Vikings Hall of Famer Joins Twitter
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings defense raised hell during the 1960s and 1970s, and now one of the alumni from that era might raise a little hell on Twitter.
Carl Eller joined Twitter this week, partnering his introduction to the social media site with the launch of his new website, CarlEller.com. His Twitter profile can be found here.
Eller self-identifies as “Moose,” a longstanding nickname dating back 50 years. On his site, Eller is selling memorabilia and a card game called Moose 81. Eller, 79, describes the game like this:
Moose 81 is an exciting new football-themed, card game invented by former Minnesota Viking and Hall of Famer, Carl Eller. Moose 81 is a fun combination of poker and blackjack, with two ways to win! The game is simple to learn and exciting to play! There’s an angle of luck, and one of skill, but you don’t have to be a great card player to enjoy and win playing Moose 81.
It can be purchased for $29. An autographed version is available for $49.
Eller is a Minnesotan for football purposes, through and through. He attended the University of Minnesota — back in the era when the team won a National Championship. The Gophers won it all with Eller as a freshman. His football career continued in Minnesota when the Vikings drafted him in 1964 with the sixth overall pick. Eller was a part of all the Vikings teams, led by head coach Bud Grant, that reached four Super Bowls. These were the famous Purple People Eaters, showcasing a defensive front four of Eller, Gary Larsen, Alan Page, and Jim Marshall. Page, like Eller, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
All told, Eller tabulated six Pro Bowls, five 1st-Team All-Pro selections, two 2nd-Team All-Pro nods, one NFL Defensive Player of the Year award (1971), and is a member of the Vikings Ring of Honor.
Eller was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Here’s his formal introduction to Twitter.
During Eller’s 15 years with the Vikings, Minnesota ranked second in the NFL via points allowed — only behind the Los Angeles Rams. Between 1964 and 1978, the Vikings won 64.9% of all games, the fourth-best in the league. The Oakland Raiders (.729), Dallas Cowboys (.705), and Los Angeles Rams (.672) were the teams that won more often during the Eller era.
Had the NFL tracked sacks as it does today, Eller would rank 17th all-time per the John Turney count. And note, this was last updated in 2018.
