Superior-Born Vikings Legend Passes Away
One of the unsung members of the Minnesota Vikings famed “Purple People Eaters” lore passed away on Tuesday.
His name was Doug Sutherland, a man born in Superior, Wisconsin, who spent 10 seasons with the Vikings.
The Purple People Eaters rose to power in the late 1960s, continuing upper-echelon dominance into the 1970s. Foremost, the group was composed of Carl Eller, Gary Larsen, Jim Marshall, and Alan Page. Larsen’s final season in the NFL was 1974, and Sutherland seized membership in the group after joining the Vikings via trade in 1971.
Overall, Sutherland played 138 games in Minnesota, starting 90 of those contests. For perspective, especially among current fans, that’s about the same number of appearances as Kyle Rudolph, who played in 140 games before a 2020 departure to the New York Giants.
Sutherland tallied 29 career sacks with the Vikings and played in three of the team’s Super Bowls.
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A 14th Round draft pick in 1970, Sutherland played collegiately at Wisconsin-Superior before the New Orleans Saints offered the then-middle-linebacker his first pro gig. Soon after, Bud Grant’s Vikings acquired Sutherland for defensive tackle duties.
He spent his final season with the Seattle Seahawks, a common tendency among Vikings players, as Carl Eller and John Randle did the same down the stretch of their careers.
Sutherland was 73 years old and is a member of the 50 Greatest Vikings club.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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