Minnesota Vikings By The Numbers: #27

We’ve moved on to the number 27 on our jaunt through the numerical history of the Minnesota Vikings, and while this number had a few good players that wore it, there weren’t really any that you could consider stars.

The earliest one would be wide receiver Bob Grim, who joined the Vikings after being selected in the second round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He was selected with one of the picks the Vikings acquired for dealing quarterback Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants. Strangely enough, in 1972 he was traded to the Giants. . .in exchange for Tarkenton. (Well, him and two other players and two draft picks, but the connection is still there.) He was named to the Pro Bowl the year before being traded, as he caught seven touchdown passes in 1971. He came back to the Vikings for two final seasons in 1976 and 1977, though he wore the #26 for those final two seasons.

Defensive back John Turner spent nine of his ten NFL seasons with the Vikings after Minnesota drafted him in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft. During his time with the Vikings, he started multiple seasons at cornerback as well as multiple seasons at safety. He played for the Vikings from 1978 to 1983, spent the 1984 season with the San Diego Chargers, and returned to the Vikings in 1985. He played for the team until he retired after the 1987 season, having intercepted 22 passes during his tenure as a Viking.

Another second round pick, cornerback Corey Fuller was selected by the Vikings in the 1995 NFL Draft. He started 56 of 64 games in his four seasons in Minnesota and intercepted ten passes during that stretch. He then went on to play four seasons with the Cleveland Browns and two with the Baltimore Ravens before retiring after the 2004 season.

For a couple of seasons, safety Brian Russell looked like another outstanding free agent find for the Vikings. He took over as a starter at safety in 2003, and led the NFL that season with nine interceptions, including recording at least one pick in each of Minnesota’s first six regular season games. His career in Minnesota only lasted three seasons, as he signed a sizeable free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns before the 2005 season. He had just one interception in each of his other two seasons as a Viking, giving him a career total of 11 in his three years in purple.

Vikings that have worn the number 27:

• Bobby Reed (1962 - 1963)
• Bob Grim (1967 - 1971)
• Calvin Demery (1972)
• Autry Beamon (1975 - 1976)
• John Turner (1978 - 1983, 1985 - 1987)
• Mike Lush (1986)
• Brad Edwards (1988 - 1989)
• Ken Stills (1990)
• Anthony Parker (1992 - 1994)
• Corey Fuller (1995 - 1998)
• Keith Tibodeaux (1999 - 2001)
• Keith Devine (1999)
• Brian Russell (2002 - 2004)
• Fred Smoot (2005)
• Ronyell Whitaker (2006 - 2007)
• Lorenzo Booker (2010 - 2011)
• Brandon Burton (2012)
• Shaun Prater (2013 - 2015)
• Jayron Kearse (2016 - present)

That’s it for the number 27, folks. Tomorrow we’ll bring you the number 26, which I initially thought might have been one of the more interesting battles, but after further review likely won’t be after all.