Let's Debate! The Best Linebackers in Minnesota Vikings Franchise History
By: Ross Blilie
03-30-2023
Here we are again; discussing Minnesota Vikings football. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Continuing my debate series, I am going to talk about the best linebackers in Vikings franchise history. In order to rank the pro bowl caliber players, I will need to come up with a rubric.
The way the players should be ranked should be by the number of games they played, the number of tackles made, and if I think they had big play ability. I am going to rank my top five linebackers of all-time.
Who are some of the best linebackers you, the reader, can come up with? I can think of Eric Kendricks, Ben Leiber, Chad Greenway, Scott Studwell, and Anthony Barr. Others include Matt Blair, Wally Hilgenberg, Jeff Siemon, Roy Winston, and Jack Del Rio.
After doing some research, I agree with the rankings from bleacherreport.com. The author had ranked the five best linebackers in franchise history based on durability, toughness, and forced turnovers.
1.Scott Studwell-Late 1970’s - Early 1990’s. Studwell was exactly that as a Viking. He was a stud. He played his entire career with the Vikings and is the all-time leader in tackles with 1,981. The dude was a beast. He also picked off eleven passes and recovered sixteen fumbles. In 1981, he recorded 230 tackles. That’s incredible! Some of the modern day linebackers are nowhere near his level of toughness. He deserves to be number one.
2.Matt Blair-Mid 1970’s - Mid 1980’s. Blair is second all-time to Scott Studwell in total tackles with 1,452. He played his entire twelve year career with the Vikings. He wasn’t just a beast on defense; he was a beast on Special Teams as well. Over his career, he blocked twenty kicks. In addition, he intercepted sixteen passes and recovered twenty fumbles. For his stats alone, he deserves to be second in the power rankings.
3.Jeff Siemon-Early 1970’s - Mid 1980’s. According to vikings.com, Siemon is third on the all-time list for total tackles. While with the Vikings for eleven seasons, he recorded 1,382 tackles, intercepted eleven passes and recovered eleven fumbles. He was considered a solid linebacker that simply got the job done.
4.Wally Hilgenberg-Late 1960’s-Early 1980’s. Hilgenberg was one of the first linebackers in Vikings history to play in a Super Bowl. In fact, he played in all four of the Vikings Super Bowl appearances. He was also the first player to intercept three passes in a game. According to vikings.com, Hilgenberg was a smart, tough, and versatile player. His career stats include picking off eight passes and recovering fourteen fumbles in his twelve season career with the Vikings. Hilgenberg died of ALS in 2008.
5.Roy Winston-Early 1960’s - Early 1970’s. Winston doesn’t have a ton of stats to share, but according to bleacherreport.com, Winston played in 191 games, and all four Super Bowl appearances. His tackles were not tallied, but a youtube video from vikings.com showed that he was a ferocious tackler. However, it was recorded that he had twelve interceptions and fourteen fumble recoveries. Because of his durability and impact on helping the team get to four Super Bowls, he edges out Chad Greenway for fifth place.
Chad Greenway gets an honorable mention because of his toughness and durability in his career with the Vikings. He is fourth all-time in total tackles with 1,100. He also recorded eighteen sacks, eleven interceptions, eight forced fumbles, and eleven fumble recoveries in 156 games. Remembering Greenway in the mid 2000’s was awesome. He was a beast just like all the other guys. He really could be fourth on this list, with his stats, but those other guys had Super Bowl appearance experience while Greenway didn’t; which is unfortunate.
Do you agree or disagree with the list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Ross Blilie is an avid NFL fan of the Minnesota Vikings since the 1990’s. He loves to talk about the NFL and the Vikings every chance he gets. His hobbies also include bowling with his wife and friends, narrating audiobooks, fishing, and even sitting by a campfire with family at Lake Blackduck in Minnesota. You can find Ross on twitter & Instagram @Rossthenarrator.
