Rick Spielman
Spielman in 2014
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| Minnesota Vikings | |
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| Position: | General manager |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | December 2, 1962 |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Massillon (OH) Washington |
| College: | Southern Illinois |
| Career history | |
| As executive: | |
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Rick Spielman (born December 2, 1962) is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was promoted to general manager in 2012 after spending 2006–2011 as the team's vice president of player personnel. He formerly worked for ESPN on NFL Live.
Spielman is a graduate of Massillon Washington High School located in Massillon, Ohio and is the older brother of Chris Spielman, the former Detroit Lions linebacker.
Spielman played linebacker at Southern Illinois University (1983–86), earning first-team All-Gateway Conference honoree as a junior. He was also part of the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA national championship team as a redshirt freshman. Upon entering the NFL, as an undrafted free agent, he was invited to training camp with the San Diego Chargers (1987) and Detroit Lions (1988), but did not make it as a professional football player.
Spielman began his NFL career as a scout with Detroit in 1990 and worked with the club in college scouting for five seasons before adding pro scouting duties in 1995 and 1996. He moved to Director of Pro Personnel for the Bears from 1997 to 1999 before joining the Dolphins in 2000 as Vice President of Player Personnel. He was promoted in 2002 to Senior Vice President-Football Operations/Player Personnel and eventually General Manager in 2004. Spielman left the Dolphins during the 2005 off-season.
Spielman worked with ESPN as an NFL analyst in 2005, before joining the Minnesota Vikings.
Spielman assumed the Vikings' Vice President of Player Personnel role on May 30, 2006, replacing Fran Foley.
To date, Spielman has overseen seven drafts in Minnesota. His most notable draftees include: Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice in 2007; Letroy Guion and John Sullivan in 2008; Percy Harvin and Phil Loadholt in 2009; Chris Cook and Toby Gerhart in 2010; Christian Ponder and Kyle Rudolph in 2011; Matt Kalil, Harrison Smith and Blair Walsh in 2012; Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, and Cordarrelle Patterson in 2013; and, Teddy Bridgewater and Anthony Barr in 2014 in addition to Jerick McKinnon and Shamar Stephen. The Bridgewater selection was made after Speilman tried unsuccessfully to trade up with Philadelphia and select Texas A&M Quarterback Johnny Manziel, who Speilman had rated slightly higher on his draft board. Prior to 2012 when he was promoted to General Manager, Spielman shared a "triangle of authority" in drafts with Vikings' owner Zygi Wilf and then-head coach Brad Childress.
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