PAGE, ALAN

born Aug. 7, 1945, Canton, Ohio, U.S. in full Alan Cedric Page African-American football player who became the first defensive player to win the Most Valuable Player award of the National Football League (NFL), for 1971. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1988. At the University of Notre Dame (Ind.), Page played defensive end for the 1966 national championship team, receiving All-America honours. After earning a bachelor's degree in political science, he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. With the Vikings, he played defensive tackle and joined with Jim Marshall, Carl Eller, and Gary Larsen to form the legendary defensive line known as the Purple People-Eaters. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1967. With the Vikings, Page appeared in four Super Bowls and was named All-Pro every year from 1970 to 1977. At 240 pounds (109 kg), he was relatively small for a lineman, yet he was so uncommonly quick that he was often across the line of scrimmage before his opponents could stop him. In 1971, his best season, he recorded 109 tackles, 35 assists, 10 quarterback sacks, and 3 safeties. In the middle of his career Page took up running, even competing in marathons. The training led to a loss of weight, however, and he was released by the Vikings in 1978. He played the final four years of his career with the Chicago Bears. In his 15 years of professional football, Page never missed a game, starting in 236 contests. He held a career record for highest number of safeties and blocked kicks. During his playing days Page entered law school and earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1978. He went into private practice in 1979 and then joined the Minnesota attorney general's office in 1985. In 1993 he became an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.