A documentary on the Vikings' iconic Purple People Eaters defensive line of the late 1960s and '70s is on the way.
According to Deadline's Matt Grobar, production has wrapped on Purple People Eaters from Winter State Entertainment. It was co-directed by Solomon Shields and Nick Hagen, with producers Willie Roaf, Angela Roaf, Marv Dauer, Hamid Torabpour, and Camille Torabpour.
Each of the four core members of the PPE — Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, and Gary Larsen — participated in the documentary. Former Vikings Ahmad Rashad and Jared Allen were also interviewed. The following is a quote from Eller:
"I am very excited for this documentary about the Purple People Eaters to be shared with the world, so they can see what a special, talented group of guys manned the line. It was my good fortune to have experienced the friendships and camaraderie of these phenomenal men. We are the only remaining living front four from the era of great defensive lines and it will be truly special for the viewer to see what made us the players we were."
The core years of the Purple People Eaters were from 1968 to 1978. During that span, Bud Grant's Vikings won ten NFC Central titles in 11 years and made four trips to the Super Bowl, unfortunately coming up short each time. Page, the 1971 NFL MVP, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. So is Eller, who finished third in MVP voting in 1969. Marshall arguably belongs in Canton, too. Larsen was a two-time Pro Bowler.
It's not yet clear when this documentary will be released or where it'll be available, but it'll certainly be a must-watch for Vikings fans everywhere.
More must-reads: