Minnesota Vikings legendary offensive tackle Ron Yary may be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he has one big regret regarding his career.
When the Minnesota Vikings selected USC offensive tackle Ron Yary with the #1 overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft, expectations were high for him to step in and protect their quarterback’s blindside. He did a fantastic job of that, having his play lan him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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It wasn’t all great for Ron Yary though. Following the 1981 season, Yary demanded a trade from the Minnesota Vikings to finish out his career. He landed with the Los Angeles Rams, but things weren’t quite the same when he got there.
Recently, Ron Yary spoke to SiriusXM NFL Radio about this trade and why he sees the demand as the biggest mistake of his professional career:
In particular, Yary’s willingness to admit that the forced trade was a mistake takes a lot of honesty and respect for the Minnesota Vikings franchise. He wishes he would have stayed with the team and finished his career.
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"“In my situation, it was the wrong decision. And as I look back in retrospect, it was a bad thing for me to have been because I probably could have played another three years minimum if I had stayed with the Vikings.”"
Not only did leaving the Minnesota Vikings change his career, but he went to an organization that felt completely foreign to him. He had learned everything the team had accomplished over his time with the franchise and had to do it all over again in New York.
"“It turned out to be a bad decision because I went to a team that had a different makeup than what we had in Minnesota. It was kind of a cultural shock, but in the sense it made me appreciate all the 14 years I had with the Vikings because we had a great deal of respect for one another, including the owners and the players and all the coaches.”"
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Many great players find themselves changing teams at the end of the careers. For Ron Yary, it seemed like a great idea at the time to try to his luck with another franchise, but it didn’t quite end up paying off for the top-tier offensive tackle. It didn’t hurt his legacy too much though, as he still went on to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
H/T: Daily Norseman
*Updated* 7/4/16 for a factual error