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 but the Hall of Famer would be able to finish his career wearing a Vikings uniform.

Doleman entered the Vikings Ring of Honor in 2007.

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 2021.

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 First Team All Pro with Washington and did that once as a Viking.  A very solid tackler, Krause would enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Vikings RIng of Honor in 1998.

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 be attributed to Matt Blair.

Minnesota inducted Blair into their Ring of Honor in 2012.

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!

It takes a special player to go from undrafted to the Hall of Fame.  John Randle was a special player.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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 again in the next 11 seasons (though the last one was with Tampa Bay) and he was a First Team All Pro seven times.

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!

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.

Another day…another retirement worth looking at in sports.

Defensive Tackle, Kevin Williams retired after signing a one-day contract with the Minnesota Vikings, the team in which he started 171 Games with.  Williams was drafted by the Vikings in the first round (9th overall) in 2003 and immediately became a starter for the team.  Over his eleven years in Minnesota, Williams would record 60 Quarterback Sacks and was chosen as a First Team All-Pro five times as well as six Pro Bowls.  He would play his last two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints respectively.

While Kevin Williams is not someone whose name seems to be associated with a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction his overall resume is not out of line with a discussion about his merits.  He will be eligible for the Hall in 2021 and will likely make the bottom half of our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Kevin Williams for his career and we wish him the best with his post gridiron career.

‘Tis the season for NFL retirements, and we have an epic one with Jared Allen who retired by literally riding off into the sunset.

Allen was drafted in the fourth round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004 out of Idaho State.  The Defensive End would quickly become a starter and would become a fan favorite known for his quirk mannerisms and mullet hairstyle.  In 2007, which would be his last season with Kansas City, Allen would make his First Team All Pro roster, first Pro Bowl and would lead the NFL in Sacks.  He would also win the prestigious NFL Pass Rusher of the Year Award.

Allen would be traded to the Minnesota Vikings and would sign what was then the largest contract in NFL history for a defensive player.  In Minnesota, the accolades kept coming.  He made three more First Team All Pro Selections (2008, 2009 & 2011), won the NFL Alumni Defensive Alumni Player of the Year in 2009 and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2011.  In that season, Allen had 22 Sacks, which remains a Minnesota Vikings record.

He would later play with the Chicago Bears and finished off his career last season as a member of the Carolina Panthers where he appeared in last month’s Super Bowl.

Jared Allen finished off his career with 643 Tackles, 136 Quarterback Sacks and 6 Interceptions.  He will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Jared Allen for his great career, and the impressive way in which he retired. 

If the Football Hall of Fame were based solely on excitement, there should be no doubt that Randall Cunningham would have been inducted on the first ballot.  His nickname, the “Human Highlight Reel,” was well deserved, and he was hands down the most entertaining Quarterback of his era.

Randall Cunningham could beat you with his throwing arm or with his legs.  He excelled at scrambling and is the current all-time leader for rushing yards (4,928) for a Quarterback.  This made him exciting to watch but also overshadowed his passing.  Cunningham was an efficient thrower, and as his speed began to wane, he was able to prove to a lot of people in the league that he could throw with the best of them.

Cunningham's scrambling was not always effective, as he was sacked a lot.  He did, however, bring so many weapons (he was also a great punter) to the field that he inspired a new generation of mobile, multi-faceted quarterbacks.  Cunningham never won the AP MVP, but he was a three-time Bert Bell Award winner, and also won a PFWA MVP and NEA MVP.  Doesn't that show how incredible he was?  This should be enough to warrant a look from the Hall, though it hasn’t happened yet, and may never

Regardless of whether Cunningham makes the PFHOF, he is one of the most influential Quarterbacks in Football, and that can never be taken away from him.

It may be called the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but for all intents and purposes, it only focuses on accomplishments from the NFL and, to a lesser extent, the AFL.  This is too bad for Herschel Walker, who chalked up monster totals in his first three years of Pro Football but did so as a member of the New Jersey Generals of the upstart United States Football League.

Walker went to the Dallas Cowboys and tried to live up to the PlayStation-like numbers he put up in College and in the USFL.  Walker was still very good and put up good numbers for Dallas in both receiving and running the ball.  He was, however, the focal point of one of the more lopsided trades in NFL history, where the Vikings sent five players and a multitude of draft picks (three of which were Emmitt Smith, Alvin Harper, and Darren Woodson).  Dallas used this to build a dynasty in the ’90s, and Minnesota coaches took their frustration out on Walker, who wasn’t used to his best ability as a Viking.  Herschel was still good, but his stock dropped dramatically. 

That lopsided trade hurt his legacy, but Herschel Walker should be remembered as a great Running Back who contributed in pass and kick return situations.  If he were a rookie today coming out of Georgia, where there is no USFL, would he have had a shot to shatter NFL rushing records?

Sadly, we will never know.

Chuck Foreman was called the “Spin Doctor”, but it was not due to his ability to spin his words.  It was because he could effortlessly spin his body around would-be tacklers, making it look like ballet.

When people think of the Minnesota Vikings of the 1970s, they recall the Purple People Eaters and Fran Tarkenton's scrambling.  They should also remember the offensive exploits of Chuck Foreman, who twice led the National Football League in Touchdowns.  He may have been a Running Back, but he was often used for his receiving skills and was the league leader in that category in 1975.  Watching Foreman run with the ball was like watching a rhinoceros.  While he could spin away from defenders, he often tried to overpower them, though that style also led to multiple fumbles (52 in 109 Games)

The career numbers of Chuck Foreman may not seem like a lot now (9,106 YFS/76 TD), but they were quite good for the era he played in.  He did make the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor, but reaching the NFL version of that accolade may continue to prove difficult.