Ranking all the Minnesota Vikings in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 14: Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller speaks to members of the media during a break in court ordered mediation at the U.S. Courthouse on April 14, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mediation was ordered after a hearing on an antitrust lawsuit filed by NFL players against the NFL owners when labor talks between the two broke down last month. (Photo by Hannah Foslien /Getty Images) /

10. Carl Eller

Position: Defensive end
Years with Vikings: 1964–1978
Years in the NFL: 1964–1979
Other teams associated with: Seattle Seahawks
Enshrinement year: 2004

Carl Eller’s roots in Minnesota are well established. Although he was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and played his high school football there, he made the choice to play his college football at the University of Minnesota, where he helped lead the team to a Rose Bowl win.

The Vikings chose Eller with the #6 overall selection in the 1964 NFL Draft. He immediately became a force to be reckoned with and established himself as a key piece of the Purple People Eaters defense which won the 1969 NFL Championship.

Over his 16 seasons in the league, Eller was named to the Pro Bowl 6 times and an All-Pro 7 times, but his biggest accomplishment was being named Defensive Player of the Year in 1971.

Eller’s biggest accomplishments may be off the football field, where he became a licensed drug and alcohol counselor and founded Triumph Life Centers in 1986. Then, he achieved a degree in Human Services from Metropolitan State University in 1994 and worked for the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

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