Chris Doleman: A legendary player gone far too soon

The Minnesota Vikings and their fans lost a true legend with the passing of Chris Doleman.

This week the Minnesota Vikings said goodbye to Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman, who died following a battle with cancer, at the far-too-young age of 58.

A first-round draft pick of the Vikings in 1985, Doleman’s career spanned 15 seasons, with 10 of those in Minnesota. An eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time First-team All-Pro, Doleman ranks second all time in Vikings’ franchise history with 96.5 sacks. In 2012 he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A first-round draft pick in 1985, Doleman was part of an impressive draft class that included fellow Hall of Fame inductees Bruce Smith,…