Minnesota Vikings Carl Eller
Vikings Carl Eller Autograph
The photograph is of me, sports artist John Robertson with
Carl Eller, autographing a page from a book that has one of my paintings of the
famous "Purple People Eaters" .
They were the great front four linemen for the Vikings. "The Purple
People Eaters" included; Carl Eller, Allen Page, Gary Larson and Jim Marshall. The painting commission hangs in the new Minnesota Vikings US Bank stadium in Minnesota
It was really exciting for me to meet Carl Eller as I was,
and still am a big fan of the Vikings. My
wife is from Minnesota
and I have been going back with her at least once or twice a year since we have
been together. Eller is only a year
older than me so we are contemporaries. He is a big, big man standing six foot six and
thick as a big tree. What is interesting
about him is that he makes ceramic art.
His bowls are beautiful and he created some pieces for the US Bank, Minnesota Vikings art collection. Here is a link to his facebook page that
shows some of his work. https://www.facebook.com/Carl-Eller-Studios-140010289424137/
About Carl Eller
He was selected to play in six Pro Bowls (1968–1971, 1973,
and 1974). After being traded with an eighth round pick to Seattle Seahawks for
defensive tackle Steve Niehaus, Eller played his final season in 1979 with the
Seattle Seahawks, where he ran his career total to 225 games. In his career,
"Moose" only missed three games and started 209 out of the 225 he
played.
About the painting
The painting you see in the photograph is eight
feet by twelve feet, acrylic on canvas.
The "Purple People Eaters' painting is in the Gold Suites lobby to
Norsemen's suites in the US Bank stadium where the Minnesota Vikings play. This is a private
area for the suite owners but the doors are sometimes left opened so one can
see them from the public area.