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John Randle

For other uses, see John Randle (disambiguation).

John Anthony Randle (born December 12, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for eleven seasons for the Minnesota Vikings and three seasons for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was a six-time first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. Since becoming an official stat in 1982, his 137.5 sacks rank tenth, tied with Richard Dent, and first among defensive tackles. On February 6, 2010, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[1] He played college football for the Trinity Valley Cardinals and the Texas A&I Javelinas, and was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent after the 1990 NFL draft. He is considered one of the greatest undrafted players of all time.[2][3]

John Randle
refer to caption
Randle with the Seattle Seahawks in 2002
No. 93
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1967-12-12) December 12, 1967 (age 56)
Mumford, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school:Hearne
(Hearne, Texas)
College:Trinity Valley (1986–1987)
Texas A&I (1988–1989)
Undrafted:1990
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:556
Sacks:137.5
Forced fumbles:29
Fumble recoveries:11
Interceptions:1
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Early life and college

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Born in Mumford, Texas, Randle was raised in poverty and worked odd jobs when he was young.[4] His brother Ervin played as a linebacker in the NFL for eight years.[5] Randle played high school football in Hearne, Texas. He started his college playing career at Trinity Valley Community College, before transferring to Texas A&M University–Kingsville.

Professional career

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Minnesota Vikings

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Randle went undrafted; he tried out for his brother's team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but at 6'1" and 244 pounds was thought to be too small, and was not signed to a contract. The Vikings picked up Randle after the draft on Head Scout Don Deisch's recommendation. They told Randle he would be picked up only if he came back with his weight over 250, so when he was weighed in he hid a chain under his sweats.[6]

Randle played his first season in 1990. He went to his first Pro Bowl in 1993 after recording 11.5 sacks, and quickly became one of his era's dominant defensive tackles. Once Henry Thomas left the Vikings, Randle increased his training regimen. He recorded double-digit sacks during nine different seasons, including a career-high and league-leading 15.5 in 1997.[7] In a 1999 game against the 49ers, he recorded his only career interception.

Like fellow Minnesota Viking Chris Hovan, Randle was known for eccentric face painting as well as trash-talking on the field, and disarming on-field heckling of opposing players.[8] Among Randle's most famous on-field catchphrases was "Six footers for LIFE!", an allusion to scouting criticism of being undersized for his position.

Randle had an ongoing rivalry with Packers quarterback Brett Favre, whom he sacked more than any other quarterback; Favre said that Randle was the toughest defensive player he faced and that "on artificial turf he's unblockable".[9] To play off the rivalry with Favre, Randle starred in a commercial featuring him sewing a miniature version of Favre's #4 jersey, which he put on a live chicken. The commercial then showed Randle chasing the chicken around what was supposed to be Randle's backyard and ended with him grilling chicken, leading to fierce protests by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.[9]

Randle's pass-rushing techniques were motion-captured for 989 Sports's NFL Xtreme series. He was the cover athlete for the second game in the series.[10]

Seattle Seahawks

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At the end of the 2000 season,[11] Randle signed with the Seattle Seahawks. In his first season with the Seahawks, he earned an invite to the Pro Bowl, the last of his career. Randle retired in 2004.[12] He had planned to retire in 2003, but Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren convinced him to stay one more year. The Seahawks made the playoffs in 2003 while he was on the roster, but did not reach the Super Bowl, losing in the Wild Card Round to the Packers. Randle also acquired his final sack in 2003.

Randle left the NFL tied with Richard Dent for fifth in career sacks. His 137.5 sacks remain the second-highest total by a defensive tackle in NFL history, below fellow Vikings legend Alan Page, who had 148.5.[13] Over his career, he was named to seven Pro Bowl squads. He was named All Tackle Machine of 1999 by Tackle: The Magazine.[citation needed]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR
1990 MIN 16 0 21 — — 1.0 1 0
1991 MIN 16 8 58 — — 9.5 2 0
1992 MIN 16 14 56 — — 11.5 0 1
1993 MIN 16 16 59 — — 12.5 3 0
1994 MIN 16 16 42 30 12 13.5 3 2
1995 MIN 16 16 44 33 11 10.5 1 0
1996 MIN 16 16 46 35 11 11.5 4 0
1997 MIN 16 16 58 47 11 15.5 2 2
1998 MIN 16 16 41 27 14 10.5 3 1
1999 MIN 16 16 38 29 9 10.0 4 3
2000 MIN 16 16 26 25 1 8.0 2 0
2001 SEA 15 14 34 26 8 11.0 4 1
2002 SEA 12 12 15 13 2 7.0 0 0
2003 SEA 16 9 17 12 5 5.5 0 1
Career[14] 219 185 471 277 84 137.5 29 11

Vikings records

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  • Most seasons leading team in sacks: 9, 1991, 1993–2000
  • Most consecutive seasons leading team in sacks: 8, 1993–2000

After football and legacy

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Randle was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor in 2008.[15] He was eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame starting in 2009, and was elected in 2010.[16] Randle was inducted in Canton, Ohio, on August 7, 2010, alongside Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Floyd Little, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, and Dick LeBeau.[17] He was also inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame that year[18] and had his number retired by his former high school team. In 2019, Randle was inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame. He lives in Medina, Minnesota, with his wife and children.[19]

Randle served as a Minnesota delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010 Announced". Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  2. ^ Curtis, Jake (April 26, 2022). "Top 10 Undrafted NFL Players the Past 25 Years, and Top 10 Undrafted Players from Cal". Sports Illustrated Cal Bears News, Analysis and More. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  3. ^ Tallent, Aaron (April 15, 2020). "25 Best Undrafted NFL Players of All Time". Athlon Sports. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "John Randle". CNN. November 28, 1994. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
  5. ^ "Ervin Randle". NFL.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  6. ^ NFL Films - After being cut from two teams, John Randle..., retrieved December 2, 2021
  7. ^ "John Randle". NFL.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "NFL Draft - Vikings first pick draws comparisons to Randle". CNNSI.com - 2000. April 16, 2000. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  9. ^ a b Popovich, Mike (August 4, 2010). "Randle, Favre at heart of Vikings-Packers rivalry". The Repository. Canton, Ohio. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  10. ^ A Football Life, Season 2
  11. ^ "John Randle". CNN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012.
  12. ^ "After 14 seasons, John Randle retires". The Seattle Times. March 2, 2004.
  13. ^ Farnsworth, Clare (March 1, 2004). "Randle retires from Seahawks". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  14. ^ "John Randle Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  15. ^ "Ring of Honor". Minnesota Vikings. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  16. ^ "John Randle - Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". Profootballhof.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  17. ^ "John Randle - Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". Profootballhof.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  18. ^ Oliver, Richard (February 6, 2011). "Randle enters Texas Sports Hall of Fame". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  19. ^ "John Randle's House in Medina, MN". Virtualglobetrotting.com. October 4, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  20. ^ Bailey, Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Antoinette Radford, Maureen Chowdhury, Tori B. Powell, Chelsea (August 20, 2024). "Live updates: Democratic National Convention, Obamas headline day 2 of the DNC | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved August 21, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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