The Pied Piper of West Cincinnati and the Vikings’ locker room sealed his reputation at 2 years old.

A 6-year-old girl who had just ditched her training wheels was struggling to stay upright on the sidewalk. Future Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph, already towering over his older neighbor, intervened like a certain first-year coach at Winter Park.

“Kyle gets on the thing to try to help, and now I’m running after him because our driveway goes downhill real quick,” recalled his mother, Jamie Rudolph.

“And he’s just pedaling away, no wobbling or anything, like he’s been riding it forever, smiling at me the whole time — ‘Hi, Mom!’ That little girl was so mad.”

Minnesota is banking on Rudolph’s catch-me-if-you-can fortitude to yield dividends through at least 2019 after signing him in July to a five-year contract extension that could be worth up to $40 million.

As the Vikings open their 2014 season Sunday at St. Louis, no one figures to benefit from coordinator Norv Turner’s multi-dimensional offense more than Rudolph. Over two decades in the NFL, Turner has elevated productive tight ends Jay Novacek, Antonio Gates and Jordan Cameron to NFL stars.

GENTLE GIANT

Rudolph towers at 6 feet 6, with Hamburger Helper-sized hands that landed him an endorsement deal from Golden Valley-based General Mills.

But Rudolph is the epitome of a gentle giant, as popular as any Vikings player among the screeching autograph seekers lunging over the rope line at training camp in Mankato.

“He’s an old soul in a young body, but he’s just a big kid,” said his mother.

“Uncle Kyle” is routinely chased and tackled by Chad Greenway’s two young daughters, who are breaking in Rudolph for fatherhood.

“He’s going to be a good dad, mostly because he’s watched me,” Greenway cracked. “He’s just got that mentality of making it fun for the kids, so he’s fun to be around.”

Chastened by a broken foot that ended his 2013 season in Week 8, Rudolph is poised for a monster season, assuming Minnesota and quarterback Matt Cassel extinguished last year’s tire fire in the pocket.

The 2011 second-round draft pick intensified his workouts and streamlined his diet, swapping out steak, pasta and bread for more salads, kale and leaner animal protein — no small sacrifice for a large meat-and-potatoes guy.

Rudolph shed 16 pounds from last year’s playing weight and reported to training camp at a lithe 259 pounds. A more nimble playmaker was seen in the second preseason game against Arizona when Rudolph hauled in Cassel’s pass at the 30-yard line, bent around a closing cornerback and motored down the sideline unscathed for a touchdown.

“That was really the first time I was able to feel a difference and show what I’m capable of,” he said last week.

Rudolph has not played in a game that mattered in more than 10 months. When he speaks and makes eye contact, as he does in casual or serious conversation, one hears hooves rattling the starting gate.

“I am definitely ready for the season to begin,” he said. “The thing that’s different is the excitement and buzz, especially on the offensive side of the ball. When you bring in a coordinator like Norv Turner, who’s had so much success in this league, and then you see the guys we have to put in those places …

“In years past, you’re always optimistic; I think this creates a genuine excitement.”

Greater expectations, too — millions for a 24-year-old who suddenly ranks as the fifth-highest-paid tight end in NFL history.

“You come into this league Day One trying to prove yourself on the field, and that continues throughout your (rookie) contract,” Rudolph said. “The Wilf family and (general manager) Rick Spielman thought highly enough (of me) to redo my contract a year early, but my expectations don’t change.

“I’ve always thought of myself as one of the elite tight ends in this league. Now I have an opportunity in an offense to go out and showcase that.”

PERSPECTIVE

Rudolph was on pace for career highs in receptions and yards when he fractured his foot while catching a 31-yard touchdown pass Nov. 4 against the Cowboys.

He already had earned a Pro Bowl invite — winning the game’s MVP trophy — after catching nine touchdown passes in 2012, the second-most by a Vikings tight end in a season behind Visanthe Shiancoe’s 11 in 2009.

Studying 25 years worth of Turner offensive film, Rudolph determined he needed to tighten his route running, quicken his breaks and be able to churn out more yards after the catch.

“I wasn’t as concerned about him losing weight,” Turner said. “What he really had to do was change his running style. He’s a big guy who thought he needed the leverage and collision and bang people, and that’s not our style.

“We’ve gotten him to where he’s running full stride and full speed and not worrying about the defenders as much and running the route the way we want it run, and he’s finding that he can separate away from people using his athleticism.”

After successfully rehabilitating his foot, Rudolph went to work in March in Southern California, re-forming his body through a daily series of grueling speed training and metabolic exercises.

Harnessed to a pair of 150-pound tractor tires, Rudolph ran 20-second bursts on flat ground and uphill. He spent mornings at the Pacific Ocean, darting through cone drills in the sand.

“Kyle is pretty sound technically, but we overloaded him to the point of nausea,” said longtime NFL strength-and-conditioning trainer Ryan Capretta, director of Proactive Sports Performance outside Los Angeles.

