Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Matt Blair died Thursday, Oct. 22, the team announced. He was 70.
A second-round pick out of Iowa State in 1974, Blair played all 12 seasons of his NFL career with the Vikings. He ranks second in team history with 1,452 tackles behind only Scott Studwell. Only Studwell and Roy Winston played more games at linebacker for the Vikings than Blair, who was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor on Oct. 25, 2012.
“Matt Blair was a great presence at Vikings events and a tremendous teammate long after playing,” Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf said in a statement on the team’s website. “He embodied the best of what it means to be a Viking.”
After becoming a starter in 1976, Blair was named to six straight Pro Bowls starting in 1977 and was named First-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 1980. He holds the team record with 20 blocked kicks, and his 23 sacks and 16 interceptions are the most of any linebacker in team history.
“Aside from being a tremendous athlete and player, Matt was a better man,” Studwell said in a statement on the team’s website. “He was smart, worked at his craft and gave everything for the team. He was a great teammate and fun to be around. He took his work very seriously but had a great life away from football. I’m sad to see him go.”
