Vikings inducting CB Bobby Bryant to Ring of Honor for 2024 class
Former Vikings cornerback Bobby Bryant is the team's inductee for the Ring of Honor for the 2024 class. (Minnesota Vikings)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings announced Tuesday that former defensive back Bobby Bryant is the team’s Ring of Honor inductee for the 2024 class.
The team will honor Bryant when the Vikings host the Houston Texans on Sept. 22 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Bryant will be the first cornerback, and third defensive back, to be in the Vikings Ring of Honor.
"Bobby played a key role in the team’s Super Bowl seasons," Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf said in a statement. "He was a natural leader that teammates gravitated to, and his knack for making the big play in the biggest games was a driving force in so many Vikings wins over that time. He is worthy of this recognition."
The Vikings' Ring of Honor is a collection of the team's best and most impactful players in franchise history. Last year, Jared Allen joined the exclusive club.
Bryant was a seventh round draft pick by the Vikings in 1967 and spent 14 seasons in Minnesota. He has 57 interceptions combined between the regular season and playoffs, which is the franchise record. His six playoff picks are still a team record, and he ranks second in franchise history with 51 regular season interceptions. Bryant missed his rookie season and played just one game in 1974, but his 160 career regular season games and 128 starts are second among Vikings’ cornerbacks.
"We are proud to recognize Bobby in the Vikings Ring of Honor," Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf said in a statement. "Bobby overcame the odds as a seventh-round draft pick, going on to play at a high level and with great durability over his career. Off the field he was unwavering in his faith and his commitment to the community. He deserves to be honored as one of the all-time Vikings greats."
Bryant got the news on a Zoom call with former Vikings' teammates Fran Tarkenton and Alan Page, and members of the ownership group.
Bryant was a part of 11 Vikings’ teams that won division titles, and he played in two Super Bowls. He was named Second Team All-Pro in 1969 and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1975. Bryant had six career defensive touchdowns, including a 63-yard interception return against the Cowboys for the longest postseason return in franchise history. He also ran a 90-yard blocked field goal back for a touchdown, the longest such play in the postseason in team history.
With Bryant, the Vikings Ring of Honor is now at 28 members. Others include 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, Kevin Williams and Allen.