“He couldn’t lose any strength, and he didn’t want to trim down for the sake of losing weight. I was impressed with how quickly he changed his body.”

Remaining healthy is Rudolph’s top priority. His career at Notre Dame was marred by injuries, including shoulder and hamstring maladies that required surgery.

Still, in just three seasons in South Bend, Rudolph finished with 90 receptions for 1,032 yards and eight touchdowns to finish among the top five tight ends in Fighting Irish history.

“As an athlete, when you’re injured, that’s the hardest thing we have to deal with — not being out there with your teammates,” Rudolph said. “At the same time, you’re able to get a different perspective of the game watching from the side. I feel like I learned a lot of good lessons.”

IRISH EYES

Virginia, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee all courted Rudolph out of high school, but he was destined for Notre Dame, whether or not he realized it.

His favorite movie growing up?

“Rudy,” the 1993 tearjerker about an underprivileged practice squad player who works his way onto the field for one play as a senior.

Rudolph’s paternal grandfather, Jack, was called Rudy all his life and was a devout Notre Dame fan. He married the former Sharon O’Leary. St. Patrick’s Day among the Rudolphs is a sacred holiday.

During his recruiting visit in 2007, Rudolph was invited into the office of then-Irish coach Charlie Weis, who handed him a brown envelope with a scholarship.

Driving home, Kyle called his grandfather.

“When I told him I got the scholarship offer to Notre Dame, he didn’t understand why I didn’t commit on the spot,” Rudolph recalled. “He didn’t realize there was a whole process you have to go through. Even if I was (visiting) Florida or Tennessee, it never wavered with him. He was dead-set on my going to Notre Dame.”

When Rudolph formally committed at a news conference at Elder High School, grandpa attended in his leather Notre Dame jacket and hat, an unforgettable gift from his grandson.

Jack Rudolph died six months later.

“He’s always had, if you want to say, the best seat in the house watching over me the last seven years,” Kyle said.

Elder High School is considered a mini-Notre Dame.

A fixture on Cincinnati’s conservative west side for more than 90 years, the Roman Catholic institution has devout alumni and a fervent football fan base. Season tickets were willed from generation to generation. Tailgating is an event.

Rudolph, whose father, Dan, and grandfather Jack graduated from Elder, is one of four NFL players who were Panthers, joining Buffalo center Eric Wood and long snappers Jake McQuade of the Rams and San Diego’s Mike Wyndt.

One of the first calls Rudolph made after signing his new contract was to Craig James, his old tight ends coach, with a pledge to remodel the school’s weight room.

“As good an athlete as he is, everything he’s been able to achieve, his heart is that big,” said James, a family friend who has known Rudolph since he was an infant.

“We tell our parents, when you give your kids to us, we hope to give you back better people. Kyle made us better people.”

‘A PLEASER’

Kyle is the oldest of Dan and Jamie Rudolph’s three children. His sister Kori is a sophomore in high school and a nationally ranked volleyball player.

His mother chuckled when Vikings coach Mike Zimmer described Rudolph first and foremost as a pleaser.

“Coach Zimmer hit the nail on the head,” Jamie Rudolph said.

When Kyle was 15 months old, his brother, Casey, was born with neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer that attacks infants.

Casey had a kidney and adrenal gland removed and underwent extensive chemotherapy before beating the disease.

“Kyle didn’t see much of his mom or dad for about a year because we spent so much time in the hospital,” Jamie Rudolph said. “But he would go with anybody. He wasn’t a crier. He didn’t throw any crazy temper tantrums. He’s always done what he’s been told to do.

“Now he wasn’t crazy perfect, but he never fought back. He’d always do what he was asked.”

Dan Rudolph sells sporting goods and Jamie cleans houses. Kyle recently paid to have the couple’s basement gutted and add a new laundry room, wet bar and television over a fireplace — better for those extended family gatherings.

He also surprised mom last Christmas with a new Lexus to replace the minivan with 250,000 miles on the odometer and a front bumper held on by duct tape.

“Growing up, you’d see kids with fancier clothes and all these pairs of shoes, but my parents always made sure we never without the things that were most important,” Rudolph said. “They made a ton of sacrifices to make sure our tuition was paid and we had what we needed to be successful and enjoy life.

“I want them to be able to do the same.”

Follow Brian Murphy at twitter.com/murphPPress

ELITE COMPANY

The Vikings’ Kyle Rudolph is the fifth-highest-paid tight end in the NFL

Player Team 2014 salary

1. Jimmy Graham Saints $10 million

2. Rob Gronkowski Patriots $9 million

3. Jason Witten Cowboys $7.4 million

4. Vernon Davis 49ers $7.35 million

5. Kyle Rudolph Vikings $7.3 million

Source: spotrac.com.