Alan Page a staple of Minneapolis after NFL, Justice careers
MINNEAPOLIS (BVM) – At 77 years old, Alan Page has accomplished many things in his life. A 15-year Pro Football Hall of Fame career in the NFL, 22 years as part of the Minnesota Supreme Court and more honors than one could count. However, despite all the success he’s had, Page refuses to rest on his laurels.
On Sunday, Page cheered on participants in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. This is nothing new for Page, who has been cheering on runners for nearly a quarter of a century, playing his sousaphone with notes of encouragement after years of participating in the event. However, this year was a bit different, as it was the first time Page cheered during the Diane & Alan Page Community Cheer Challenge which helped to raise funds for not only his charity, the Page Education Foundation, but 18 other notable organizations in the Minneapolis area.
While Page will forever be remembered in Minnesota for his contributions both on the football field and off of it, his journey actually begins in Canton, Ohio, the same place his gridiron career was capped with a fitting end.
Early life and high school football
Page was born in Canton, Ohio to parents Georgiana and Howard. The family stressed the importance of education rather than the football field.
Things weren’t always easy for Page though. At 13, his mother passed away and Page was raised by his father through his high school years. At Canton Central Catholic High School, Page became a dominant force for the football team and did well enough to earn a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame
While his statistics with the Fighting Irish are hard to come by, there are some few known accomplishments that Page achieved during his time at Notre Dame from 1963-67. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound defensive end helped the Irish to a 25-3-2 record during his time on the team and a national championship in 1966.
As a senior, Page recorded 63 tackles and was a consensus All-American. Page was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
NFL career
As one of the elite players in the country, Page heard his name called early in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft when he was selected No. 15 overall by the Minnesota Vikings. While official statistics are again hard to come by for Page, who played at a time before sacks were recorded in 1982, his impact can be seen through the quality of his teams and the accolades he earned.
As a part of the vaunted “Purple People Eaters” defense and a line that included fellow Hall of Famer Carl Eller and Pro Bowlers Gary Larsen and Jim Marshall, Page became a dominant force of a team that would go to four Super Bowls including three in a four-year period between 1973 and 1976.
Over the course of 11-and-a-half seasons with the Vikings, Page was elected to nine Pro Bowls, five All-Pro teams, was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the 1970s All-Decade Team. Arguably his greatest individual accomplishment was in 1971 when he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, becoming the first defender to ever earn the award at the time.
In a surprising move, Page was released by the Vikings in October 1978 and was quickly picked up by the rival Chicago Bears where he played an additional three-and-a-half years. In total, Page played 15 NFL seasons and 218 games and retired having never missed a single game.
The statistics are hard to pin down. While the Pro Football Hall of Fame has his unofficial sack total at 173, other sites have his total at 148.5 which would still put him at the top of the all-time sacks list for a defensive tackle. After retiring in 1982, Page was elected to the hall of fame in 1988 and was named as a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary all-time team in 2019.
Post-playing career and legacy
Of course, Page’s NFL career is only a small part of his story. While still playing for the Vikings in the 70s, Page attended the University of Minnesota Law School where he earned his degree in 1978. Outside of the football seasons for 1979-84, Page worked at the Minnesota law firm Lindquist and Vennum to set up his law career following his playing days.
In 1985, Page was appointed Special Assistant Attorney General and was soon promoted to Assistant Attorney General. In 1992, Page was elected as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, a position he held until his mandatory retirement at age 70 in 2015. He was the first African-American to serve on that court.
In 2018, Page was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions.
Though no longer holding a position of power in Minnesota, Page’s legacy will continue far beyond his lifetime. His name currently adorns two Minneapolis area schools: Justice Alan Page Middle School and Justice Alan Page Elementary School, the latter of which opened in September.
With two legendary careers in Minnesota, Page will not be soon forgotten by the state’s residents. While he is enjoying his retirement in his Minneapolis home, don’t expect Page to rest much. He will continue to be a part of the community, whether through his charity or through his cheering for marathon runners, for years to come.
