Vikings Legend Scott Studwell will be honored with an esteemed award named for another Vikings icon.
The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation announced Tuesday that Studwell will be presented with this year's Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award. He will be honored during this summer's Minnesota Football Honors television broadcast.
"We are so excited to honor Scott Studwell for his significant contributions to Minnesota football. Scott left a major mark on the Minnesota Vikings organization as a player and talent evaluator," Todd Fultz, President of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation, said in a statement. "Scott evaluated and identified so many key players during the course of his career in the Vikings personnel department. His outstanding eye for talent helped the Vikings bring in many impactful players. We look forward to honoring Scott during this summer's Minnesota Football Honors television broadcast."
Studwell played all 14 seasons of his NFL career for Minnesota, becoming one of five Vikings to appear in more than 200 regular-season games (214). He set team records in tackles in a game (24 against the Lions in 1985), tackles in a season (230 in 1981) and most consecutive seasons as the Vikings leading tackler (six; 1980-85). Studwell earned two Pro Bowl nods during his time in Purple and is the Vikings all-time leading tackler.
He hung up his cleats following the 1990 season, but Studwell didn't walk away from the Vikings organization. He began a career in player development in 1991 and in 1992 was named Minnesota's player personnel coordinator. Studwell's run in the Vikings personnel department continued until his retirement following the 2019 NFL Draft.
During his scouting career, 14 of the Vikings draft picks combined for 30 All-Pro honors. Twenty-four were named to All-Rookie Teams, and 28 of them combined for 63 Pro Bowl honors.
According to the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation, Minnesota Football Honors will honor this year's high school, college and Minnesota Vikings award winners, with a broadcast date to be announced at a later time.
Below are the previous Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award winners:
2014: Tom Moe
2015: David and Janis Larson
2016: Stan Nelson
2017: Morrie Lanning
2018: Mark Dienhart
2019: Dick Ames
2020: N/A (due to COVID-19 pandemic)
2021: Randall and Marianne McDaniel
2022: Paul Wiggin
NFL to increase position-specific helmet options in 2024
According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, helmet manufacturers "have more than doubled the number of position-specific models that will be available to NFL players" this season.
The NFL and NFL Players Association on Tuesday released annual helmet safety rankings, and Seifert wrote the following:
Eight of the 12 top-ranked helmets are designed for either quarterbacks or offensive/defensive linemen. They include multiple new manufacturers – including Riddell, whose Axiom 3D model is ranked No. 1 – and are the result of a push from the league to spur more activity in the space.
Seifert quoted Jeff Miller, the NFL's Executive Vice President of Communications, Public Affairs and Policy, who said players in the respective position groups "will have a lot of options they haven't had before."
The NFL and NFLPA first approved position-specific helmets for linemen in 2022 and quarterbacks in 2023. Last season, there were a total of three approved models — two for linemen and one for quarterbacks. They were worn by nine quarterbacks and 20 linemen in total. Miller said those numbers were a "good start for quarterbacks" but "a little more modest than we would have liked" for linemen.
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Riddell was one of several manufacturers this year to offer position-specific helmets. Its Axiom 3D model has three versions: one for quarterbacks, one for offensive and defensive linemen and one that is standard for all positions.
