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One of the two Final Four match-ups in our Greatest Viking Of All Time Tournament is in the books, ladies and gentlemen, and now it's time to bring you the other one. The tournament's last remaining defender will attempt to bulldoze his way into the Championship Match, and to do so he will have to get past the Vikings' most recent Hall of Fame inductee.
Cris Carter
Alma Mater: The. . .dramatic pause. . .Ohio State University
Acquired by Minnesota: Acquired on waivers prior to the 1990 season
Seasons in Minnesota: 12 (1990-2001)
Position: Wide receiver
How He Got Here: Defeated John Sullivan 137-7 in Round 1; Defeated Matt Blair 217-17 in Round 2; Defeated Paul Krause 115-99 in Round 3; Defeated Jim Marshall 136-125 in Round 4
Cris Carter turned his life around as a member of the Minnesota Vikings after getting cut by the Philadelphia Eagles after three seasons in the National Football League. They gave him a chance, and he rewarded the team by becoming not only the greatest wide receiver in the history of the Minnesota Vikings, but one of the greatest wide receivers the National Football League has ever known. While his career stats put him into the Top Ten in the three major receiving categories in NFL history, if you took just his numbers from his time in Minnesota, his 1,024 receptions would put him eighth on the list, his 12,383 yards as a Viking would put him 17th, and he would be sixth all-time in receptions with 110. Carter finally got his due, being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame a few weeks ago, and is truly one of the greats of the game.
Alan Page
Alma Mater: University of Notre Dame
Acquired by Vikings: Round 1, 1967 NFL Draft
Seasons in Minnesota: 12 (1967-1978)
Position: Defensive Tackle
How He Got Here: Defeated Tony Dungy 162-6 in Round 1; Defeated Mick Tingelhoff 166-10 in Round 2; Defeated Randall McDaniel 167-47 in Round 3; Defeated Fran Tarkenton 140-101 in Round 4
Of all the great defensive linemen that have taken the field as members of the Minnesota Vikings, Alan Page might be the greatest of them all. The fifteenth pick in the 1967 National Football League draft had an incredible career as one of the famed Purple People Eaters. He was the first defensive player in the history of the National Football League to be named Most Valuable Player in 1971, and was also the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 1971 and 1973. The "unofficial" totals. . .as sacks were not an official stat while Page was a player. . .show him with 108.5 sacks as a Viking. On top of that, he also blocked 28 kicks in his career. His number 88 is one of only six that have been retired by the Minnesota Vikings, never to be worn again. One of the true titans of Minnesota Vikings history, Alan Page is well-deserving of his spot in our Final Four.
The interview actually stops at about the 7:30 mark. . .but man, does that voice sound familiar.
If you need a primer on how the voting for our contest works, we have one for you at this link here. Remember, rec the comments to register your vote. Putting "Vote - Name" in the subject line of a post does not count.
If you want to vote for Cris Carter, rec the comment that says "Vote - Cris Carter"
If you want to vote for Alan Page, rec the comment that says "Vote - Alan Page"
Also, in light of what happened in our first Elite 8 match-up, please do not reply to either of the first two comments in the thread. Those comments need to remain together and not have one get pushed down the comments section.
Voting is open for 24 hours, just like always, folks. Have at it!