During the month of June, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will construct a Mount Rushmore for each team. For this series, we will only consider players. Today, the Minnesota Vikings are the focus.
Minnesota Vikings Mount Rushmore
Alan Page
Not only is Alan Page one of the greatest players in Vikings history, he is arguably one of the greatest to grace the game. As the leader of the infamous Purple People Eaters, Page anchored one of the most fearsome defensive lines in league history. Page played in all four of Minnesota’s Super Bowl appearances in the 1970’s and he is one of only three non-offensive players to receive the league MVP award (1971). This defensive tackle was nominated to the Pro Bowl nine times during his 14-year career and he made the first team All-Pro six times.
Page played in a staggering 238 consecutive games during his time in Minnesota and Chicago and he recorded 148.5 sacks, 23 fumble recoveries, and 28 blocked kicks during his illustrious career in Minnesota. Page was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. He, along with his fellow Purple People Eaters represented, was the spirit of the Vikings and he set the tone for the team’s future. Furthermore, Page didn’t rest on his football laurels after his career, as he became an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1993, which is a position he still occupies.
Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton is largely responsible for Minnesota’s first win in the franchise’s first game against a heavily favored Chicago Bears team. Tarkenton came off the bench to score five total touchdowns, eventually beating the Bears 37-13. During his first stint with the team, Tarkenton revolutionized the game with his ability to scramble and keep plays alive, earning such nicknames as “Frantic Fran” and “Scramblin’ Fran.”
It was his second stint with the team, however, that made him a household name in Vikings lore. After being traded to the New York Giants in 1966, Tarkenton was again traded back to the Vikings in 1972. During the following years he played in three Super Bowls and won the MVP award in 1975. During his illustrious 18-year career, Tarkenton was nominated to nine Pro Bowls and upon his retirement he held every significant passing record with 47,003 passing yards, 342 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 80.4. Keep in mind that these remarkable numbers were put up during a time where running backs dominated the league. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and while a couple Vikings quarterbacks have had better career stats since, Tarkenton was under center during the team’s most successful period.
Randall McDaniel
Randall McDaniel will not go down in the history books as the most technically sound offensive guard in the league. In fact, he could be listed as a guard that was not technically sound at all. Due to an injury he was known for his unusual stance, as he would have his left leg trail out far beyond his body. He attributes this stance to his success against opponents, as defensive players would often find it difficult to gauge what he was about to do. This disguised stance gave him incredible leverage against opposing linemen.
During his 13-year career, he was elected to a record 12 Pro Bowls, he helped running backs achieve six seasons with over 1000 rushing yards and he helped quarterbacks achieve over 3000 passing yards during five seasons. The 1998 season is considered by many to be his finest, as he only gave up 1.5 sacks and he helped the team put up an incredible 556 points with a yards per carry average of 5.4. During his career, the Vikings had their second-best pass to sack ratio in team history, posting an incredible one sack for every 22.7 passing attempts. He is without a doubt the best guard the Vikings ever had and perhaps one of the greatest to play the game. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Cris Carter
The last player to be carved into our Minnesota Vikings Mount Rushmore is Cris Carter. I can already hear the readers protesting “No Randy Moss?” It is very difficult to make the final cut considering I can only select four players and unlike Carter, Moss only played about half of his career in Minnesota. Carter earned this spot, as he came to the Twin Cities a failure and left a hero. As a former fourth-round supplementary draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Carter was cut following his third season with the team. This was due to issues relating to alcoholism and drug abuse, but the Vikings claimed him off waivers for a $100 fee.
Carter is known for his ability to catch almost any pass with one hand from any quarterback. He played with 10 different quarterbacks during his 12 years with the Vikings and he managed to amass a staggering 12,383 receiving yards and 110 touchdowns. These stats still put him in the top ten for receivers. During the 1998 season, Carter had a 1000-yard season and caught 12 touchdowns, helping the team put up a record 556 points and guiding the Vikings to the NFC Championship game. Carter made eight Pro Bowls and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2013. As Buddy Ryan put it, “all he does is catch touchdown passes.”
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