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The Purple People Eaters was the nickname given to the defensive line of the Minnesota Vikings from 1967 to 1977, consisting mainly of Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, and Gary Larsen. The term is a reference to a popular song from 1958 , the efficiency of the defense, and the color of their uniforms.
The defense allowed only 133 points (9½ per game) during the regular season and their four defensive linemen were known as the "Purple People Eaters." Cleveland was 10–3–1 during the regular season and had upset the Dallas Cowboys 38–14 at the Cotton Bowl for the Eastern Conference title .
During the late 1960s, the Vikings built a powerful defense known as the Purple People Eaters, led by Alan Page, Carl Eller, Gary Larsen, and Jim Marshall. [25] In 1968, that stingy defense earned the Vikings their first Central Division title and their first playoff berth. [22] In 1969, the Vikings secured a 12–2 record. [1]
Of the 27 members in the Vikings Ring of Honor, seven are defensive linemen, more than any other position. The most famous position group in Vikings history, the Purple People Eaters, includes two ...
The Vikings' famed Purple People Eaters defensive line stopping a Rams rush in the 1977 NFC Divisional Playoff game. In 1977, Minnesota again won the Central with a 9–5 record, but the team was showing signs of age. Fran Tarkenton had torn his ACL in the previous season's playoff game with the Redskins and lost the ability to perform his ...
One of the players on that late 1960s-early 1970s Minnesota Vikings team, defensive tackle Doug Sutherland, died last week at the age of 73. Ironically, I don't ...
At the time, the Vikings had defensive end Carl Eller (a fellow second-year player) and Jim Marshall on the roster. [ 3 ] Alan Page , drafted to play defensive tackle in 1967, was the final piece of what became known as the " Purple People Eaters " with Eller, Marshall, and Larsen.
He was a member of the Vikings' famous "Purple People Eaters" (which consisted of Marshall (DE), Alan Page (DT), Gary Larsen (DT), and Carl Eller (DE)), and was the final player from Minnesota's initial expansion team of 1961 to retire. Marshall had 127 career quarterback sacks as a Viking, second-most in team history behind Eller. [6]