Ron Yary

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Ron Yary

15 seasons
6 straight All-Pro
7 Pro Bowls
8 straight All-NFC
207 career games
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15

seasons

6

straight All-Pro

7

Pro Bowls

8

straight All-NFC

207

career games
View full stats

"Being an offensive lineman is about the most boring job in football. It’s just a head-butting contest…the only satisfaction comes from knocking someone on his rear-end. And if it helps score a touchdown, it is all the more satisfying.”

Read Ron Yary's Bio

(Southern California)...6'5'', 255...Anthony Ronald Yary. . .First player selected overall, 1968 draft. . . Possessed speed, agility, hard-work ethic. . . Extremely durable, missed only two games in career due to injury. . .Became regular starter at right tackle in second season. . .All-Pro six straight seasons, 1971-1976. . .All-NFC eight straight years, 1970-1977. . .Played in seven Pro Bowls . . .Started in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX, XI and five NFL/NFC championship games. . .Born July 16, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois.

BIO
Ron Yary
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Ron Yary Minnesota Vikings & Los Angeles Rams

"Being an offensive lineman is about the most boring job in football. It’s just a head-butting contest…the only satisfaction comes from knocking someone on his rear-end. And if it helps score a touchdown, it is all the more satisfying.”

Ron Yary joined the Minnesota Vikings as the first player chosen in the 1968 AFL-NFL Draft. His 15-season, 207-game career included 14 years with the Vikings from 1968 to 1981 and a final season with the Los Angeles Rams in 1982. 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 possessed speed, agility, intelligence, aggressiveness, a hard work ethic and size – all the attributes necessary to be an outstanding offensive lineman. Yary was named all-pro six times and All-NFC eight straight seasons from 1970-1977. He played in seven consecutive Pro Bowls during that period and was a major force in a Minnesota team that was highly successful throughout the 1970s.

During Yary’s tenure, the Vikings won two NFL Central Division titles and nine NFC Central championships. During that period, Minnesota won the 1969 NFL championship and NFC titles in 1973, 1974 and 1976. Yary played in five NFL/NFC championships and Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX and XI.

Yary, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 16, 1946, was a two-time consensus All-America at the University of Southern California. He was the 1967 winner of both the Outland Trophy and the Knute Rockne Award, honors that annually go to the nation’s top collegiate lineman. The Vikings used a draft choice gained in the trade that sent quarterback Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants to pick Yary No. 1 in 1968.

In addition to his many playing abilities, Yary also was 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.

STATS
Ron Yary
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Ron Yary's Stats

 
Games Played
Year
Team
G
1968 Minnesota
14
1969 Minnesota
11
1970 Minnesota
14
1971 Minnesota
14
1972 Minnesota
14
1973 Minnesota
14
1974 Minnesota
14
1975 Minnesota
14
1976 Minnesota
14
1977 Minnesota
14
1978 Minnesota
16
1979 Minnesota
16
1980 Minnesota
14
1981 Minnesota
16
1982 L.A. Rams
8
Career Total
207
Additional Career Statistics: Receiving: 1-5; Kickoff Returns: 1-3



CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Ron Yary
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Ron Yary's Championship Games

Championship Games

1969 NFL - Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 7
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.

1973 NFC - Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.

1974 NFC - Minnesota Vikings 14, Los Angeles Rams 10
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.

1976 NFC - Minnesota Vikings 24, Los Angeles Rams 13
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.

1977 NFC - Dallas Cowboys 23, Minnesota Vikings 6
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.

Super Bowls

Super Bowl IV - Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.

Super Bowl VIII - Miami Dolphins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.

Super Bowl IX - Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.

Super Bowl XI - Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14
Yary started at right offensive tackle for the Vikings.



CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Ron Yary
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Ron Yary's Career Highlights

All-League Teams

All-Pro: 1971 (AP, PFWA, NEA, PW) • 1972 (AP) • 1973 (AP, PFWA, PW) • 1974 (AP, PFWA, NEA, PW) • 1975 (AP, PFWA, NEA, PW) • 1976 (AP, PFWA, NEA)

All-Pro Second Team: 1970 (PFWA) • 1972 (PFWA, NEA) • 1973 (NEA) • 1977 (AP, NEA)

All-NFC: 1970 (SN) • 1971 (AP, UPI, SN, PW) • 1972 (AP, UPI, SN) • 1973 (AP, UPI, SN, PW) 1974 (AP, UPI, SN, PW) • 1975 (AP, UPI, SN, PW) • 1976 (AP, UPI, SN, PW) • 1977 (UPI, SN, PW)

Pro Bowls

(7) – 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978

Awards and Honors

• 1970's All-Decade Team

Year-by-Year Team Records
Year Team W L T Division Finish
1968 Minnesota Vikings 8 6 0 (1st)
1969 Minnesota Vikings 12 2 0 (1st)
1970 Minnesota Vikings 12 2 0 (1st)
1971 Minnesota Vikings 11 3 0 (1st)
1972 Minnesota Vikings 7 7 0 (3rd)
1973 Minnesota Vikings 12 2 0 (1st)
1974 Minnesota Vikings 10 4 0 (1st)
1975 Minnesota Vikings 12 2 0 (1st)
1976 Minnesota Vikings 11 2 1 (1st)
1977 Minnesota Vikings 9 5 0 (1st)
1978 Minnesota Vikings 8 7 1 (1st)
1979 Minnesota Vikings 7 9 0 (3rd)
1980 Minnesota Vikings 9 7 0 (1st)
1981 Minnesota Vikings 7 9 0 (4th)
1982 Minnesota Vikings 2 7 0 (14th*)

 
* NFC regular season finish in strike-shortened season.
(Division Finish in Parentheses)
 

CAREER CAPSULE
Ron Yary
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Ron Yary's Career Capsule

Full Name: Anthony Ronald Yary

Birthdate: July 16, 1946

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois

High School: Bellflower (CA)

Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame: January 27, 2001

Enshrined into Pro Football Hall of Fame: August 4, 2001

Presenter: John Michels, Former Vikings' assistant coach

Other Members of Class of 2001: Nick Buoniconti, Marv Levy, Mike Munchak, Jackie Slater, Lynn Swann, Jack Youngblood

Pro Career: 15 years, 207 games

Drafted: 1st round (1st overall) by Minnesota Vikings

Uniform Number: 73