The Minnesota Vikings spent most of the 1980s trying to return to the glory days of the previous decade. They weren’t successful. The 1980s included the most frustrating season of all my years with the team. 1984. The Les Steckel year. That one year felt like a decade. It was so bad that it brought Bud Grant out of retirement. The franchise icon returned the team to some degree of respectability and handed the keys to Jerry Burns. It’s what should’ve been done after the 1983 season. Burns made Vikings football fun again. The final years of the 1980s were the decade’s best years. In 1987, they damn near returned to the Super Bowl. Here’s a look at some of the best Vikings players of the 1980s.

Minnesota Vikings 1980s All-Decade Team

Offense

Quarterback
Tommy Kramer

If only Tommy Kramer could stay on the field. There may be no greater “what if” if Vikings franchise history. Kramer was drafted in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft to be Fran Tarkenton’s successor. He assumed that role in 1979. When he was on the field, he was a fun, exciting quarterback. He was a daring gunslinger. He was Brett Favre before Brett Favre. Unfortunately, Kramer could not stay healthy. During his 13-year Vikings career, he played every game in a season only twice, 1979 and the strike-shortened 1982 seasons. If Tommy Kramer could stay on the field, the 1980s would’ve been a very different decade for the Vikings. He had the talent to be one of the league’s best quarterbacks.

Running Back
Darrin Nelson

This might be a controversial choice. The worst thing that Darrin Nelson did was not be Marcus Allen. The Vikings selected Nelson with the seventh pick of the 1982 NFL Draft. Allen was selected with the 10th pick and went on to a brilliant Hall of Fame career. All Nelson did was be a good back for a decade. He edges Ted Brown for this team.

Fullback
Rick Fenney

Rick Fenney was the Vikings lead blocker for the final three years of the decade. His production didn’t quite match that of his predecessor, Alfred Anderson, but he was the better blocker. Fenney did rush for 588 yards in 1989.

Wide Receivers
Anthony Carter
Ahmad Rashad

Anthony Carter is an easy choice. Cris Carter and Randy Moss cast a long shadow over the Vikings strong tradition of receivers. Anthony Carter isn’t far behind them. He was a brilliant football player. He broke 1,000 receiving yards each season from 1988-90. His best season was arguably 1987. He gained 922 yards on only 38 catches for a ridiculous 24.3 yards/reception. His performance against the San Francisco 49ers in the 1987 playoffs is one of the greatest in franchise history. Ahmad Rashad’s best years were the last half of the 1970s. He makes this team for his Pro Bowl years of 1980 and 1981.

Tight End
Steve Jordan

Steve Jordan is another easy choice. A member of the Vikings Ring of Honor, he’s arguably the best tight end in franchise history. In an era of emerging offensive production from the tight end position with the likes of Kellen Winslow and Ozzie Newsome, Jordan was one of the league’s best. While the best Vikings tight end of the 1980s is an easy choice, I must mention Joe Senser. In 1981, he caught 79 passes for 1,004 yards and eight touchdowns. He was incredible that year and his future was so bright. An injury in 1982 ended it all. He missed the entire 1983 season. He tried to come back in 1984 but his career was done. Senser had Canton-level potential.

Offensive Tackles
Gary Zimmerman
Tim Irwin

More easy choices. Gary Zimmerman is a Hall of Famer. Tim Irwin was the Vikings right tackle for nearly all of the 1980s. Zimmerman was great. Irwin was very good. Both are among the best players in franchise history.

Offensive Guards
Randall McDaniel
Terry Tausch

Randall McDaniel is one of the best guards to ever play. Terry Tausch was the Vikings right guard for about half of the 1980s. He edges out Jim Hough and Wes Hamilton.

Center
Dennis Swilley

Dennis Swilley had the unfortunate responsibility of replacing the great Mick Tingelhoff. The Vikings have a strong center tradition. It started with Tingelhoff. Swilley continued it. He was a very good center for most of the 1980s.

Defense

The Vikings used a 3-4 defense from 1981-84. I’m picking a 4-3 defense because it was used for the majority of the decade and because I prefer it. Or, maybe it’s just that the 4-3 is more familiar to me.

Defensive Ends
Chris Doleman
Doug Martin

Chris Doleman is an easy choice. He was a game-changing player and Hall of Famer. Doug Martin is one of the most underrated players in franchise history. He led the league with 11.5 sacks during the strike-shortened 1982 season. He had 13 sacks in 1983 and nine-sack seasons in 1986 and 1987. He was a terrific and somewhat forgotten pass rusher.

Defensive Tackles
Keith Millard
Henry Thomas

At the end of the 1980s, there was a second coming of the Purple People Eaters. One might even pose the sacrilege argument that the Vikings defensive line of the late 1980s was better than the original Purple People Eaters. The greatness of the late-1980s group was the dominance of the defensive tackles. Keith Millard was Aaron Donald-like in 1988 and 1989. In 1988, he was the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award and was fifth in the voting for MVP. He was even better in 1989. He was the Defensive Player of the Year and was third in the voting for MVP. Millard and Doleman combined for 39 sacks in 1989. Henry Thomas quietly wrecked offenses. He was an immediate starter at nose tackle as a rookie in 1987. In 1989, he chipped in an impressive nine sacks. He was a very good player for 14 years (eight with the Vikings). His 93.5 career sacks and steady play should give him an argument for the Hall of Fame.

Linebackers
Matt Blair
Scott Studwell
Fred McNeill

Matt Blair and Scott Studwell are easy choices. Both are in the Vikings Ring of Honor. Both were team leaders and Pro Bowl players. With six consecutive Pro Bowls and an All-Pro nod, Blair was one of the league’s best outside linebackers for all of the early 1980s. Once he took over for the ageless Wally Hilgenberg, Fred McNeill put together a solid 12-year career.

Cornerbacks
Carl Lee
Najee Mustafaa

Carl Lee is an easy choice. He’s one of the best cornerbacks in Vikings franchise history. The other cornerback isn’t so easy. Issiac Holt is a contender. His eight interceptions in 1986 is a highlight. John Turner, Willie Teal, John Swain, Rufus Bess. There are several contenders. Najee Mustafaa emerged as the starter opposite Lee in 1988. For the next four seasons he was a very good second corner.

Safeties
Joey Browner
Tom Hannon

Joey Browner is an easy choice. He was a great football player. If injuries hadn’t started whittling away at his talents, he’d be in Canton. Even with an injury-shortened career, he has a strong argument for the Hall of Fame. Tom Hannon was one of my favorites for the entirety of his career. He had the unfortunate responsibility of replacing Paul Krause. Hannon was a solid starter for seven years.

Special Teams

Kicker
Chuck Nelson

Chuck Nelson edges out Rick Danmeier for the kicker spot simply by being the Vikings kicker for half the decade.

Punter
Greg Coleman

Greg Coleman is an easy choice as he was the Vikings punter from 1978-87. He was a fun punter. If punters can be fun.

Kick Returner
Eddie Payton

Walter Payton’s more talented brother gets the kick returner spot. His 1184 kick return yards in 1980 led the league. He had a 99-yard kick return touchdown in 1981.

Punt Returner
Leo Lewis

Leo Lewis was a fun football player. He was a solid receiving option for most of the 1980s. He wasn’t the Vikings dedicated punt returner until 1987. From 1987-89, he averaged over 10 yards per return with a touchdown. I don’t think that I watched a Vikings game during Lewis’ career when an announcer didn’t mention that Leo Lewis Sr. played for Bud Grant in Canada.