Grady Alderman (December 10, 1938 – April 5, 2018) was an American football player and executive. He played principally as an offensive tackle for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the Minnesota Vikings.
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| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 10, 1938 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | April 5, 2018 (aged 79) Evergreen, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 247 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Madison (Madison Heights, Michigan) | ||||||||
| College: | Detroit | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1960 / round: 10 / pick: 111 | ||||||||
| Expansion draft: | 1961 / round: 1 / pick: 1 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| As an executive: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Early life
editAlderman was born on December 10, 1938 in Detroit, Michigan to Cecil and Grace Alderman.[1] He attend the University of Detroit Mercy, playing on its football team from 1957 to 1959 as an offensive lineman.[2] He received a Bachelor of science degree in accounting.[1] He is in the Detroit Mercy Titans Hall of Fame.[2]
Football career
editPlaying career
editThe Detroit Lions selected Alderman in the tenth round of the 1960 NFL draft (111th overall). He played in 11 games, starting only one (at guard),[3] for the Lions in 1960.[4] In 1961, the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the expansion draft.[2] Alderman would go on to play 194 regular season games for the Vikings, chiefly at left tackle, and 12 post-season games, including Super Bowls IV, VIII and IX.[5] He missed on three games in 14 years with the Vikings.[6]
He started 177 games for the Vikings from 1961 to 1974. He was selected to six Pro Bowls in a seven year span (1963-1967, 1969), and was twice selected All Pro (1965, second team; 1969, first or second team).[5][4] In 1975, he ended his professional playing career in the Chicago Bears training camp, as a player then coach, and did not play another official game.[7][5] He is also noted for being the "last of the original Vikings."[8]
Hall of fame Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton described Alderman (and defensive lineman Jim Marshall) as the cornerstones of the Vikings teams of that era. Hall of fame Minnesota coach Bud Grant said of Alderman, "'He was a great leader, respected, smart and played left tackle which is a very valuable position on the field and was good at it. He was very, very intelligent, and it showed in how he played.'"[5]
He was selected to the group of 50 greatest Vikings, named to celebrate the teams' 50th anniversary.[9] He had also been named to the Vikings 25th anniversary all-time team.[6]
In 2021, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Alderman to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2021.[6]
Post-playing football career
editAfter leaving the Bears, for the next four years Alderman did color commentary for radio broadcasts of the Vikings' games.[5]
Alderman was a certified public accountant (CPA).[10][11] During the off-seasons of his playing career, he worked as a CPA for Deloitte, Haskins & Sells.[1] He later used his financial experience to work with the Vikings after his career was over, first in overseeing the construction of the team's headquarters (Winter Park); and then in managing a $25 million investment earmarked for construction of the Vikings new sports stadium (the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome).[5]
From March 1981 until December 1982 he was the general manager of the Denver Broncos, and raised his family in Colorado.[5]
Death
editAlderman died on April 5, 2018, at the age of 79.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Grady Alderman Obituary (1938 - 2018) - Evergreen, CO - Canyon Courier". Legacy.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Grady Alderman (1979) - Detroit Mercy Titans Hall of Fame". University of Detroit Mercy Athletics. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "1960 Detroit Lions Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "Grady Alderman Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Peters, Craig (August 5, 2018). "Original Viking & 1 of '50 Greatest' Grady Alderman Passes Away". www.vikings.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c Ken Crippen. "PFRA's Hall of Very Good Class of 2021". Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "50 Greatest Vikings". Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Grant will be happy to win by one point". Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ "Vikings Legends". www.vikings.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ Reeves takes over Denver
- ^ "Players to Vote on Wednesday". Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ "Vikings great Grady Alderman passes away at age 79".
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