Pro Football History

Login / Signup

Pro Football History on Minnesota Vikings History

Latest Stories

Antoine Winfield #26 of the Minnesota Vikings

The Life And Career Of Antoine Winfield Sr.

In the history of the NFL, there have been plenty of fathers and sons (and even grandfathers) who have played in the league. Currently, Antoine Winfield Jr. is a Pro Bowl safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His father, Antoine Winfield Sr., played in the NFL for 14 years with the Buffalo Bil...

Ben Donahue • 2 weeks ago

Brad Johnson #14 of the Minnesota Vikings passes

The Life And Career Of Brad Johnson

When he began his rookie year in 1992, Brad Johnson was viewed as little more than a quarterback project. The Minnesota Vikings had drafted him in the 9th round despite the fact that he was primarily a backup in college. His first four years in the NFL brought only nine game appearances and z...

Ben Donahue • 2 months ago

Adrian Peterson #28 of the Minnesota Vikings runs the ball

The Life And Career Of Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson was an athlete that one had to see to believe. His athletic exploits at every level of football left onlookers speechless as he defied comparisons with his otherworldly talent. In high school, the running back rushed for a shade under 5,000 yards. He accomplished that in only...

Ben Donahue • 2 years ago

More from Pro Football History on Minnesota Vikings History

detailed photo of a Minnesota Vikings helmet

The Life And Career Of Chuck Foreman (Story)

In the 1990s, the musical group Spin Doctors released a number of hit songs that put the alt rockers on the map. Decades before, Chuck Foreman, a.k.a the Spin Doctor, put himself on the football map due to his play on the gridiron. After a productive college career at the University of Miami,...

Ben Donahue • 3 years ago

Chris Kluwe #5 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the game

What Happened To Chris Kluwe? (Story)

By and large, if NFL punters are doing their jobs well, not many people will know who they are. For the most part, that was true of Chris Kluwe. Kluwe punted for the Minnesota Vikings between 2005 and 2012 and set eight team records during that time. In the midst of being one of the best punt...

Ben Donahue • 3 years ago

Jared Allen #69 of the Minnesota Vikings

The Life And Career Of Jared Allen (Story)

In the spring of 2008, the Kansas City Chiefs traded defensive end Jared Allen to the Minnesota Vikings. The move was a bit of a shock to fans of both teams as Allen had just totaled 15.5 sacks for the Chiefs in 2007. During the next six seasons, Allen continued to post double-digit sacks eac...

Ben Donahue • 3 years ago

Ahmad Rashad speaks onstage

The Life And Career Of Ahmad Rashad (Story)

Ben Donahue • 3 years ago During the 1990s and early 2000s, NBA fans tuned into the television program NBA Inside Stuff. The program, hosted by Ahmad Rashad, was filled with game highlights and top plays of the previous week. The show also followed Rashad as he went behind the scenes to interview some of the biggest n...

Former defensive end Chris Doleman

The Life And Career Of Chris Doleman (Story)

Ben Donahue • 3 years ago The Minnesota Vikings have had talented defensive ends play for the organization through the years. Names such as Carl Eller, Bob Lurtsema, Jared Allen, and Chris Doleman come to mind when discussing the ends who starred for the Vikings’ defense. Doleman was a ruthless defender who terrorized...

detailed photo of a Minnesota Vikings helmet

The Life and Career Of Jim Marshall (Story)

Ben Donahue • 4 years ago Sometimes, even a talented professional football player can make a boneheaded mistake. Case in point, during an October 1964 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall scooped up a fumble. He then proceeded to rumble 66 yards to the house. The only prob...

Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Carl Eller

The Life And Career Of Carl Eller (Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 4 years ago Carl Eller was one of the greatest defensive ends in Minnesota Vikings franchise history. Eller, who strutted his wares on the University of Minnesota gridiron, was part of "The Purple People Eaters" quartet along with Alan Page, Jim Marshall, and Gary Larson that terrorized offenses and made...

Former NFL player and current ESPN personality Randy Moss

The Life And Career Of Randy Moss (Story)

Ben Donahue • 4 years ago The NFL has always had good receivers. Every decade in league history includes a player or two who broke the mold for the position and helped set the standard for the next decade. By the 1980s, the use of receivers by pro teams had grown by leaps and bounds followed by the 1990s when pass cat...

