The Vikings will induct Jared Allen into their Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony of the Oct. 30 game against the Cardinals.
“When we traded for Jared, his impact on the team was immediate,” Vikings owner/chairman Zygi Wilf said in a statement. “His talent as a pass rusher was a perfect addition to the defense and helped make us one of the best units in the NFL. The type of teammate he was in the locker room and person he was within the community were as equally important as his play on the field. He belongs in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor.”
Allen played for the Vikings from 2008-13, earning three All-Pro honors and four Pro Bowls in those six seasons. The defensive end set the team record for sacks in a season with 22 in 2011, a mark that ranks tied for third in NFL history.
He ranked in the NFL’s top 10 in sacks in each of his six seasons in Minnesota, and his 136 career sacks rank as the 12th-most in NFL history. Allen is tied for the NFL record with four career safeties, all coming with the Vikings, including an NFL season-record-tying pair in 2008.
“Jared played with a passion, energy and drive that few players are able to match for as long as he did,” Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf said in a statement. “He raised the level of play for everyone around him with his relentless approach, and he set a positive example with his engagement in the Minnesota community. We are excited he will join the Vikings’ Ring of Honor and forever be remembered as a Viking.”
Allen is the seventh defensive lineman to join the team’s Ring of Honor. His addition brings the Vikings’ Ring of Honor to 27 members: Fran Tarkenton, Alan Page, Jim Finks, Bud Grant, Paul Krause, Fred Zamberletti, Jim Marshall, Ron Yary, Korey Stringer, Mick Tingelhoff, Carl Eller, Cris Carter, Bill Brown, Jerry Burns, Randall McDaniel, Chuck Foreman, John Randle, Scott Studwell, Chris Doleman, Matt Blair, Joey Browner, Ahmad Rashad, Randy Moss, Dennis Green, Steve Jordan and Kevin Williams.
