The first defensive player to win the NFL MVP award — Alan Page's extraordinary athletic ability and football intelligence made him the finest interior defender of the 1970s, before a distinguished career as a Supreme Court Justice.
Alan Page was born in Canton, Ohio in 1945. Minnesota Vikings selected him 15th overall in the 1967 NFL Draft from Notre Dame. Over 15 seasons he was named NFL MVP in 1971 — the first defensive player to win the award — and was selected to nine Pro Bowls and named All-Pro six consecutive times. He appeared in four Super Bowls with the Vikings. He earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota while still playing and was appointed an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1993, serving until 2015. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.
NFL MVP 1971 (first defensive player)
He served as an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court after retirement — the only NFL player to reach the highest court of any US state.
Did You Know?Career Honours
- NFL MVP 1971 (first defensive player)
- 4x NFC Champion
- 9x Pro Bowl
- Minnesota Supreme Court Justice