Minnesota Vikings: behind the scenes of jersey making

The Minnesota Vikings always look good on the football field. Their jerseys look sharp and and are very durable, which helps the team focus on executing plays rather than being concerned about their equipment.

One of the people behind the scenes of the Minnesota Vikings is Hopkins Garment Lettering Service, where the business has been tasked with affixing the numbers and letters to the squad’s jerseys since 1969. This means that her work has been a part of many Vikings legends games, including Fran Tarkenton, Alan Page, Carl Eller, Chuck Foreman and many, many more.

The woman who owns the business, Penny Brice, is personally responsible for the work that is has been done on the recent draft picks, including 2014 first round pick Anthony Barr. In a recent article on the SCTimes.com website, Brice spoke about her happiness when she saw that the team selected a player with a four-letter surname.

"“I was thinking, ‘Oh, I hope they don’t get Bridgewater. That’s such a long name.” Brice said, only to be happy to find out that Barr was the pick. “I was like, ‘Oh, yay!’ and then I fell asleep.”"

May 9, 2014; Eden Prairie, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman (left), linebacker Anthony Barr, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and head coach Mike Zimmer (right) pose for pictures at Winter Park Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

When she woke up, one of the things she was hoping wouldn’t happen had happened. The Minnesota Vikings selected quarterback Teddy Bridgewater after trading back into the end of the first round, giving her much more work to do.

But long names aren’t the only thing that impacts how she does business. The scrambling style of one former Minnesota Vikings quarterback forced her to sew around the letter and number twice instead of once.

"“Normally I just sew around once,” Bryce said. “Until Daunte Culpepper came.”"

She noticed a game where Culpepper’s nameplate got partially removed during play and determined that just one trip around wouldn’t do the job. That reinforcement helped both Culpepper and the Minnesota Vikings stay in one piece on the field.

Penny Brice is just one of the people behind the scenes that helps make the Minnesota Vikings what they are on the football field. You can see some of her work on Sunday, when the Vikings take on the Lions from Detroit on Sunday, October 25, 2015.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews

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