firsts exhibit, which includes the shocking Game 1 upset of the Bears.
During the Vikings’ 50th season, in 2010, the team named its top 50 Vikings of all time, and most of those honored attended the home finale against the Bears. That one didn’t go nearly as well as the 1961 opener, with Chicago winning 40-14.
The Vikings aren’t naming a top-60 list for the first 60 years, but the Pioneer Press is.
Those looking for current quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Dalvin Cook on the list will need to wait until the next anniversary all-time team. Cousins has played two seasons with the Vikings, Cook three. And longevity was considered in the rankings. All of these top-60 players logged at least four seasons with the team:
1. FRAN TARKENTON, QB, 1961-66, 1972-78Tarkenton began his Vikings career in spectacular fashion, and he never slowed down. OK, so there was a brief interruption.
During his first Vikings stint, Tarkenton got into a feud with then-coach Norm Van Brocklin about his scrambling style of play, the result of which was him being traded to the New York Giants. But he returned six years later, in 1972, when the coach was Bud Grant, who just happened to embrace Tarkenton’s scrambling.
“We had the nucleus of a great team, but we needed a quarterback,” Grant said. “That, of course, was a great move on our part.”
Tarkenton went on to lead the Vikings to three Super Bowls and was named 1975 NFL MVP. When he retired after the 1978 season, he held all of the league’s most important career passing records, including throwing for 47,003 yards (33,098 with Minnesota) and 342 touchdowns (239 with the Vikings).
“He was as good as any quarterback you could ask for,” Vikings hall of fame tackle Ron Yary said. “He was the perfect quarterback for our team.”
2. ALAN PAGE, DT, 1967-78Only twice in NFL history has a defensive player been named MVP. The first was Page in 1971, and the second was New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986.
“It was quite the honor to be in the league for five years and to be recognized at that level,” Page said. “Up to that point, defensive players just weren’t recognized for their overall contributions.”
Page was named to nine Pro Bowls and selected first-team all-pro six times. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 1988 and named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team in 2019 in conjunction with the league’s 100th anniversary.
Midway through the 1978 season, Page was surprisingly cut when Grant believed he had lost too much weight and his game slipped. Page continued playing well, though, in his final 3 1/2 seasons with the Bears.
Page returned to Minnesota and went on to become an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.
3. RANDALL McDANIEL, G, 1988-99McDaniel was, quite simply, one of the most dominant offensive linemen in NFL history.
He played in 12 Pro Bowls, which ties Will Shields for the most by a guard (Bruce Matthews was in 14 but four were at center). He was named all-pro seven times. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 2009 and a decade later named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
“After going against Randall in practice, the games were a lot easier,” former Vikings defensive tackle and fellow hall of famer John Randle said.
McDaniel was known for being a tremendous athlete — and for his modesty. He has been a elementary school teacher in the Twin Cities for the past two decades.
“I tell the new students that I used to play a little football, but I never say what I accomplished,” McDaniel said. “Then they’ll Google me later or figure it out and they’ll come back and say, ‘You didn’t tell us you were that good.’ ”
4. RANDY MOSS, WR, 1998-2004, 2010Moss burst upon the scene like few players have in Vikings history.
After slipping to the No. 21 pick in the 1998 draft due to off-the-field concerns, Moss had 69 catches for 1,313 yards and 17 touchdown receptions as Minnesota went 15-1 his rookie year.
“He took the NFL by storm,” said former Vikings receiver Jake Reed.
Moss didn’t slow down. He had 587 of his 982 career receptions and 92 of his 156 career touchdowns in six seasons with the Vikings and a four-game stint with them in 2010. He played 14 seasons overall.
Moss made six of his seven Pro Bowl appearances and received three of his four all-pro nods with Minnesota. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 2018 and the next year named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
“It was a pleasure to watch him,” McDaniel said. “You knew watching him as a rookie in 1998 that he was going to be something special. You knew he was going to be one of the Vikings greats."
The rest are here:
https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/28/60-for-60-a-look-at-the-vikings-top-players-over-six-decades/
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