The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion team, the team began play the following year. They are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia, reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis.
Jamal Lewis is an American former professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected fifth overall by the Ravens in the 2000 NFL draft. After spending his first seven seasons with the Ravens, Lewis signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns before the 2007 season and retired after the 2009 season.
Julian Thomas Peterson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Peterson was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions.
The 1920 APFA season was the inaugural season of the American Professional Football Association, renamed the National Football League in 1922. An agreement to form a league was made by four independent teams from Ohio on August 20, 1920, at Ralph Hay's office in Canton, Ohio, with plans to invite owners of more teams for a second meeting on September 17, 1920. The "American Professional Football Conference" (APFC) was made up of Hay's Canton Bulldogs, Akron Pros, the Cleveland Tigers and the Dayton Triangles, who decided on a six-game schedule to play each other at home-and-away, an agreement to respect each other's player contracts, and to take a stand against signing college students whose class had not yet graduated.
Adrian Nicholas Peterson is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) and United Football League (UFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft, playing eight seasons for Chicago. Then he played for the Virginia Destroyers in the UFL. He played college football for the Georgia Southern Eagles, where he set numerous school, Southern Conference, and NCAA Division I-AA records, as well as winning two I-AA National Championships and receiving the Walter Payton Award for most outstanding player in I-AA football. He is currently serving as the director of student-athlete development for Georgia Southern.
James Kenneth Peterson is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Joseph Todd Peterson is an American former professional football placekicker. He was selected by the New York Giants from the University of Georgia with the ninth pick of the seventh round in the 1993 NFL draft. Peterson last played with the Atlanta Falcons in 2005. His contract with the Falcons expired on March 11, 2006 and he retired after that season. He and his wife, Susan, are co-owners of Cabell's Designs LLC, with Cabell Sweeney. Cabell's is a design and licensing group focusing on collegiately licensed products in the giftware industry.
Adrian Lewis Peterson is an American professional football running back who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, setting the freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards in 2004. Named a unanimous All-American that year, he became the first freshman to finish as a runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Peterson finished his college career as the Sooners' third all-time leading rusher.
Patrick De'mon Peterson Jr. is an American professional football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in the country, and the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back. He is regarded as one of the greatest cornerbacks of his era.
Trent Williams is an American professional football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was recognized as an All-American, and was selected by the Washington Redskins fourth overall in the 2010 NFL draft. Williams is considered one of the greatest offensive tackles of all time, having made eleven Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.
The 1973 Houston Oilers season was their fourth season in the National Football League and their 14th in competition overall. The team matched their previous season’s output of 1–13, and they missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Their eighteen consecutive losses after winning the third game in 1972 was an NFL record beaten only by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976 and 1977, the Detroit Lions from the last game of 2007 until the third game of 2009, and the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2020 to 2021.
The 2,000-yard club is a group of eight National Football League (NFL) running backs who have rushed for 2,000 yards or more in a regular season. These eight rushing seasons rank as the highest single-season rushing totals in NFL history, and reaching the 2,000-yard mark is considered a significant achievement for running backs. No running back has yet achieved this feat twice. The first 2,000-yard season was recorded in 1973 by Buffalo Bills running back O. J. Simpson. Simpson is the only player ever to have surpassed 2,000 yards in a 14-game season; all others occurred in 16-game seasons. He finished the season with 2,003 rushing yards, averaging six yards per carry and an NFL-record 143.1 rushing yards per game. Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson, who broke the single-season rookie rushing record in 1983, recorded the second 2,000-yard season in 1984. Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards, the current NFL rushing record, and averaged 131.6 rushing yards per game.
Dave Arnold is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Montana State University team from 1983 to 1986, compiling a record of 18–29. Arnold led his 1984 Montana State Bobcats team to a 12–2 record, a Big Sky Conference title, and the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship. For his effort, he was named the AFCA Division I-AA Coach of the Year that season. The 1984 championship run followed a season in 1983 in which the Bobcats finished 1–10 and last in the conference, but defeated their in-state rival, the University of Montana Grizzlies in their sole win. The 11-game turnaround is one of the largest in college football history.
Tyrann Devine Mathieu is an American professional football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers. In college he developed a reputation for causing turnovers, setting a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record with 11 career forced fumbles and earning the nickname "the Honey Badger" after the mammal of the same name. In his sophomore season, he was recognized as a consensus All-American, won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU football program after that season due to a violation of team rules.
Justin Andrew Bethel is an American professional football cornerback and special teamer who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the Presbyterian Blue Hose and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL draft.
Jerick Deshun McKinnon, nicknamed "Jet", is an American professional football running back who is a free agent. He played college football for the Georgia Southern Eagles and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft. He has also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Ezekiel Elijah Elliott, nicknamed "Zeke", is an American professional football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning second-team All-American honors in 2015. Elliott was selected by the Cowboys fourth overall in the 2016 NFL draft. In eight seasons in the NFL, he was a three-time Pro Bowl, two-time All-Pro selection, and led the league in rushing yards in 2016 and 2018. After being released by the Cowboys after the 2022 season, Elliott played the 2023 season for the New England Patriots before re-signing with the Cowboys in 2024.
Dalvin James Cook is an American professional football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earning unanimous All-American honors and finishing his career as the school's all-time leading rusher. Cook was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft, and in six seasons with the team, he earned Pro Bowl honors four times. He is the older brother of Buffalo Bills running back James Cook.
Carl John "Swede" Peterson was an American football player and coach. He played college football for Nebraska and professionally for one season in the National Football League (NFL) as a center for the Kansas City Blues in 1924. He was selected as a third-team center on the 1924 All-Pro Team.
