Top Ten Minnesota Vikings Centers

The receiver and defensive line traditions of the Minnesota Vikings are among the NFL’s best. They also have a strong center tradition. It helps that the tradition started with a Hall of Fame player that didn’t miss a game for 17 years. 

Top Ten Minnesota Vikings Centers

1.   Mick Tingelhoff

2.   Matt Birk

3.   Jeff Christy

4.   John Sullivan

5.   Dennis Swilley

6.   Kirk Lowdermilk

7.   Garrett Bradbury

8.   Joe Berger

9.   Pat Elflein

10. Bill Lapham

10. Adam Schreiber 

Mick Tingelhoff was a remarkable football player. From 1962-78, Tingelhoff started every game that the Vikings played. It was an unbelievable streak. His best years were the mid 1960s. He was All-Pro for six consecutive seasons. He should’ve made it to Canton long before he finally did. Tingelhoff kicked off the Vikings strong center tradition. From 1962-2014, the fulcrum of the offensive line was in steady hands. Mick Tingelhoff to Dennis Swilley to Kirk Lowdermilk to Jeff Christy to Matt Birk to John Sullivan. While Christy and Birk were the only centers after Tingelhoff to receive post-season honors, all of them were solid to better football players. Then we get to the offensive line issues of the past decade. Joe Berger was a nice fill-in in 2015 and 2016. Pat Elflein was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft to be the next great center. He showed promise as a rookie but then things started to fade. Garrett Bradbury was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was definitely drafted to be the next great center. While he showed unique quickness traits and had some strong moments he never could quite overcome his relatively small stature. Bigger, stronger defensive linemen often overwhelmed him. Unfortunately for Bradbury and the Vikings, the NFL has been filled with bigger, stronger, and talented defensive tackles. The Vikings had two centers that held the job for a single season. Bill Lapham was the first Vikings center in 1961. Adam Schreiber was the starter in 1993 as the Vikings transitioned from Lowdermilk to Christy. 

The Vikings signed Ryan Kelly this offseason to replace Garrett Bradbury. Kelly is closer to the end of his excellent career than the start. If he can give the Vikings two years on the level of his past seasons, he could challenge for the spots currently held by Sullivan and Swilley.