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- Mar 19, 2019
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5 former Vikings listed as finalists for College Football Hall of Fame
Well before players and coaches make their mark in the NFL, they often excel at the college level.
The College Football Hall of Fame announced its finalists for the 2020 class earlier this week, and a handful of players who were stars in college later had ties to the Vikings.
A quartet of former players and one former coach have connections to Minnesota, with the group headlined by guard Steve Hutchinson.
Linebacker E.J. Henderson, kicker Morten Andersen, defensive tackle Brad Culpepper and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy are also candidates to be among those inducted to the Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation included mini bios on each finalist for their accomplishments in college.
Hutchinson, who went to Michigan, went to four Pro Bowls in six seasons with the Vikings.
At Michigan, he was a unanimous First-Team All-American in 2000 and led the Wolverines to four bowl wins, including the 1997 National Championship at the Rose Bowl. He was one of only seven players in conference history to be named a four-time First-Team All-Big Ten selection, and he was a three-time Big Ten champion.
Henderson played all 125 games of his entire nine-season career in Purple.
At Maryland, he became the only two-time consensus First-Team All-American in Terps history. In 2002, he was the Bednarik and Butkus award winner who helped Maryland to an Orange Bowl berth and a No. 11 final ranking. In 2001, he was the ACC Player of the Year and two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, leading Maryland to the 2001 ACC title.
Andersen, who went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, played one of his 25 seasons with the Vikings.
At Michigan State, he was a First-Team All-American who left MSU as the Big Ten’s all-time leader in field goals (45). He set a still-standing conference record with a 63-yard field goal in 1981 and was a three-time All-Big Ten performer, leading the Spartans in scoring for three seasons.
Culpepper played in 26 career games in Minnesota.
At Florida, he was a 1991 consensus First-Team All-American and recipient of the National Football Foundation’s Campbell Trophy as the nation’s top scholar-athlete. He was a two-time All-SEC selection who led the Gators to the first-ever SEC title in 1991.
Bieniemy was Minnesota’s running backs coach from 2006 through 2010.
At Colorado, he was a unanimous First-Team All-American and finished third in 1990 Heisman voting. He played in two National Championships, leading the Buffs to the 1990 national title. He was a two-time All-Big Eight selection, still holding eight CU records.
The class of 2020 will be announced in January, and they will be inducted in December of 2020 in New York.