Collectively, they played in 19 Pro Bowls and 14 Super Bowls. Forced to punt, Page burst through the Detroit line on fourth down and blocked the kick out of the back of the end zone for a safety.Īll four of the Purple People Eaters are members of the “50 Greatest Vikings” team. He tackled halfback Altie Taylor for a four-yard loss on second down and nailed Landry after a two-yard gain on third down. Against the Lions two seasons later, Page sacked Landry on first down. As he was being dragged to the ground, Marshall alertly lateralled to Page, who carried the ball across the goal line for a Minnesota touchdown. On Thanksgiving Day 1969, Page tipped a pass from Detroit Lions quarterback Greg Landry which fell into the hands of Jim Marshall, who raced toward the end zone before being caught at the 15 yard line. In 1971, Page was named NFL MVP, while Carl Eller earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. Page, Eller and Marshall played in four Super Bowls, while Larsen played in two. In two of those seasons, the entire defensive line went to the Pro Bowl. From 1969 to 1971, the Vikings led the league in sacks while allowing the fewest points and yards in the NFL. With the motto “Meet at the Quarterback,” the Purple People Eaters were one of the greatest defensive lines in NFL history. He is a member of both the college and pro football halls of fame and had his “88” retired by the Vikings. ![]() Page started 234 consecutive NFL games, recorded 148 ½ career sacks and was named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team. Page was voted the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1971, the only time in league history that a lineman has won the award. He recovered 22 career fumbles and recorded three safeties, second-most of all-time. Alan Page played a dozen years in Minnesota and four more with the Chicago Bears. Like Eller, Page recorded ten or more sacks in seven separate seasons. He was twice named NFL Defensive Player of the Year and played in nine Pro Bowls. At 248 pounds, Page was extraordinarily quick and nearly unblockable. A two-time national champion and consensus All-American at Notre Dame, Page was the 15 th player selected in the 1967 NFL Draft. The Purple People Eaters became complete with the arrival of Alan Page in 1967. In 11 seasons playing defensive tackle for the Vikings, Larsen recorded 38 ½ sacks and played in two Pro Bowls. The “Policeman”patrolled the line of scrimmage and focused on stopping the run while his teammates pressured the quarterback. Larsen played collegiately at tiny Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, alma mater of Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent that saved Jackie Kennedy’s life by climbing onto the back of the presidential limousine in November 1963. Minnesota obtained Gary Larsen from the Los Angeles Rams prior to the 1965 season. He was named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004. Eller played in six Pro Bowls and is the Vikings all-time sack leader with 130 ½. A superb pass rusher, he played 15 seasons for Minnesota and had ten or more sacks in seven of them. The Vikings selected Eller with the sixth pick of the 1964 NFL Draft. In 1963, he finished second in balloting for the Outland Trophy, an award Bell had received the prior year as college football’s best interior lineman. ![]() Like Bell, he left North Carolina for Minneapolis, was a two-way player and two-time All-American, and was the Golden Gophers’ team MVP. Jim Marshall started 270 consecutive games in his career: second only to Brett Favre on the NFL’s all-time list.Ĭarl Eller followed in the footsteps of Bobby Bell at the University of Minnesota. The two-time Pro Bowler recovered 30 career fumbles, had his “70” retired by the Vikings, and was a 2004 finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He would not miss another start for the rest of his 19 year career. On September 17, 1961, the 6’4”, 248-pound Marshall started at defensive end for Minnesota in the franchise’s inaugural game. Marshall had skipped his senior year at Ohio State to play the 1959 season in the Canadian Football League and spent the 1960 campaign with Cleveland. Prior to the start of the season, Minnesota acquired defensive end Jim Marshall and five other players from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for two picks in the 1961 NFL Draft. For the better part of a decade, there was nothing imaginary about the front four of the Minnesota Vikings, who came to be known as the “Purple People Eaters.”Īfter declining an offer in 1960 to become a charter member of the American Football League, the Vikings joined the NFL as an expansion team for the 1961 season, becoming the league’s 14 th team. The “ Purple People Eater” is a novelty song from 1958 about a strange fictitious creature that descends to Earth because it wants to be in a rock and roll band.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |