Carl Eller

Vikings Hall of Fame defensive end and a cornerstone of the legendary 'Purple People Eaters' defensive line, playing in four Super Bowls across a 16-year career.

Born on 25 January 1942 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Carl Eller was a consensus All-American at the University of Minnesota before becoming a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 1964. The 6-foot-6, 247-pound defensive end became a fixture in one of the most feared defensive lines in NFL history. Eller anchored the left end position of the famed 'Purple People Eaters' defensive line, alongside Jim Marshall and Hall of Famer Alan Page, a unit whose ferocity and quickness terrorized opposing offenses through the late 1960s and 1970s. Extremely mobile for his size, Eller recorded an unofficial 44 sacks across the 1975-77 seasons, was named first- or second-team All-NFL every year from 1967 to 1973, and played in six Pro Bowls. The Vikings won 10 division titles during Eller's 15 seasons with the team, capturing the 1969 NFL championship and NFC titles in 1973, 1974 and 1976, reaching four Super Bowls in total, though the team fell short each time. Eller recovered 23 fumbles across his career, the third-best mark in NFL history at the time of his retirement, and famously caused the fumble that led to teammate Jim Marshall's infamous wrong-way run for a safety in a 1964 game. Eller played his final season with the Seattle Seahawks in 1979 before retiring, having appeared in 225 regular-season games. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Quick, mobile pass rusher and stout run defender for his size

One of the most dominant defensive ends of his era and a foundational member of Minnesota's great 1970s defenses