Former NFL fullback and tight end who played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1999 to 2011. You know that he's going to come to work prepared, ready to do his job. At 46 years old, Jim Kleinsasser height Jimmie Johnson, a 10-year veteran in the NFL and the team's tight ends coach, has called Kleinsasser the best blocking tight end in the league. In football, he was a two time All-Region honoree and All-State honoree, and was twice named the Gatorade Circle of Champions North Dakota Player of the Year. They'd leave their parents' cute, modest home to play one-on-one on the basket near the Quonset hut out back, and return shortly, red-faced. Drafted by the only NFL team within a 10-hour drive of his home, he became the longest-tenured professional athlete in the Twin Cities despite choosing a sport defined by short careers and catastrophic injuries. In football, he played all over the field in high school and excelled as a tight end in college, leading to a pro career in which he has played fullback, tight end and H-back, proving remarkably adept at drive-blocking on running plays and protecting on pass plays. Kleinsasser, 34, could hardly imagine the life the NFL afforded him after growing up on a wheat farm and playing football for then-Division II North Dakota. In football, he played all over the field in high school and excelled as a tight end in college, leading to a pro career in which he has played fullback, tight end and H-back, proving remarkably adept at drive-blocking on running plays and protecting on pass plays. Thats been a big for me.. The 46-year-old American football player has done well thus far. I remember talking to his agent that year and saying our No. Kathe is about to be bracketed by retired workaholics, men who spent a lifetime of autumns reaping what they sowed. More important, she was his transportation. Former Vikings TE Jim Kleinsasser was Tatum Everett's 'TCO Legends Connection' during Sunday's game against the Giants. Listen to Full Show. I've got college friends who are here, who provided an instant support system. Next Sunday, Jimmy Kleinsasser will line up against the Bears and throw a few more blocks before ending a career that has unfolded like every little league parent's daydream. Kleinsasser attended the University of North Dakota and played for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team from 1995 to 1998 before being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1999. Jim Kleinsasser was born on the 31st of January, 1977. I kind said I wasnt going to jump into anything in my first couple years (of retiring), Kleinsasser said. The celebrity, tv-personality & actor is dating Todd Spiewak, his starsign is Aries and he is now 49 years of age. "You see big, strong, tough guys who can't make it more than a couple of years in this league. Western North Dakota remains a special place to Jim Kleinsasser. At Carrington High School, Kleinsasser was a starter on the 1995 Class B State Championship basketball team. Singer-songwriter, guitarist and musical pioneer Malina Moye performed the National Anthem prior to the Vikings-Colts game on Dec. 17. A husband's dread during an abortion ordeal in Oklahoma, JPMorgan Chase buys troubled First Republic Bank after U.S. government takeover. I know, because I'm watching him.". Local golf courses dealing with the inclement weather, Leonard Country Club opens as 76-year old walks and runs the course, Blue Jay scores: Baseball splits with Dickinson Tuesday, No excuse is good enough to abandon a pet, Funding for North Dakota tourism projects slashed after rebuke of buffalo theme park, Jamestown student graduating from college and high school, Staff will need to review 38,000 items at Jamestown libraries. Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper agreed. Carter and Kathe are sitting at their kitchen table. Adrian Peterson is, without question, the best running back in the NFL when healthy. Sheri was his idol. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. I let him, as long as he would lay down in the backseat. He was a versatile TE and is remembered for his gritty toughness. The Kleinsassers moved here in 1974, to acquire more farmland, and planted a long row of evergreens for beauty and protection from the high winds, and a couple of ash trees for shade. Being a great teammate. Next Sunday, Jimmy Kleinsasser -- the former UND standout -- will line up against the Bears and throw a few more blocks before ending a career that has unfolded like every little league parent's . Murphy is a Detroit native and Wayne State University graduate. December 24, 2011 - 10:21 AM. He's a tremendous example for any young player.". People of this zodiac sign like to have fun with friends, help others, fight for causes, are a good listener and dislike broken promises, being bored, and people who disagree with them. Sunday's Hometown Heroes were 10-year-old Jordan, a survivor of the Robb Elementary School shooting in May who helped pull a classmate to safety, and his mother Virginia, an EMT who was among first responders. Jim Kleinsassers income source is mostly from being a successful . He was moved back to his natural position of tight end in 2001. She would turn her back, post me up and hit this sweet little fadeaway baseline jumper, and I'd try to lean on her and fall on my butt. He would ride in the family trucks when his parents were working, and his mother figured out how to keep him happy. "The best thing about Jim is that he hasn't changed,'' Kathe said. Randall Cunningham was the starting quarterback when he debuted in 1999, the year current starter Christian Ponder turned 11. He was born in 1977 in Carrington, and at 63? Leaving that locker room for the last time is probably going to be tough, though.. North Dakota was a Division II school at the time. Of the players who were on the Vikings roster for that game, only he and Birk, his friend who left the Vikings to sign with the Baltimore Ravens, are