Ron Yary

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Ron Yary
Date of birth	July 16, 1946 (age 60)
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois
Position(s)	Offensive Tackle
College	Southern California
NFL Draft	1968 / Round 1/ Pick 1
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	7
Awards	1967 Outland Trophy
Honors	NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1968-1981 1982	Minnesota Vikings Los Angeles Rams
College Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2001

Anthony Ronald Yary (born July 16, 1946) is a former professional American football player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

[edit] College career

Anthony Ronald Yary was born in Chicago and attended the University of Southern California, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He was the 1967 winner of both the Outland Trophy and the Knute Rockne Award, awards that annually go to the nation's top collegiate lineman. He was the first overall pick of the 1968 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings when the Vikings traded Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants for that number one pick.

[edit] Professional career

Yary played from 1968 to 1981 with the Minnesota Vikings, and 1982 with the Los Angeles Rams. During Yary's tenure with the Vikings, the team won 11 division titles. During that period, Minnesota won the 1969 NFL championship and NFC titles in 1973, 1974 and 1976, and played in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX and XI. Yary was named All Pro 6 consecutive seasons (1971-76) and 2nd Team All-Pro in 1977. He played in seven consecutive Pro Bowls, and was a major force in a Minnesota team that was highly successful throughout the 1970s.

Yary won the starting right tackle job on the Vikings offensive line in his second season and remained as a fixture at that spot throughout his Minnesota tenure.

The 6-5, 255-pound Yary possesses speed, agility, intelligence, aggressiveness, a hard work ethic and size - all the attributes necessary to be an outstanding offensive lineman.

In addition to his many playing abilities, Yary was also durable and willing to play in spite of injuries. he missed only two games due to injuries - both coming in 1980 with a broken ankle - in 14 years in Minnesota. Later that same year, he continued to play in spite of a broken foot.

He became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.