
5. Alan Page, defensive tackle
Looking back at the career of Alan Page, it isn’t too surprising he was successful in the NFL. The defensive lineman poured his heart into everything in his life, whether it was helping his community, playing sports, or studying law.
A member of the highly regarded Purple People Eaters, Page and his teammates provided a dominating defensive front which changed the scope of many games. They were a perfect complement to the team’s dynamic offense.
Page played with the Vikings for 12 years, making the Pro Bowl nine times and the All-Pro Team on six occasions. He was also the league’s defensive MVP in 1971 and part of the 1969 team which won the NFL Championship.
Since many statistics were not officially recorded when Page was in the NFL, it’s hard to measure his impact quantitatively. However, all it takes is watching some film of the dominant defensive tackle to know his professional football career should have ended with at least one Super Bowl victory.