Vikings to Honor Birk Before Final Metrodome Game

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings plan to honor former center Matt Birk before their final game at the Metrodome Sunday.

Birk will serve as an honorary captain for the Vikings game against the Detroit Lions.

The Vikings originally drafted Birk in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He spent 11 seasons with the Vikings and four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

Birk earned Pro Bowl honors six times during his career. He was the 2011 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year and capped his NFL career as a member of the Ravens team that won the Super Bowl last February.

Birk retired following the 2012 season.

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