NFL Lineman Everett Lindsay: Iowa Time Machine September 18, 1970

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 18, 1970, NFL lineman Everett Lindsay was born in Burlington. Lindsay played little high school football, entered college as a walk-on, and still built a career that lasted 11 NFL seasons.

Though born along the Mississippi River in Burlington, Lindsay grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, where football did not immediately become his chosen path. He was initially more interested in baseball, and he quit football after about a week of practice as a tenth grader. By his senior year, he found his place on the gridiron as a defensive end. That limited experience left him without the recruiting profile of many major-college prospects. Yet, he took a chance on the University of Mississippi, arriving as a 230-pound walk-on and shifting to offensive tackle.

At Ole Miss, Lindsay turned persistence into achievement. After redshirting and using the weight room to build his body, he earned a scholarship and became a fixture on the Rebels’ offensive front. He was selected first-team All-SEC in 1991 and 1992, then received consensus first-team All-American recognition in 1992. Lindsay also played in two Liberty Bowls and a Gator Bowl.

Lindsay’s breakthrough came in the 1993 NFL Draft, when Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green selected him in the fifth round (133rd overall). From 1993 through 2003, Lindsay appeared in 136 regular-season games and started 63, a substantial record for a player chosen outside the draft’s early rounds. He spent most of his NFL career with Minnesota, with shorter stops with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns before returning to the Vikings for the 2001 through 2003 seasons. #Iowa #OTD #History #NFL #Football