Hall of Fame player Alan Page

The Life And Career Of Alan Page (Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 4 years ago Without a doubt, Alan Page was one of the reasons behind the Minnesota Vikings' resurgence in the late 1960s and 1970s. Page, Gary Larsen, Carl Eller, and Jim Marshall formed a vaunted Vikings defensive line known as the "Purple People Eaters" that smothered quarterbacks and made life miserab...

detailed photo of a Minnesota Vikings helmet

The Life And Career Of Ed White (Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 4 years ago Ed White was a game-changer on the offensive line during his seventeen-year career in the NFL from 1969 to 1986. With White at the guard position, the Minnesota Vikings enjoyed their finest stretch in franchise history in the 1970s. They played in four Super Bowl games during the memorable Bu...

Korey Stringer #77 of the Minnesota Vikings

What Happened To Korey Stringer? (Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 4 years ago The death of Minnesota Vikings right tackle Korey Stringer has been shrouded in controversy since it happened in the summer of 2001. The 6'4", 346-lb. Stringer, who succumbed to organ failure stemming from heat stroke, was gone way too soon at just 27 years of age. It was a pity considering S...

Kicker Doug Brien #4 of the Minnesota Viking

The Life And Career Of Doug Brien (Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 4 years ago Doug Brien became one of the NFL's most accurate field goal kickers at the time of his retirement from the gridiron in 2005. Brien's career 80.2 percent field goal and 98 percent PAT accuracy in twelve NFL seasons make some of today's kickers cringe. Regrettably, many fans and pundits remembe...

Mick Tingelhoff poses with his bust along with presenter Fran Tarkenton during the NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on August 8, 2015 in Canton, Ohio.

The Life And Career Of Fran Tarkenton (Complete Story)

Ben Donahue • 4 years ago Some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today are dual-threat stars who can win games with their arm and their legs. If the pocket collapses leaving no time to pass the ball, these quarterbacks can take off and pick up crucial yardage on the run. This type of quarterback has become the new s...

Wide receiver Anthony Carter of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball

The Life And Career Of Anthony Carter (Complete Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 4 years ago It didn't matter if Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Anthony Carter stood just 5'11" and never weighed more than 181 pounds. Carter was an electrifying and sure-handed wideout who had a penchant for making improbable catches. Whether Carter ran a seam, post, or corner route blanketed by two -...

Paul Krause stands around after the Best In The Desert race from Las Vegas to Reno, Nevada. Krause won the race.

The Life And Career Of Paul Krause (Complete Story)

Ben Donahue • 5 years ago It's been said that playing defensive back is akin to playing on an island. That island can be a lonely place. One mistake from those on the “island” will hurt the team and be witnessed by countless viewers. Some members of the secondary thrive in this position while others are ill-suited. O...

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper #11 of Minnesota Vikings watches the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 11, 2005 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Buccaneers won 24-13.

The Life And Career Of Daunte Culpepper (Complete Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 5 years ago Daunte Culpepper's arm strength, accuracy, pocket mobility, nimble feet, and overall athleticism made him one of the greatest quarterbacks in Minnesota Vikings franchise history. Long story short, Culpepper was the complete package at quarterback. He threw for an insane 4,717 yards and 39 tou...

Troy Williamson (82) of the Minnesota Vikings during the Dallas Cowboys 24-14 win over the Vikings at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas.

What Happened To Troy Williamson? (Complete Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 5 years ago The Minnesota Vikings envisioned Troy Williamson to become Randy Moss' heir apparent. That was a tall order, to say the least. Williamson's blazing speed helped him create separation from the toughest secondary coverages during his college days at South Carolina. However, he never lived up to...

Christian Ponder #7 of the Minnesota Vikings throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 3, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Vikings 27-23.

What Happened To Christian Ponder? (Complete Story)

Poch de la Rosa • 5 years ago Christian Ponder broke into the professional ranks during a critical time in Minnesota Vikings franchise history. Ponder replaced no less than the great Brett Favre as the Vikings' starting quarterback in 2011. Fans' expectations of Ponder were sky-high. Unfortunately, he failed to deliver th...

Defensive tackle John Randle #93 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during a game against the Chicago Bears at the Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Vikings defeated the Bears 31-28.

The Life And Career Of John Randle (Complete Story)

Ben Donahue • 5 years ago They say that big things come in small packages. This would be apt when describing former Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle John Randle. For 14 seasons, the slight-in-stature Randle proved to be an oversized player with the personality to boot. His intensity and motor pu...

NFL Hall of Fame player Chris Carter poses prior to the NFL Honors on February 1, 2020 at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, FL.

The Life And Career Of Vikings WR Cris Carter (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 6 years ago The act of catching a football in an NFL game faces many challenges. Imperfectly thrown footballs, aggressive defensive backs, adverse weather conditions, and sideline and end line restrictions, all are obstacles that can prevent a pass reception. Cris Carter was an elite NFL receiver who con...