Garrett Bradbury to wear #56 for the Vikings

The newest member of the Minnesota Vikings, North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury, is officially in Minneapolis, and it’s already been announced what number the rookie is going to wear as a member of the purple.

Bradbury will wear #56 for the Vikings. He wore the number 65 in college, but that number currently belongs to the man that he’s likely going to displace from center to guard, Pat Elflein. So, I guess they just switched the numbers around and voila, you have a new number.

Obviously, the #56 has a pretty significant legacy with the Vikings, as it was the number worn by Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman. Any time you wear the same number as a guy that has a gold jacket hanging in his closet, you’ve got some pretty significant shoes to fill.

In more recent years, the #56 has been identified with linebacker E.J. Henderson. Henderson, a second-round pick of the Vikings in 2003, played for the Vikings for nine seasons and remains employed by the team.

Per our “By the Numbers” series that we did a few years ago, here are all of the players in Vikings history that have worn the number 56.

• Hap Farber (1970)
• Carl Gersbach (1971 - 1972)
• Scott Anderson (1974 - 1976)
• Bob Stein (1975)
• Dave Huffman (1979 - 1983)
• Bill Dugan (1984)
• Malcolm Carson (1984)
• Chris Doleman (1985 - 1993, 1999)
• Pete Bercich (1995 - 1998)
• Jim Nelson (2000 - 2002)
• E.J. Henderson (2003 - 2011)
• Michael Mauti (2013 - 2014)

So, if you want to get your Garrett Bradbury jerseys. . .and I know you do. . .you now know which number to have them sew on the back.