Yahoo News

Randall Mcdaniel

rod woodson, derrick thomas, bruce smith, bob hayes, deacon jones,Randall Mcdaniel

An individual who, aside from football, put the community and his time with children first throughout his long career, and then made those children his new career after his time on the field.

Professionally, there are few that have come along and played Guard with as much speed, agility and tenacity as McDaniels did; there are fewer that achieved the monumental accomplishments McDaniels did.

All Rookie in 1988, 12 Pro Bowl selections AND starts, seven-time First Team All-Pro, as well as 202 consecutive starts between the years 1990 to 2001 without a single missed practice during the same time period.

In 1994 McDaniel’s forged line held opponents to one sack every 22.7 pass attempt.

In 1998, while playing for the incredibly explosive Viking Offense that registered a team record 556 points, McDaniels led the way for the gruesome two-some rushing attack of Leroy Hoard and Robert Smith, and it was that year the tandem combined for 1,666 yards.

Trust me, anyone who watched that line with those two guys will instantly recall McDaniel’s contribution both as a blocker, and as a fullback; something the Vikings also utilized with the endlessly talented McDaniels.

That 1998 season was the pinnacle of McDaniel’s career; he defined that O-line and paved the way for the explosive attack of the Vikings while working in unison with his fellow lineman to make getting to the quarterback as easy as breaking through a brick wall with a rubber mallet.

The O-line that year gave up no more than 20 sacks; they helped paved the way for a team total 1,936 yards on the ground and 17 rushing touchdowns.

He afforded Cunningham a crystal clear path to see the field and a cavernous pocket to relax in that allowed the passing game to yield 61 touchdowns in addition to 4,492 passing yards out of 533 attempts; a 61.4 percent completion rate.

McDaniels shared the field with some of the biggest names in Vikings history: