The Audacious Moment That Took John Randle To The NFL

Helmets Off host Scott Mitchell first met Hall of Fame- bound John Randle on the field playing the Vikings at home.

John was known for sacking quarterbacks and Scott remembered this about the legendary defensive tackle, “I never took a beating in my life like I did that day in Minneapolis”

When John went undrafted in 1990 his football future looked bleak.  He approached Minnesota Vikings as a free agent but they thought he was too small.

He was persistent enough that the team gave him an option.  They gave him one month to get to 250lbs.  If he could do that, they’d give him a shot in their training camp.

John had been working out hard, but not gaining a lot of weight so on the day of the weigh in, he stopped by the hardware store and  bought a metal chain that he wore under his clothes.  At the weigh in, he hit 250 on the nose.  Minnesota let him into camp and now he’s in the NFL Hall of Fame.

John also played a few seasons for Seattle Seahawks and some of his NFL highlights include 7 times at the Pro Bowl, 6 times All Pro, NFL sacks leader in 1997, 1990’s NFL All- Decade Team, and Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor.

 Helmets Off is hosted by Scott Mitchell.  Scott was a record setting quarterback at the University of Utah and a stand out QB in the NFL for Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati Bengals

Published: Thursday July 20, 2017
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