Looking back at the entire history of the team, who are the 15 greatest Minnesota Vikings running backs of all-time?
Last week, we saw the Minnesota Vikings make the difficult decision to release running back Dalvin Cook. In just six seasons, Cook easily established himself as one of the greatest running backs in Vikings history.
But where does he rank among the best to ever line up in Minnesota's offensive backfield? Spoiler alert, Cook is easily a top-15 running back in Vikings history. So who are the other 14 running backs that deserve to be on this list?
Before we get into the full list, let's look at a pair of honorable mentions.
15 Greatest Minnesota Vikings Running Backs of All-Time
Honorable Mentions
Amp Lee (1994 - 1996)
Selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft, Amp Lee was a running back that was a bit before his time. Lee didn't have a ton of rushing production in his time with Minnesota, but he excelled as a receiver out of the backfield, catching at least 45 passes in all three of his seasons with the Vikings, including 71 in 1995.
Rickey Young (1978 - 1983)
The uncle of Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, Rickey Young had himself a pretty solid career in the NFL. Like Amp Lee, Young was someone who excelled as a receiver out of the backfield. This was never more true than in 1978 when he led the NFL with 88 catches, which is still the most in a single season by a running back in Minnesota's franchise history.
Now, let's get into which 15 running backs deserve to be regarded as the greatest in Vikings history.