Player No. 4
Brian Russell - S (2003)
As a member of the San Diego State Aztecs in college, Brian Russell played quarterback but was switched to safety in 1999. In two seasons, he developed quickly and received an All-Mountain West Conference nod in 2000.
Russell then went undrafted in 2001 and was signed by Minnesota as a free agent. He spent his rookie year on the practice squad, was almost cut by Dennis Green, and played special teams while starting one game in 2002.
Before 2003, Russell was named a starter and proceeded to intercept a pass in each of the Vikings' first six games. That set a new team record for consecutive games with a pick. During a contest against Kansas City in Week 16, Russell tied a team record with most takeaways in a single game with a fumble recovery and two interceptions.
By the end of Minnesota’s 9-7 season, Russell had nine interceptions, tying him with San Francisco safety Tony Parrish for most in the NFL, and led the Vikes with 95 combined tackles. In 2004, he started all 16 games with Minny and had one pick with 82 tackles.
He then became a member of the Cleveland Browns for two years and Seattle for two more before ending his career with Houston in 2009.