Hall Of Fame Defensive Tackle And Former NFL MVP Alan Page Talks Football, Education and Life

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“The true measure of success is not how many (awards you’ve won or quarterbacks you’ve sacked). Not how much money you made or how many houses you own. No, the true measure of success in life is how many other lives you made better.” This quote by Priceline.com founder Jeff Hoffman rings true in many ways, and can be applied directly to the life of Hall of Fame defensive tackle Alan Page.

After a historic playing career where he anchored “The Purple People Eaters” of the Minnesota Vikings, he has received a variety of awards. Whether it be getting inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, the NCAA Hall of Fame, or being named one of the top 50 players in NFL history, Page has a list of accomplishments that would make most people jealous. To him, however, these accolades don’t really mean all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Instead, he focuses on the present, as well as how he can reach out and help others. The primary way in which he does this is through the Page Education Foundation, but he’s involved in even more than that. Luckily, he took some time out of his busy day (he’s now an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court) to talk to me and give us a deeper look at his historic career, and much more.

When you were growing up, what was it that drew you to football?

I became interested in football because my brother had played football before me, and he seemed like he really enjoyed it, so I thought that I would give it a shot.

How did you choose to go to Notre Dame?

Well the schools that I had scholarship offers to, it definitely stood out to me. It was the academics that ended up being the deciding factor, because they were all pretty on-par as far as athletics.

What was the highlight of your college career?

To be quite honest with you, I’ve never spent a lot of time looking forward or backward at highlights. I played and enjoyed playing, and a lot of good things happened, and not so many bad things. If I had to choose, I would say that the fact that not so many bad things happened was a highlight for me.

What was your reaction to getting drafted by the Vikings?

Once I came to the conclusion that I might play pro football, I didn’t have strong feelings about where I wanted to go. I wouldn’t say that Minnesota was at the top of my list, but I didn’t really have any preferences. The fact that I was going to get to play in the NFL meant a lot.

You were an All-Pro within the first few years of your career; how were you able to make the adjustments to the NFL that quickly?

I worked hard and tried to be as good at what I did as I could be. I don’t know that any adjustments had to be made. Obviously there were some, I went from being an end to a tackle, but I don’t know that other than things working out for me that there were too many adjustments to make.

What did it mean to you to win the MVP, given that you were the first defensive player to do so?

Well it was quite an honor to have been selected. But it also raised a question in my mind, “You’ve had this much success early on, now what?” so it was both a good thing and a bad thing in that regard. Having done that and just thinking, “What’s left for me to accomplish?” made it a little difficult for me.

Was it tough to leave the Vikings?

No. I had probably passed my so-called “sell-by” date with the Vikings. It was probably a good thing that I ended up in Chicago. It helped me continue playing football. It reinvigorated me. It was a good change of pace for my family and me.

You played in 218 consecutive games, were there any that you felt that you should have sat out?

No, not really. Had there been any, I would have. Of course, it’s just part of the job to play through pain, but I was lucky enough that I didn’t have to deal with any big injuries.

After helping build the Hall of Fame in Canton, how did it feel to have things come full-circle when you were inducted as a player?

Well it was quite an honor to be inducted. I should note that my role in building the hall of fame was pretty minimal; I spent a couple of hours one week working on it. It sure makes for a great story, though.

Are there any aspects that you took from playing football that you applied to the courtroom?

In my view, other than the political side of it, the skills that allow you to be successful in the athletic field are the same skills as you use in anything else. The two aren’t inconsistent with each other; they’re pretty similar in many aspects.

What are your thoughts on the long-term viability of football with all of the legal and health concerns that are now being brought to light?

Clearly, the players and the NFL are going to have to figure out how to deal with them. It would appear that those kinds of injuries, and lots of others that are debilitating and just as negative to the players, they’re going to have to come to grips with it. If it results in a different game, it’ll be a question of if people will watch it. I know I’m thankful that I’m not going to have to be the one to figure all of it out.

How did you decide to start the Page Education Foundation?

Well as somebody who’s had a lot of good fortune, and a lot of assistance in that good fortune, it just seemed to me and my wife and I that we could help out others in this way.

How many people has it impacted in its 25 years?

Well directly we’ve had over 6,000 Page Scholars, and we require our Page Scholars to do community service with young children. So each one of those scholars has affected anywhere from 1-10 people, if not more. I can’t put a number on it, but it’s been in the tens of thousands.

Are there any big events coming up for it?

We just had our annual spring gala about three weeks ago. It turned out very well, and it was very successful. We had somewhere between 800-900 people attend. We have a golf tournament coming up in June sometime, too. We choose our grant recipients in June, as well, and there will be a big banquet to recognize them.

What is the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received?

My parents stressed the importance of education and the importance of being a good citizen and doing what you do well, and seeking excellence.

It was truly a pleasure to get to talk with such a legend of the game. For more information on the Page Education Foundation, check out their website and their Twitter.

Thanks for reading.