Alan Page

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The Honorable Alan C. Page
Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 1993
Preceded by	Lawrence R. Yetka
Born	August 7, 1945 (1945-08-07) (age 63) Canton, Ohio
Spouse	Diane Sims Page
Children	Nina, Georgi, Justin and Kamie.
Alma mater	Notre Dame University of Minnesota
Profession	Professional Football Player Attorney

Alan Cedric Page (born August 7, 1945 in Canton, Ohio) is a jurist and former professional American football player. He graduated from Canton Central Catholic High School in 1963, received his B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1967, and received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1978. Justice Page is particularly notable for the fact that he is both a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and an Associate Justice with the Minnesota Supreme Court. Justice Page is married to Diane Sims Page and is the father of four children, Nina, Georgi, Justin and Kamie.

[edit] Biography

[edit] High school

Graduated from Central Catholic High School, Canton, OH, 1964. Starred in all sports, and excelled in football.

[edit] College

Following high school, Page attended the University of Notre Dame, where he led the school’s storied football program to a national championship in 1966. That same year, Page was named a college football All-American for his achievements on the field.

He was presented with one of the 1992 Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA) for achieving personal distinction since his graduation. In 2005 he was awarded the National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award. In between he was inducted into College Football Hall of Fame (1993).

In 1967, he participated in the East-West Shrine Game and 25 years later received the "Babe Hollingbery" Award for his outstanding and lasting performance as he was inducted to that game's Hall of Fame. Named to the Academic All-American Hall of Fame in 2001 and as such received the Dick Enberg Award. Also a winner of the Walter Camp Alumni of the Year in 1988.[1]. In 2002, he was inducted into International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame. 2004 winner of the Theodore Roosevelt Award (NCAA) which is awarded to a graduates from an NCAA institution who earned a varsity letter for athletics and who ultimately became a distinguished citizen of national reputation.

[edit] NFL

Following his graduation from Notre Dame, Page was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, for whom he played from 1967 until 1978. In 1978, Page joined the Chicago Bears, with whom he played through the 1981 season and where he amassed 40 of his career sacks.

During Page’s 15-year NFL-tenure, the Vikings won an impressive four conference titles. Page played in 218 consecutive games without an absence, during which he recovered 22 fumbles, made 148½ sacks (Vikings-108½, Bears-40), and scored three touchdowns (two on fumble recoveries and one on an interception return). He also had three safeties, the second most in NFL history. He set a career-high in sacks with 18 in 1976 and is unofficially credited with 5 other seasons with 10 sacks or more. ^{[1] [2]}

While in the NFL, Page earned All-Pro honors six times and made second-team all-league three additional times. He was voted to nine consecutive Pro Bowls. Eleven times he was voted All-Conference, in 1968 and 1969 as All-Western Conference and 1970 through 77 and 1980 as an All-National Football Conference.

In 1971, Page was named both the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (the first player to be named such) and the AP’s NFL Most Valuable Player. Page was the first defensive player to be named MVP since the award’s inception. In addition, he was voted the NEA NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1973.

Page was National Football League Players Association player representative, 1970-1974, 1976-1977 and a member of the NFLPA Association Executive Committee, 1972-1975. Named to the Vikings' 40th Anniversary Team in 2000. Along the way Page was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week three times: Week 9, 1967; Week 8, 1968; Week 13, 1971. Page was a member of the Vikings famous "Purple People Eaters"

After his playing career he dabbled in the media, first as a color commentator on Turner Broadcasting System covering the College Football Game of the Week series during the Fall of 1982 and then became a commentator on National Public Radio from 1982-1983.

In 1988, Page was further honored by his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was ranked number 34 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranking Viking player. Received the NFL Alumni Career Achievement Award in 1995 for attaining success in his post-NFL career.

[edit] Legal career

Long before Page’s football career came to a close, he was laying the groundwork for his future role as a justice with the Minnesota Supreme Court. While playing professional football full-time, Page attended the University of Minnesota Law School, from which he received his law degree in 1978. Following graduation, he worked with the law firm of Lindquist and Vennum in Minneapolis from 1979 to 1984. In 1985, Page was appointed Special Assistant Attorney General, and was soon thereafter promoted to Assistant Attorney General.

