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Vikings by the Numbers


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Vikings that have worn the number 39:

  • Hugh McElhenny (1961 - 1962)
  • Bobby Walden (1964 - 1967)
  • Mark Kellar (1976 - 1978)
  • Carl Lee (1983 - 1993)
  • Adimchinobe Echemandu (2005, and one of the best names in team history)
  • Husain Abdullah (2008 - 2011)
  • Nicholas Taylor (2012)
  • Jabari Price (2014)

I would love to give the nod to Hugh McElhenny as he is a hall of famer, yet the two seasons he spent in Minnesota he was well past his prime.  But, Carl Lee deserves the nod by a wide margin.  Three times elected to the pro bowl and an All-Pro in 1988, Lee was an outstanding corner on some mediocre teams.

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Carl Lee is the best corner in Vikings history, has to be him.

Winfield was great too and a lot of fun as a tackler but Lee was better in outside coverage, the linchpin of a truly excellent pass defense in the late 80s.

If Rhodes had been able to sustain his 2016-17 quality for a few more years he might have been in the conversation, but he’s a distant 3rd, or maybe 4th after Bobby Bryant (who I don’t remember). 

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Vikings that have worn the number 40:

  • Jack Morris (1961)
  • Tom Franckhauser (1962 - 1963)
  • Preston Carpenter (1966)
  • Charlie West (1968 - 1973)
  • Windlan Hall (1976 - 1977)
  • Doug Paschal (1980)
  • Wayne Smith (1987)
  • Anthony Prior (1996 - 1997)
  • Jim Kleinsasser (1999 - 2011)
  • Rhett Ellison (2012 - 2013)
  • Edmond Robinson (2015)
  • Kentrell Brothers (2016 - present)

I remember Charlie West as a part of those early, great defenses, but this number belongs to Kleinsasser.  I don't know of any better blocker on the edge that the Vikings EVER had.  I wish that the Vikings would have used him more as a receiver...but, man...could that dude ever move defenders out of the way!!

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33 minutes ago, Cearbhall said:

I completely agree with Kleinsasser, but Charlie West probably deserves a bit more mention. I don't remember him playing so I can't say more than @Virginia Viking said. It would be nice if someone else could give him some light.

he was our kick and punt returner in the olden days. had a 98 yard punt return (yes, Steve, for a TD...) in his rookie year.

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On 6/24/2020 at 7:34 AM, Virginia Viking said:

Vikings that have worn the number 36:

  • Jim Christopherson (1962)
  • John Kirby (1964 - 1969)
  • Chuck Winfrey (1971)
  • Manfred Moore (1977)
  • Sam Harrell (1981 -1982, 1987)
  • Allen Rice (1984 - 1990)
  • Ron Carpenter (1993)
  • Malik Boyd (1994)
  • Dovonte Edwards (2005)
  • Brandon Burton (2011)
  • Robert Blanton (2012 - 2015)
  • Craig James (2018)

Well....a very uninspiring number 36 is for the Vikings.  Allen Rice managed to last 6 seasons as a backup running back in the '80's.  Robert Blanton was a 5th round draft choice in 2012 out of Notre Dame who played backup safety and special teams for three seasons.  This may be the number that where no one gets a nod.

I remember that random Dovonte Edwards pick 6 on the Monday night game against the Packers. I actually had a buddy meet him in North Carolina and I actually got an autographed picture of him.

Edited by byuvike88
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Vikings that have worn the number 41:

Okay...now we've got a little competition.  Dave Osborn was a significant member of the early Viking Super Bowl teams. He was an All-Pro in 1967 and made the pro bowl roster in the early 70's.  He and Bill Brown made a dynamic one/two punch for the Vikings running game, which opened up space for Joe Kapp to do Joe Kapp things.  He was a pretty good receiver out of the backfield, decent runner, excellent blocker.  Unfortunately, he spent the last two seasons of his career with the Packers.  Then there is Anthony Harris.  Harris has turned into an excellent safety.  He and Harrison Smith are probably the best safety tandem in the NFL and certainly the two best safety's the Vikings have had in 20 plus years.  Because of longevity and being on Super Bowl teams, I am going to give my nod to Osborn by a chin whisker.  I fully expect in another season or two, this number will belong to Harris.

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54 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

whatever happened to Mistral...?

Apparently he's fallen off the face of the earth!  He never played with another team after being let go by the Vikings.  Wikipedia has no update as to what he might be doing now.

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