Minnesota Vikings

History of Minnesota Vikings in the Pro Bowl

Published Jan. 27, 2017 4:00 p.m. ET

Tom Dierberger

When the Pro Bowl matchup between the NFC and AFC began in 1971, it featured a premier football game of the world's best talent squaring off head-to-head.

That was the idea, anyway.

The Pro Bowl has gone through many changes, especially in the past few years, to try and make it more appealing to fans. The NFL ditched the classic NFC vs. AFC matchup from 2014-16, instilling a fantasy football-esque format where former NFL players served as team captains and picked their teams.

In 2017, the NFL will go back to the classic AFC vs. NFC format, and it brought back the Skills Challenge to catch the eye of a broader audience. Who doesn't like watching grown men pelt dodgeballs at one another like it's fifth grade recess?

Regardless of the bells and whistles to go along with the weekend, there's still always a football game played. And if you're a Minnesota Vikings fan, you've had pretty good reasons to watch the Pro Bowl the past few decades.

In fact, Minnesota is the only team to boast three Pro Bowl MVPs since 2000. Two future Hall of Famers, Randy Moss and Adrian Peterson, won the MVP award very early in their careers.

Peterson ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns -- virtually unheard of in the Pro Bowl -- after his rookie season. Randy Moss finished his second season in the NFL with nine catches for 212 yards and a score in the Pro Bowl.

Kyle Rudolph, who replaced an injured and aged Tony Gonzalez in the 2013 Pro Bowl, caught five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown -- enough for the MVP recognition.

Besides Carter, Moss and Rudolph, the only Minnesota players with a touchdown reception in a Pro Bowl since the AFL-NFL merger are Bob Grim and Chuck Foreman.

VIKINGS RECEIVERS

YEAR	PLAYER	REC	YDS	TD
1971	Gene Washington	1	31	0
1972	Bob Grim	1	50	1
1973	John Gilliam	1	23	0
1974	Chuck Foreman	2	-2	0
1974	John Gilliam	1	14	0
1975	Chuck Foreman	2	30	0
1976	Chuck Foreman	5	48	1
1976	John Gilliam	2	21	0
1977	Sammy White	1	12	0
1978	Sammy White	2	20	0
1979	Ahmad Rashad	5	30	0
1981	Ahmad Rashad	1	9	0
1988	Steve Jordan	1	16	0
1989	Steve Jordan	2	23	0
1989	Anthony Carter	1	9	0
1990	Steve Jordan	1	37	0
1991	Steve Jordan	3	45	0
1994	Cris Carter	3	52	1
1995	Cris Carter	4	81	1
1996	Cris Carter	2	19	0
1997	Cris Carter	4	87	1
1998	Cris Carter	2	12	0
1999	Randy Moss	7	108	0
1999	Cris Carter	2	14	0
2000	Randy Moss	9	212	1
2000	Cris Carter	5	27	0
2001	Cris Carter	5	41	0
2002	Byron Chamberlain	2	22	0
2008	Tony Richardson	1	11	0
2013	Kyle Rudolph	5	122	1

As noted above, Adrian Peterson dominated the NFL Pro Bowl early in his career. His MVP performance in 2008 hasn't been topped since. In fact, no running back has run for over 80 yards in the Pro Bowl since Peterson did it in 2011 (the record is 180 set by Marshall Faulk in 1995).

Peterson has played in six Pro Bowls in his career, and he holds the top four Vikings Pro Bowl rushing games since 1990 and three of the top four since 1971. He is the only Vikings player to score a rushing TD in a Pro Bowl since the AFC and NFC started meeting.

VIKINGS RUSHERS

YEAR	PLAYER	ATT	YDS	TD
1974	Chuck Foreman	11	14	0
1975	Chuck Foreman	10	38	0
1976	Chuck Foreman	13	85	0
1978	Chuck Foreman	6	24	0
1988	Anthony Carter	1	8	0
1999	Robert Smith	2	7	0
2003	Michael Bennett	2	17	0
2008	Adrian Peterson	16	129	2
2009	Adrian Peterson	8	48	1
2010	Adrian Peterson	3	17	0
2011	Adrian Peterson	14	80	1
2013	Adrian Peterson	5	13	0
2016	Adrian Peterson	5	4	0

Teddy Bridgewater was named to his first career Pro Bowl in 2016 when he replaced Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer. He played exceptionally well in the game, throwing for 129 yards and two touchdowns, including a 50-yard strike to Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson. Bridgewater's performance was the best a Vikings quarterback has played in the Pro Bowl since Daunte Culpepper's 124-yard effort in 2005, which was also the last time a Minnesota QB appeared in the Pro Bowl.

Interestingly, the first Vikings quarterback to play in the Pro Bowl since the format change in 1971 was Tommy Kramer in 1987. Fran Tarkenton was named to Pro Bowls while with Minnesota, but didn't play.

VIKINGS PASSERS

YEAR	PLAYER	PASSING	YDS	TD	INT
1987	Tommy Kramer	8-13	78	0	0
1989	Wade Wilson	7-10	71	1	1
1995	Warren Moon	3-8	22	0	0
1998	Warren Moon	4-6	31	0	0
1999	Randall Cunningham	5-8	72	0	2
2001	Daunte Culpepper	4-7	72	1	1
2004	Daunte Culpepper	2-7	57	0	0
2005	Daunte Culpepper	9-15	124	0	1
2016	Teddy Bridgewater	6-8	129	2	1

For a complete list of Vikings who made the Pro Bowl -- including offensive linemen, defensive players and kickers, please check out this list from pro-football-reference.com.