Randall Cornell McDaniel (born December 19, 1964) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), primarily with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

and two seasons with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

. He was inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

in 2009.

Early life and college

McDaniel played high school football and ran track at Agua Fria High School in

Avondale, Arizona Avondale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 89,334, up from 76,238 in 2010 and ...

, then played college football at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

, where he participated in the school's first ever Rose Bowl appearance in 1987. In recognition of his Rose Bowl accomplishments, McDaniel was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2018. He was joined by fellow Sun Devil Curley Culp on August 3, 2013, as the only

members to be born in the state of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Professional career

Also a standout track and field athlete, McDaniel still holds the fastest

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

time ever among offensive linemen in the NFL at 10.64 seconds, setting this record as a high school senior in a state meet, electronically timed. He recorded a PR of 50.04 seconds in the 400-meter dash. In the throwing events, he got top-throws of 16.76 meters in the

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

and 47.42 meters in the discus. He also benched 435, inclined 380, dead lifted 660, and squatted 650 in competition. In addition, he was timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash and had a one step vertical leap of 37 inches at just 9% body fat. He began his professional career being drafted by the

in the first round of the 1988 NFL draft. He started every Vikings regular-season game from 1990 to 1999, as well as a record 11 consecutive Pro Bowls. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest and most versatile offensive linemen ever to play the game. He started in 12 consecutive Pro Bowls (1989–2000), tied with Champ Bailey and Will Shields for the most Pro Bowls played. He also started 202 consecutive games in his career.
/ref> During his time with the Minnesota Vikings, he occasionally would play fullback in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He was released on February 10, 2000, as part of a salary-cap move. He eventually signed with the

on a three-year, $6M contract. He played two seasons there before retiring. On February 27, 2002, he signed a one-day contract to retire with Vikings. When he played for Tampa Bay, in 2000, he became the oldest player in the NFL to score his first touchdown reception at 36 years, 282 days old.

Legacy

During the 2006 season, McDaniel was inducted into the Minnesota Vikings "Ring of Honor". McDaniel was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame in 2008. McDaniel was also inducted into the

on January 31, 2009. McDaniel's bust, sculpted by Scott Myers, was unveiled at the Enshrinement Ceremony on August 8, 2009. A multi-use sports center was built in Randall's hometown of Avondale in 2010 and was named in his honor (Randall McDaniel Sports Complex). After 13 years of volunteering in schools, McDaniel said that he had been working in public schools since retirement.

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

defenseman Dakota Mermis is his nephew.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McDaniel, Randall 1964 births Living people People from Avondale, Arizona Players of American football from Maricopa County, Arizona American football offensive guards Arizona State Sun Devils football players All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Minnesota Vikings players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players National Conference Pro Bowl players Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees