EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings are mourning the loss of four-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker and 1972 No. 10 overall pick Jeff Siemon.
Siemon passed away Saturday at age 75.
Named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings as part of Minnesota's 50th season celebration in 2010, Siemon fittingly patrolled the middle of the Purple People Eaters defense in his No. 50 jersey for 11 impressive seasons.
He ranks third all-time in team history in career tackles on defense with 1,375, a number that trails only Scott Studwell (1,928) and Matt Blair (1,404), according to team stats. Siemon teamed with both of those players, as well as fellow 50 Greatest Vikings linebackers Roy Winston and Wally Hilgenberg.
Siemon was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time following the 1973 season and earned three consecutive nods from 1975-77. He also started three Super Bowls for the Vikings (VIII, IX and XI).
Siemon came up with big takeaways in consecutive playoff games to help Minnesota advance to Super Bowl VIII. He recovered a fumble and returned the ball 16 yards against Washington in Minnesota's 27-20 victory in the Divisional Round.
The following week, in the 1973 NFC Championship Game against the Cowboys, Siemon — along with teammates Bobby Bryant (twice) and Jeff Wright — picked off Roger Staubach a total of four times to help the Vikings record the franchise's first postseason road win and advance to the Super Bowl.
Bryant, another member of the 50 Greatest Vikings, appreciated teaming with Siemon for nine seasons because of who Siemon was as a player and person.
"Jeff was a great teammate — a leader for us on the field and a really good linebacker. He was key to our teams," Bryant said after learning the news. "As good of a player that Jeff was, he was a better person — truly one of the best guys we had. You never heard anyone speak cross of Jeff. His faith was his guide, and he was not afraid to share it with people. He touched so many."
Born in Rochester, Minnesota, when his father was a doctor at Mayo Clinic, Siemon attended high school in Bakersfield, California. He returned to the North when the Vikings drafted him 10th overall in 1972 after his All-America career at Stanford that eventually garnered placement in the College Football Hall of Fame and a silver anniversary Dick Butkus Award.
Siemon made an immediate impact, starting eight of the 13 games he played as a rookie and recording 87 tackles (60 solo), two tackles for loss, a sack and two interceptions, in addition to contributing on special teams. In just his second season in Purple, he rose as the team's leading tackler (155), a title he took home three additional times (1974, 1976, 1978).
Siemon played 156 regular-season games for the Vikings, starting 124 of them. He also opened four NFC title games in a five-season span (1973-77). In 1975, Siemon helped the Vikings finish the regular season 12-2, win the NFC Central and rank third in the NFL in points allowed (180).
Interviewed by author Jim Bruton for Vikings 50: All-Time Greatest Players in Franchise History, Siemon said one of the most "gratifying" aspects of his career in Minnesota was playing under Hall of Fame Head Coach Bud Grant.
"Bud was a terrific coach and a very bright man about football and about life. Bud never missed a thing," Siemon said. "He was always aware of what was going on around him, in the game and with people. I loved playing for Bud."
Receiver Ahmad Rashad, who teamed with Siemon for seven seasons and earned placement in the 50 Greatest Vikings, told Burton Siemon was a "consummate professional and one of the best linebackers to ever play the game."
"His work ethic was absolutely tremendous," Rashad added. "And above it all, he is one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet."
Siemon lived his Christian faith during and after his career. He coordinated team chapel sessions on Saturday evenings before games and earned advanced degrees that he fulfilled with his efforts with Search Ministries and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
