Top 50 Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have gone to the Super Bowl four times.They have lost each one of them.
They have since been to the NFC Championship five times.
They have lost all of those, too.
The Minnesota Vikings first took the field in 1961 as an NFL expansion team. While they have not had the best playoff success, they have been to the playoffs more often than not and house some of the most rabid fans in the NFL.
It wouldn’t surprise us if this Top 50 generates more buzz than any NFL team.
This list is up to the end of the 2024 regular season.
Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
There are so many cases you can make for who should be at the top of this list of all-time Minnesota Vikings.Carl Eller for the star power he brought to the Purple People Eaters.Jim Marshall for his unequaled longevity.Fran Tarkenton who when he retired held every major Quarterback record there was.Adrian Peterson, the superstar Running Back, who as of this…
Had it not been for five prime years with the New York Giants, Fran Tarkenton could have easily been the number one on this list.Hell, we are not convinced that he won’t get there eventually after more analysis!
Arguably the greatest Offensive Lineman in Vikings history, Randall McDaniel took over the starting Left Guard position immediately following being drafted 19th overall from Arizona State. McDaniel was known throughout the NFL for his speed and strength and the versatile way he played his position. In his sophomore season, McDaniel was named to the Pro Bowl and would do so…
We were so close to putting Carl Eller at the top of this list. Actually, that is how we had it for a while before Alan Page took over.
Mick Tinglehoff was not drafted coming out of the University of Nebraska but the Center signed on with the Vikings and impressed the brass enough to earn the starting job for the 1962 season.
For those who grew up in this generation, it will be impossible to think about the Minnesota Vikings without having Adrian Peterson as the first player that comes to mind. Peterson came out of the University of Oklahoma and took the NFL by storm, as many knew that he would!
Perhaps it is a little controversial to place Cris Carter ahead of Randy Moss but the more we look at the numbers (which works in this case as they played in the same era), it makes more sense to do so.
Guarding the right side of the Vikings O-Line for 14 seasons, Ron Yary would not only protect his Quarterback and carve out holes for his Running Backs, and he would earn a lot of accolades doing it.
We talked about the star and the muscle of the “Purple People Eaters” (Alan Page and Carl Eller), but it was Jim Marshall who was the “heart” of the unit.
Is this too low?Maybe it is, as Randy Moss is the man who many called the greatest athlete of his generation. He was the Wide Receiver who also had the “Randy Ratio”, whereby the belief was that the team needed to get him involved in a significant amount of plays to have a chance to win.
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While Chuck Foreman was drafted 12th Overall in 1973, the Minnesota Vikings weren’t certain whether they were going to use him at Full Back or Running Back as he bounced around both positions at the University of Miami (FL). Foreman was told that he wasn’t going to be able to cut it at Running Back at the NFL by his…
It takes a special player to go from undrafted to the Hall of Fame. John Randle was a special player.
The leader of the 70’s Secondary for the Vikings, Paul Krause is still the all-time National Football League leader in Interceptions with 81 picks, 53 of which were with the Vikings. Krause played for the Washington Redskins for four seasons prior to becoming a Viking and would make the Pro Bowl six times with Minnesota. Krause was a two time…
One of the best Defensive Tackles in Minnesota Viking history, Kevin Williams was one half of the “Williams Wall” (with Nose Tackle, Pat Williams) and recorded over 10 Quarterback Sacks in his first two seasons. Williams was devastating against the run and secured five First Team All-Pro slots in a six-year span.Minnesota chose Williams for their Ring of Honor in…
Chris Doleman was without question one of the most feared pass rushers of his time and accumulated 96.5 of his 150.5 Quarterback Sacks while donning Vikings purple. Doleman would have 21 of those Sacks in 1989, one of two seasons he was chosen to be a First Team All-Pro. The former Pitt Panther would leave Minnesota via trade to Atlanta…
A former team MVP on a loaded USC team, Joey Browner came to the Minnesota Vikings with a lot of expectations on his shoulder, all of which he delivered on. Browner was not just a great ball hawk but was a brilliant open-field tackler and capable of running down any receiver and bring them down with only one hand. Any…
Matt Blair was with the Minnesota Vikings for his entire career, going to the Pro Bowl six consecutive times. Blair was not just a spectacular Linebacker, but was utilized his speed on Special Teams, holding the record the most blocked kicks in franchise history. Much of the success of the Vikings defense in the late 1970s and early 1980s can…
Arguably, Jared Allen would be in the top five if this ranking was based on popularity, though we have to wonder of that glorious mullet he once sported moved him up a couple of spots.
As of this writing, Harrison Smith has played all 13 of his seasons in the National Football League, with five straight (2015-19), and a sixth (2021) seeing him go to the Pro Bowl.