The 30 greatest Minnesota Vikings players of all-time

All-time Greatest Minnesota Vikings: No. 22 – Matt Birk

A sixth-round selection by the Vikings in the 1998 NFL Draft out of Harvard, Matt Birk didn’t start on the offensive line for Minnesota until his third season in the league despite playing in 22 games during that time. However, he would go on to be a consistently great player for the team.

Birk started 146 games for Minnesota once he took over the job at center, including all 16 regular seasons games for seven seasons, and he likely would have added two more seasons to the list if not for a hip injury that sidelined him for the 2004 season and caused him to miss the 2005 campaign.

Birk accumulated some great accolades over his career, earning six Pro Bowl appearances and two All-Pro honors. He spent his final four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, where he was part of the team which won Super Bowl XLVII.

The St. Paul, Minnesota native was known for his efforts off the field as well, winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his work in the community in 2011.

– AC