Gary Larsen (born March 13, 1942) is a former defensive tackle in the NFL and played college football at Concordia College,

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead () is a city in and county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moorhead is also home to several ...

. He started his NFL career in 1964 with the Los Angeles Rams and then became a part of the famous

Purple People Eaters Purple People Eaters were the defensive line of the Minnesota Vikings from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. The term is a reference to Purple People Eater, a popular song from 1958, the efficiency of the defense, and the color of their uniforms. T ...

for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

from 1965 through 1974. He was selected to two Pro Bowls and played in

Super Bowls The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

IV, VIII and IX. He was known as the "policeman", the player who covered the run while Eller, Marshall, and Page attacked the quarterback. According to Minnesota Vikings records, he made 38.5 sacks in his 11-year career.

External links

Gary Larsen
at NFL Vikings 1942 births Living people American football defensive linemen Concordia Cobbers football players Los Angeles Rams players Minnesota Vikings players Western Conference Pro Bowl players National Conference Pro Bowl players Sportspeople from Fargo, North Dakota {{Defensive-lineman-1940s-stub