In 1992, Page was elected to an open seat as an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, becoming the first African-American to ever serve on that court. He was re-elected in 1998, becoming the biggest vote-getter in Minnesota history, and was again re-elected in 2004. If Page chooses to run for re-election in 2010 and wins, it will necessarily be his last term, as Minnesota has mandatory retirement for judges at age 70.

On January 7, 2009, Page was appointed by Chief Justice Eric Magnuson to select the three-judge panel which will hear the election contest brought by Norm Coleman. Coleman contested the U.S. Senate election certified on the previous day.^[3]

[edit] Community

In 1988, Page and his wife Diane founded the Page Education Foundation. That Foundation provides much-needed financial and mentoring assistance to minority college students, in exchange for those students’ commitment to further volunteer service in the community. As of today, the Page Foundation has awarded grants to 3,320 students, who in turn have given over 220,000 hours of their own time to young children. Upon his retirement from the bench, Justice Page hopes to become a public school teacher, so that he might make an even more personal impact on the children the Foundation has served for the past 20 years.

Justice Page’s contributions to the community have not gone unnoticed, and he has been the recipient of a number of awards recognizing the impact he has made on the lives of children throughout the nation. He has also received Honorary Doctorates in Humane Letters from the University of Notre Dame, Winston-Salem State University, and Gustavus Adolphus College, as well as Honorary Doctorates of Laws from the University of Notre Dame, St. John’s University, Westfield State College, Luther College, and the University of New Haven.

On a more personal note, Justice Page has a passion for running and runs on a regular basis. Notably, in 1979, Page became the first active NFL player to complete a marathon. In 1987, he completed the Edmund Fitzgerald 100k Road Race in Duluth, Minnesota. He is a regular spectator at the Twin Cities Marathon, famous for playing the tuba near mile 3.

[edit] Honorary degrees

Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters: University of Notre Dame, 2004; Winston-Salem State University, 2000; Gustavus Adolphus College, 2003.

Honorary Doctorate of Laws: University of Notre Dame, 1993; St. John's University, 1994; Westfield State College, 1994; Luther College, 1995; University of New Haven, 1999.

[edit] Post NFL awards

[edit] Professional organizations

• Member, American Law Institute, 1993-present
• Member, Minnesota State Bar Association, 1979-1985, 1990-present
• Member, Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, 1980-present
• Member, National Bar Association, 1979-present
• Member, American Bar Association, 1979-present
• Member, Advisory Board, Mixed Blood Theater, 1984-present
• Founder, Page Education Foundation, 1988. Assists minority youth with post-secondary education.
• Member, Board of Regents, University of Minnesota, 1989-1993
• Helped establish Kodak/Alan Page Challenge, a nationwide essay contest encouraging urban youth to recognize the value of education.
• Member, Institute of Bill of Rights Law Task Force on Drug Testing in the Workplace, 1990-1991
• Board of Directors, Minneapolis Urban League, 1987-1990

[edit] Notes

• In 1979 Page became the first active NFL player to finish a marathon. His best marathon time was 3:27:50
• In 1987 he completed Edmund Fitzgerald 100-kilometer (62-mile) race
• As a result of his long distance running, Page played his last 5 NFL seasons at 225 pounds.
• He is the only person in NFL history to have both worked on the construction of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and inducted into the Hall of Fame.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Justice Alan Page's Minnesota Courts bio
• Alan Page at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• College Football Hall of Fame
• Pro-Football-Reference.com - career statistics.
• Page Education Foundation
• 2007 Trumpet Awards
• Alan Page Biography
• Notre Dame Magazine Article on Page's 2004 commencement address
• Viking webpage on Alan Page

v • d • e Current statewide elected officials and legislative leaders of Minnesota U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar · Al Franken State government Tim Pawlenty, Governor · Carol Molnau, Lieutenant Governor · Mark Ritchie, Secretary of State · Lori Swanson, Attorney General · Rebecca Otto, State Auditor Senate Larry Pogemiller, Majority Leader · James Metzen, President · David Senjem, Minority Leader House Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Speaker · Tony Sertich, Majority Leader · Kurt Zellers, Minority Leader Supreme Court Eric J. Magnuson, Chief Justice · Alan Page · Paul H. Anderson · Helen M. Meyer · G. Barry Anderson · Lorie Skjerven Gildea · Christopher Dietzen