Minnesota Vikings By The Numbers: #64

The number 64 for the Minnesota Vikings features the man that might be the greatest player at his position in the history of the National Football League. That sounds like a lot of hyperbole, but there aren’t many players that deserve that level of praise as much as Randall McDaniel.

The Vikings selected McDaniel in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft, and he immediately became a fixture for the team on the offensive line. He missed just two starts in his entire Vikings’ career, and started every game at left guard for the Vikings from 1990 to 1999. How good was he? Well, he was named a first-team All-Pro seven times, and made the Pro Bowl eleven consecutive times as a member of the Vikings. . .every year except his rookie season.

McDaniel was also a member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team, largely because he was not just good, he was a dominant force for the Vikings on the offensive line. His longevity and his ridiculous athletic ability (including his rumored sub-4.7 second 40-yard dash time) are just a couple of the things that make him, in this writer’s opinion, the best offensive lineman that has ever worn a Minnesota Vikings uniform.

Like a few others, McDaniel did eventually get a Super Bowl ring. Unfortunately, it was not with the Vikings, as he finished his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl as a part of that franchise instead.

McDaniel was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009, is a member of the Vikings’ Ring of Honor, and was named one of the Fifty Greatest Vikings of All Time.

Honorable mention for this one goes to Milt Sunde, who played left guard for the Vikings for the better part of a decade and was a starter on the offensive line for two of the Vikings’ four Super Bowl appearances.

Vikings that have worn the number 64:

• Mike Rabold (1961 - 1962)
• Milt Sunde (1964 - 1974)
• Grant Feasel (1984)
• Ted Million (1987)
• Mark Hanson (1987)
• Randall McDaniel (1988 - 1999)
• Anthony Herrera (2005 - 2011)
• Willie Beavers (2016 - present)

Number 63 comes along tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen!