Who are we? We are our stories. We are our pictures

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Honorable Alan Cedric Page

The photo is Alan Page. I point this out, because of course young people don't know who Alan Page is. You should. He is an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. At one time he was a football player - a pretty good defensive lineman. In 1969 he led Notre Dame to the national title. In 1971 he was the NFL Most Valuable Player... not just Defensive Player of the Year...MVP, as a defensive lineman. Unless you saw him play you cannot comprehend how quick, how fast, how dominate he was. When he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1988 he made a nice speech, never once mentioning football. While playing he earned a law degree and began practicing law in the off season. After retiring from football he eventually became a judge.

James Floyd Margadant was a lineman too, and a long time Minnesota Viking fan, though not of the rah! rah! ilk, more as a student of the game. Like Page he became a lawyer, even a judge for a time, before taking a staff job with the Sierra Club. This old fart, sometimes cynical, always curmudgeonly, much to Brenda's chagrin bought an official NFL Alan Page football jersey... to wear while he sits on the sofa next Sunday watching the Viking game.

Jimmy, Jimmy, you know they will just break our hearts again.
(I hope he doesn't paint his face purple. You cannot know how out of character this jersey thing is for the Big Guy.)

6 comments:

Silk Hope said...

One of the hardest hitting SOB's I ever saw in football and than he would pick you up as if he were a gentleman (which he is)The next down he would hit you even harder. He played in the outside in the cold and in the mud just the American football was meant to be played. Not in the Indoor palaces that have been built today. We are a fat dumb and not so happy society aren't we.

What a great line the "Purple People Eaters"!

Silk Hope

Gunnar Berg said...

Hey Silk,
Can you slip me a scan of your poster?

Anonymous said...

I don't think they are going to beat New Orleans, guys. The Cowboys have an inferiority complex (not like the Cowboys of old); the Saints don't. I'm pulling for the Colts; Peyton Manning has funnier commercials. Dex

Gunnar Berg said...

Line play will dictate the game. As an old lineman you know this.

Anonymous said...

Yes, and an old and publicity addictive quarterback is having a good year only because the Vikings have a damn good line. The Saints have one too who will keep Peterson bottled up, and they will penetrate the pocket. Of course I could be eating these words come Monday (Isn't Come Monday a Jimmy Buffet song?) Dex

Gunnar Berg said...

I think so, A Labor Day Weekend song?