still in the NFL. Yes, I'm talking about running the ball. Kleinsasser was selected as a tight end by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2nd round of the 1999 National Football League draft. Jim Souhan is a sports columnist for the Star Tribune. Kleinsasser, in his 13th season with the Vikings, was a second round draft pick from North Dakota in 1999. "We'd hang out by our lockers in the morning and in the equipment room during lunch, the non-nonsense, no-glamour guys," Birk said. '", Years later, Jimmy ran into Theismann at a golf tournament and told him he cried the day Theismann's leg was broken in one of the more grotesque moments in NFL history. Long snapper Cullen Loeffler has played for the Vikings since 2004. Like many famous people and celebrities, Jim Kleinsasser keeps his personal life private. "He couldn't stand to lose.". In football, he was a two time All-Region honoree and All-State honoree, and was twice named the Gatorade Circle of Champions North Dakota Player of the Year. We see that you have javascript disabled. The 46-year-old football player was born in North Dakota, United States. He won the USA Today All-Joe Team award for under-appreciated players two consecutive years in 2007 and 2008. The past 13 years, Carter and Kathe Kleinsasser have made the six-hour drive to the Metrodome for Vikings games that didn't coincide with blizzards or harvests. Saxophonist Trey Daniels, whose first single "86th St." was listed on the Smooth Jazz Billboard Chart in 2017, performed the National Anthem prior to the Vikings-Giants game on Dec. 24. Its great to hear that.. "My attitude has always been, 'Whatever they ask you to do, do it.' He was 3. "But I would guess he's still available in most fantasy leagues. How many games did Jim Kleinsasser play? Long-snapper Cullen Loeffler has played for the Vikings since 2004. "To have somebody like him talk like that, it feels good," Kleinsasser said. Generation X. Jim Kleinsasser was born in the middle of Generation X. Its 8 oclock in the morning and you feel you should be at the stadium right now. 1/28/2004: This Saturday will be Jim Kleinsasser's 27th birthday. When he was still in diapers, Kleinsasser had trouble breathing, so Carter and Kathe took him to the hospital. Sheri was four years older than Jimmy, who adored her and couldn't stand losing to her. Even among NFL players, Kleinsasser's toughness astounds. American singer, songwriter and musician Jordan Smith, who won Season 9 of The Voice, performed the National Anthem prior to the Vikings-Giants game on Sunday. Brian Murphy has been on the Pioneer Press sports staff since 2000, migrating from the Detroit Free Press, where he covered police, courts and sports for four years. Former Vikings WR Sammy White was Tatum Everett's 'TCO Legends Connection' during the Dec. 17 game against the Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium. There weren't many distractions in Carrington, a town of about 2,200. This author advises parents to reclaim the word 'fat'. ", When Sheri got her license, she'd drive into Carrington daily to shoot hoops or lift weights. On Sunday, Kleinsasser will suit up one last time in purple. Jim Kleinsasser is 6-3 (190 cm) tall. We have estimated "The Vikings are smart enough to realize that a guy that like, who is so dependable and is still a dominating blocker on the outside, is someone you've got to hold on to," Birk said. On a December morning, their homestead is an oasis of heat and color on a desolate and wind-blown landscape. "He always wanted to play with me and my friends," Sheri said. While playing for Carrington High, Kleinsasser was two times named All-Region, All-State and Gatorade Circle of . The 46-year-old football player was born in North Dakota, United States. Jimmy grew the most underappreciated career in Minnesota sports. Former Vikings WR Jarius Wright sounded the Gjallarhorn prior to the Vikings-Jets game on Dec. 4. BMTN Staff Updated: Mar 8, 2018 I let him, as long as he would lay down in the backseat. Carter planted sunflowers, soybeans and wheat. He's proved tough enough to last, versatile enough to adapt, talented enough to engender loyalty, affordable enough to fit into every budget, and diligent and likeable enough to endear himself to a disparate mix of bosses. Kleinsasser has played for four head coaches. He finished his career with the second-most starts by a tight end in Vikings history with 119. Though he hasn't ever been an impact player, he's always been one of the most reliableperhaps the most reliableguys in his locker room. We stopped playing when I was in the seventh or eighth grade, because it just got too physical. Then Vikings coach Denny Green traded three draft choices to the Steelers for the chance to take. Jimmys been a beast his entire career. "It's going to be quite an offseason," Carter said. Carter planted sunflowers, soybeans and wheat. Kleinsasser was selected by the Vikings in the second round of the 1999 draft. The former Minnesota Vikings tight end/fullback remembers traveling to his grandparents house between the Belfield-Medora area when he was younger.My moms side of family is from out here, said Kleinsasser, who grew up in Carrington. He was a two-time Gatorade Circle of Champions North Dakota player of the year in football. Kleinsasser, a six-foot-three, 272-pound tight end, was twice selected to the All-Joe team put together by the "USA Today" in 2007 and again in 2008. Jim Kleinsasser's age is 46. We knew how good he was.". He played professionally for 13 years. Most important, though, he leaves the game relatively healthy and with financial security to enjoy with his wife, Christa, and sons, Carter and Cayden. Jimmy, his son, plans to retire from the NFL after two more games, having broken the team record for most games played by a Vikings tight end, lasting much longer than his parents expected and five years longer than even he had hoped.

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