The strength of three: The 30 greatest trios in NFL history
By Ian Cummings
player. 60. . Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall. Minnesota Vikings. The Purple People Eaters . 26
The song “Purple People Eaters” would be obsolete today if not for the Vikings’ mammoth defensive line of the 1960s and 1970s.
There were four key members of the Purple People Eaters, but the core members consisted of Alan Page, Carl Eller, and Jim Marshall. The group featured a combined 17 Pro Bowl berths, 11 All-Pro bids, and four Super Bowl appearances.
The Purple People Eaters lost all four Super Bowls that they appeared in, but the individual accolades of the group’s members still stand out today. Page won the NFL MVP award in 1971. For at least three years, he was one of the best, if not the best, overall defenders in the league.
Both Page and Eller are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A case has been made for Marshall, whose size, longevity, and disruptiveness completed the ensemble. There’s a select list of all-time great defenses in NFL history, and the Vikings’ Purple People Eaters fit the bill.