Eden Prairie, MN - Former Vikings DT John Randle was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame today, February 6, 2010. Chosen by the Hall’s Board of Selectors, Randall joins nine former Vikings who have also earned the prestigious honor. He will be enshrined in Canton on Saturday, August 7, 2010.

“We are extremely proud today that John has been selected as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010,” said Vikings Owner and Chairman Zygi Wilf. “As an undrafted rookie free agent, John’s hard work and perseverance paid off as he became one of the greatest defensive linemen to play the game. We look forward to having John enshrined in Canton, and we are grateful for his part in Minnesota Vikings history.”

Randle, who was originally acquired by the Vikings in 1990 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Texas A&I, went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL (13 years as a starter) and became the NFL’s all-time sack leader among defensive tackles. His 137.5 sacks rank tied for 6th among all players in league history and his 114.0 with Minnesota rank 3rd among Vikings.

Beginning as a special teams player during his rookie season, Randle was selected to seven Pro Bowls, including six consecutive from 1993-98, and was named All-Pro six times. He played in 219 career games and was named a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s. During his career with Minnesota and Seattle, Randle led or tied for the team lead in sacks 10 times, and in his 13 years as a starter, only one of Randle’s teams finished with a losing record (Seattle at 7-9 in 2002), as the rest made the playoffs 9 times.

Randle was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor on November 30, 2008.