Ultimate Vikings Mount Rushmore: Who deserves the honor?
By Adam Patrick
Alan Page – DT
Records and Accolades:
- Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (1988)
- NFL MVP (1971)
- Defensive Player of the Year (1971)
- 4th-most career sacks in Vikings history
- 9-time Pro Bowl selection
- 5-time First-Team All-Pro
To this day, Alan Page is still the only defensive tackle since the NFL/AFL merger to end a season as the most valuable player in the entire league. In fact, Page is one of just two defensive players to ever win the NFL’s MVP award, with former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor being the other.
During their history, the Vikings have had so many excellent defensive tackles suit up in their uniform. Page really got the ball rolling though and he set the standard for those who played the position in Minnesota after him.
Expectations were high for Page when the Vikings selected him in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft. But he had no trouble living up to them as he finished nine of his 12 years in Minnesota with at least nine sacks, including a single-season career-high of 18 in 1976.