With Chad Greenway going from Vikings player to former Vikings player this week I started thinking about his place in team history. That soon had me thinking about the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. Twenty-one individuals are currently honored in that ring.
Fran Tarkenton
Alan Page
Jim Finks
Bud Grant
Paul Krause
Fred Zamberletti
Jim Marshall
Ron Yary
Korey Stringer
Mick Tingelhoff
Carl Eller
Cris Carter
Bill Brown
Jerry Burns
Randall McDaniel
Chuck Foreman
John Randle
Scott Studwell
Chris Doleman
Matt Blair
Joey Browner
The last person to be inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor was Joey Browner in 2013. The induction drought is likely due to the stadium situation. The Vikings played at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium in 2014 and 2015. Last season was the inaugural season of the spectacular US Bank Stadium. The team probably had enough on their plate working through the newness of the stadium to think about and plan an induction ceremony. The stadium as the reason for the Ring hiatus seems like a safe guess. I'd imagine that the Vikings will get back to honoring their Vikings this season. There's a bunch deserving of the honor.
From the 1960s-70s
Grady Alderman
Bobby Bryant
Ed White
Ahmad Rashad
1980s
Carl Lee
Keith Millard
Henry Thomas
1990s
Robert Smith
Robert Griffith
2000s
Randy Moss
Steve Hutchinson
Jared Allen
Chad Greenway
Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson, Jared Allen, and Chad Greenway are automatics. It's just a matter of when. Each could go in as early as this season without much debate. Personally, I'd like to see the Vikings honor some of the older players.
1960s-70s
Grady Alderman was an original Viking and played in three Super Bowls. He also went to six Pro Bowls during his time in Minnesota. His absence from the Ring of Honor is probably the most glaring of the plays from the first decade of Vikings football. Bobby Bryant was simply a big play-creating machine. The defensive line gets most of the credit for those terrific Vikings defenses but there were very good players at each level. Ed White was a bully in the middle of the offensive line. He was as important to that line as the Hall of Famers on either side of him. Ahmad Rashad would probably be honored in Canton if he'd played his entire NFL career in the Vikings offense. Once he had Fran Tarkenton and Tommy Kramer throwing to him he was one of the best receivers in the game.
1980s
By the time that Carl Lee really hit his groove in the late-1980s he had become the Vikings best corner since Bobby Bryant. One of the reasons that he hit his groove in the late-1980s was the excellent defense around him. It was the Purple People Eaters all over again. Like the great Vikings defenses that came before the tone was set by the line. In the middle of that line were Keith Millard and Henry Thomas. For about five years Millard was the most disruptive defensive tackle in the league. His 1989 season was ridiculous. 18 sacks, Defensive Player of the Year. He couldn't be blocked. Certainly not by a single offensive lineman. The extra attention that had to be paid to Millard allowed defensive end Chris Doleman to collect 21 sacks. It was an impressive defensive front and Henry Thomas was the steady player leading it. He racked up an impressive 56 sacks in his eight seasons with the Vikings.
1990s
If one of the recent Vikings isn't the next to go into the Ring of Honor I wouldn't be surprised if Robert Smith is. Once he got through his first four years of nagging, game-stealing injuries he was a dynamite runner. With his speed he was a threat to score from anywhere on the field. Screens to Smith were beautiful to watch. His best season was his last season after which he surprised everyone by retiring at 28. Robert Griffith was a defensive leader and bone-crunching tackler. He was a fan favorite of pretty much everyone that followed the Vikings in the 1990s.
2000s
It's only a matter of time until Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson, Jared Allen, and Chad Greenway are inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor.
Dennis Green is another candidate for induction. If he'd managed to win in the postseason at the same rate in which he did so in the regular season he'd already be in the Ring of Honor. His teams brought many football thrills to Minnesota for nearly the entirety of the 1990s. His 1998 team was one of the best in league history. He should be inducted one day and it's a damn shame that he won't be there for it.
While I'd like to see Grady Alderman be the next Ring of Honor member I'm guessing that Randy Moss is next. Just a guess.
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