Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Grant was head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings for 18 seasons; he was the team's second (1967–83) and fourth (1985) head coach, leading them to four Super Bowl appearances, 11 division titles, one league championship and three National Football Conference championships. Before coaching the Vikings, he was the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for 10 seasons, winning the Grey Cup four times.
Alan Cedric Page is an American former Minnesota Supreme Court judge and professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. He was the NFL's MVP in 1971. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.
Anthony Ronald Yary is an American former professional football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Minnesota Vikings, and also for the Los Angeles Rams. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001. Yary gave credit for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction to his former coaches, John Ashton John McKay (college) and Bud Grant (professional). He also praised his position coaches Marv Goux, Dave Levy, John Michaels and Jerry Burns.
Carl Eller is an American former professional football player who played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1979. He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
John Anthony Randle is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for eleven seasons for the Minnesota Vikings and three seasons for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was a six-time first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. Since becoming an official stat in 1982, his 137.5 sacks rank tenth, tied with Richard Dent, and first among defensive tackles. On February 6, 2010, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played college football for the Trinity Valley Cardinals and the Texas A&I Javelinas, and was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent after the 1990 NFL draft. He is considered one of the greatest undrafted players of all time.
Michael Lockett Garrett is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers. He played college football for the USC Trojans, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1965.
Bobby Lee Bell Sr. is an American former professional football linebacker and defensive end who played for the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and was a member of the Chiefs' team that won Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings. Paul Zimmerman described him as the first, and prototype, size and speed linebacker.
Leo Everett Lewis Jr. was an American gridiron football player and coach. He played college football as a running back for Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, from 1951 to 1954 and professionally with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1955 to 1966. He served as the head football coach at his alma mater, Lincoln, from 1973 to 1975.
Marcus LaJuan Pollard is an American former professional football tight end who is currently the director of player engagement and youth football for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with four teams, the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, and Atlanta Falcons. Pollard was also an off-season member of the New England Patriots.
Randall Cornell McDaniel is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Minnesota Vikings and two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Michael Lamar Merriweather is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pacific Tigers and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1982 NFL draft. He played for professionally for the Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Green Bay Packers during the 1980s and 1990s.
Ester James Junior III is an American former football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, from 1981 to 1993, with the St. Louis / Phoenix Cardinals, the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Seattle Seahawks. Junior played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he played as a defensive end and earned consensus selection to the 1980 College Football All-America Team. He was selected by the Cardinals in the first round with the fifth overall pick of the 1981 NFL draft. Junior served as the head football coach at Central State University from 2009 to 2013. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2020.
Jeffrey Glenn Siemon is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 11-year career as a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Candinal and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection with the Vikings.
Tony Dale Galbreath is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and New York Giants. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers and was selected in the second round of the 1976 NFL draft.
Paul Randolph Coffman is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). After attending high school in Chase, Kansas, he played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, joining as a walk-on and playing tight end for four years. After completing college, Coffman became an undrafted free agent and joined the Packers. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. In 1994, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
Verba Preston Carpenter was an American professional football player. He played as an end, halfback, tight end, and kick returner over eleven seasons for five different teams in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). Carpenter played college football at the University of Arkansas for the Razorbacks.
Theodore Curtis Dean is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings. Dean played college football at Wichita State University.
Jerome Paul Shay is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Shay played college football at Purdue University, he was named All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and was the seventh selection overall in the 1966 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
Paul James Krause is an American former professional football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins. Gifted with a great frame, speed and range, Krause established himself as a defensive force against opposing wide receivers. He led the league with 12 interceptions as a rookie before going on to set the NFL career interceptions record with 81 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. Krause was selected eight times to the Pro Bowl during his 16 seasons in the NFL and is considered to be among the greatest safeties in NFL history.
Kevin Fulbright Warren is an American attorney and sports executive. He is the team president and chief executive officer (CEO) for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the commissioner of the Big Ten Conference from 2020 to 2023, overseeing negotiations for expansion of the conference.
