The Purple and Gold

Today's episode features two of the Minnesota Vikings' all-time greats, who also happen to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: defensive back Paul Krause, who still holds the NFL record for most interceptions, and defensive end Chris Doleman, who just joined the Hall's ranks last summer.

Episode Segments:

Sports and Torts: Paul Krause Krause is still the National Football League's all-time leader in interceptions with 81, and might be the best safety to ever strap on a helmet at the NFL level. We talk with the Vikings legend about his Hall of Fame career.
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Sports and Torts: Chris Doleman The Vikings' first-round pick in the 1985 draft also played for the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers in an NFL career that spanned 15 seasons and included eight Pro Bowls and three first-team all-pro selections. Doleman's 150-1/2 career sacks rank fourth in NFL history and he finally joined the ranks of the Hall of Fame last summer.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Paul Krause A two-way star at Iowa, he was the second-round draft pick of the Redskins in 1964. Although he intercepted 28 passes in his first four seasons, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for linebacker Marlin McKeever and a seventh-round draft choice in 1968. He went on to excel with the Vikings for 12 more seasons before retiring after the 1979 campaign. Krause had the kind of a blue-ribbon rookie season in 1964 that few ever achieve. He led the NFL in interceptions with 12 and was named to the All-NFL first team. He was named to his first of eight Pro Bowls and was second only to teammate running back Charley Taylor for NFL Rookie of the Year acclaim. In his second Pro Bowl following the 1965 season, he intercepted two passes. Named All-NFL four different times, Krause was also selected All-Eastern Conference twice, and All-NFC five times. Born on February 19, 1942, in Flint, Michigan, Paul was the starting free safety in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX, and XI, in the 1969 NFL championship game and NFC title games in 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1977. He intercepted one pass in Super Bowl IV and recovered a fumble in Super Bowl IX. During his landmark rookie season, Krause intercepted passes in seven straight games and he came near to matching that mark in 1968, when he had steals in six consecutive games. It took a three-interception season in his final 1979 campaign to surpass Emlen Tunnell, who had 79 steals, for the all-time record. The durable Krause missed only two games with injuries in 16 seasons. Paul at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Chris Doleman Doleman played football collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh. He was a star linebacker and defensive end for the Pitt Panthers from 1981 to 1984. He ended his career at Pitt with 25 sacks which was good for third all-time at the time of his departure. That total still ranks sixth in Pitt annals. Doleman was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft. He began his NFL career as an outside linebacker in the Vikings 3-4 defense. However, the team switched to a 4-3 defense early in his career. The move paid off for Doleman, who recorded 21 sacks in the 1989 season, the highest total recorded that season and the fourth highest total ever. The 21 sacks in a single season was a Vikings record until Jared Allen recorded 22 sacks in 2011. Doleman later played for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers before returning to the Vikings in 1999 for his final season. He was a first-team All-Pro in 1987, 1989 and 1992. He garnered second-team All-Pro selections in 1990 and 1993. He was an 8-time Pro Bowl selection, recording 150⅓ career sacks. He is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame class of 2012. Chris' Page at the Pro Football Hall of Fame website