Vikings Reveal Newest ‘Ring of Honor’ Member
Janik Eckardt
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Jared Allen will be included in the Vikings Ring of Honor. He will be the 27th member and the seventh defensive lineman. The others are Alan Page, Carl Eller, and Jim Marshall, who were part of the ‘Purple People Eaters,’ a unit that was a feared defensive front for about a decade. They went to four Super Bowls. Page and Eller are Hall of Famers. Marshall, meanwhile, still waits for his turn. They combine for 365 sacks, one for every day of the year. Eller ranks first in Vikings history, Marshall second, and Page fourth.
Numbers three and five are already part of the prestigious Ring of Honor. Defensive tackle John Randle ranks third with 114 sacks. He was the dominant force of the Vikings’ defense line in the 90s. Fifth on the all-time sack list is Chris Doleman. He racked up stats for the Vikings between 1985 and 1999, including a 21-sack season in 1989. Also already a member of the Ring of Honor is Kevin Williams. He played for the Vikings for 11 years and was a first-team All-Pro in five of them. His 60 sacks rank him 10th.
A Dominant Force
Since the top 5 are already included, it’s the turn of number six, Jared Allen. His 85.5 sacks in just 96 games are an impressive mark. The Vikings will induct Jared Allen into their Ring of Honor during the halftime ceremony of the game against the Cardinals on October 30th.
Allen played just six seasons in Minnesota but certainly left his mark. He went to the Pro Bowl four times in those six campaigns and was part of the first All-Pro team three times.
When we traded for Jared, his impact on the team was immediate. His talent as a pass rusher was a perfect addition to the defense and helped make us one of the best units in the NFL. The type of teammate he was in the locker room and person he was within the community were as equally important as his play on the field. He belongs in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor.
Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf
In 2011, he came close to breaking the all-time sack record in a single season, as he recorded 22. Michael Strahan’s record is 22.5, a record that since has been tied by T.J. Watt, the Steelers defender, in 2021. He might have been half a sack short, but he has the record for the most sacks of any Vikings defender in one season. Allen also landed in the leaguewide top 10 in terms of sacks in all six years with the purple team.
In 2013, Allen had one of the most memorable sacks in recent history when he grabbed the jersey of Eli Manning and refused to let go.
The Vikings Ring of Honor
Here is every person in the Vikings Ring of Honor: Fran Tarkenton, Alan Page, Jim Finks, Bud Grant, Paul Krause, Fred Zamberletti, Jim Marshall, Ron Yary, Korey Stringer, Mick Tingelhoff, Carl Eller, Cris Carter, Bill Brown, Jerry Burns, Randall McDaniel, Chuck Foreman, John Randle, Scott Studwell, Chris Doleman, Matt Blair, Joey Browner, Ahmad Rashad, Randy Moss, Dennis Green, Steve Jordan, and Kevin Williams.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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