Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer took to social media on Wednesday to announce he was recently diagnosed with dementia.
Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer has announced he is battling dementia. Kramer made the announcement Wednesday afternoon on X, formerly Twitter, a day after another former Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre, revealed a Parkinson’s diagnosis. Here is Kramer’s full statement:
With Brett Favre announcement yesterday, I feel it’s best I let everyone know that I was diagnosed with dementia just over a year ago at the NFL Cleveland Clinic.
Dr’s say I could have anywhere from 2 to 10 years, just had my year check up and it hasn’t advanced and I’ve been sober for almost a year now which will definitely help.
Please, no sympathy, I’ve lived a great life and wouldn’t change a thing. Nobody wanted to win more than me and I never gave up, and that’s exactly how I’m going to battle this.
Football is the life we chose to live and sometimes stuff like this can happen. Im grateful to the NFL for the opportunity and am glad they are trying to do things to protect today’s players.
Financially I’m fine, but I know there are players out there who I played with that need all the help they can get. Unfortunately for me, the NFL will only try to help out with any of my medical bills and therapy what my personal insurance won’t cover. I’m hoping to bring some awareness so the NFL will be able to help others and future players who are battling illnesses like myself.
It’s still all about the fans for me, as long as I’m able, I’m going to continue to be out there and travel to the small towns which I love most and meet the fans.
Thank you for all the support and always remember, “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time”.
Kramer was the Vikings quarterback from 1977 to 1989, leading the Vikings to a 54-56 record over 13 seasons with the club, before ending his career as a member of the New Orleans Saints.
The Minnesota Vikings are a franchise with storybook history filled with special players, on Tuesday one of them met J.J. McCarthy.
The Minnesota Vikings are a franchise with a storybook history filled with special players. On Tuesday, one of them met J.J. McCarthy. The rookie quarterback has been doing well during the first week of training camp, and a new high point was reached.
Vikings legend Tommy Kramer made his way onto the field after practice and, in a post on social media, shared the conversation he had with the rookie quarterback.
Viking fans, we have a great young man here. He has a great arm, he’s smart and he’s a winner. pic.twitter.com/8Y3WQYFId5
Kramer is considered one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history. Having played for the team from 1977 to 1989, the Vikings are hoping they can get that same sustained success out of McCarthy during his tenure with the team.
J.J. McCarthy has had a good start to camp and has shown that the arm strength and footwork are becoming more efficient. Clips from camp are all over social media, and this may prove to be closer competition between him and Sam Darnold than previously thought.
As for Tommy Kramer, he has seemingly made it clear who he favors in the competition.
Two Minute Tommy found Ahmad Rashad for the first rendition of the Minneapolis Miracle
Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!
In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.
It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.
On the fourteenth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: The Miracle at the Met.
The current generation of Vikings fans will never forget Case Keenum’s 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs as time expired in the fourth quarter that gave the Vikings a 29-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints in an NFC Divisional playoff game on Jan. 14, 2018. Dubbed “The Minneapolis Miracle” that ending sent the Vikings to the NFC title game.
Exactly 33 years and one month earlier, another improbable finish left Vikings fans rocking the erector set that was Met Stadium in Bloomington, Minn. I was among those in attendance and a month earlier had turned 11 years old. Already in love with sports, the end of this game was the first time I realized just how special a moment of sports pandemonium could be whether young and old.
The temperature at kickoff on Dec. 14, 1980, was 20 degrees but the wind chill made it feel like 11. The Vikings entered with an 8-6 record and a chance to clinch the NFC Central with a victory. The Browns, who were favored by 3 points, were 10-4 and needed a win to secure a playoff berth.
The Browns held a 13-0 halftime lead, but quarterback Tommy Kramer’s 31-yard touchdown pass to tight end Joe Senser early in the third quarter cut Cleveland’s lead to 13-6. The Vikings’ Rick Danmeier, who had missed the extra point, traded field goals with the Browns’ Don Cockroft and a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Cleo Miller in the fourth quarter gave Cleveland a 23-9 lead early in the final quarter.
The Vikings began to rally as Kramer connected with running back Ted Brown on a 7-yard touchdown pass with just over 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Danmeier again missed the extra point. (This is confirmation of just how far back the Vikings’ kicking issues go.)
This left the Browns up by eight points — which was two scores because the two-point conversion had yet to be adopted by the NFL — and in possession of the ball. It was on this Browns drive that it became clear this might be the Vikings’ day after all.
Cleveland was keeping the ball on the ground, and running clock, until quarterback Brian Sipe threw a pass on second-and-9 from his own 41-yard line that was intended for Reggie Rucker at midfield. It never got to him. Bobby Bryant intercepted the pass from the quarterback who would be named the 1980 NFL MVP.
Kramer, known as “Two-Minute Tommy” for his ability to lead comebacks, wasted no time in leading the Vikings on a five-play, 47-yard drive that took 37 seconds and ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ahmad Rashad. It was Rashad’s first touchdown in 10 games. Danmeier didn’t miss this extra point but the Vikings still trailed by one with 1:35 remaining.
The Browns recovered the onside kick at the Vikings’ 44-yard line, but an illegal motional penalty backed up Cleveland and linebacker Scott Studwell stopped Mike Pruitt a yard short on third-and-9.
There were 23 seconds left when the Browns punted and Minnesota took over on its own 20-yard line with 14 seconds remaining. Kramer threw a pass to Senser at the Vikings 30; the tight end lateraled to Brown, who gained 39 yards before going out of bounds to stop the clock with 5 seconds left.
The play call that came into the huddle was known as “Squadron Right,” sending three wide receivers (Terry LeCount, Sammy White and Rashad) to line up on the right side of the formation. All ran go routes to the end zone and Kramer aired it out.
Kramer dropped back and threw a Hail Mary pass from his own 47-yard line. Browns safety Thom Darden tipped the ball at the Cleveland 5. Rashad was able to sort through the chaos to haul it in with one hand at the 1-yard line. There was no time remaining on the clock when he backed into the end zone for a 28-23 victory.
“A flea flicker is what beat us as much as anything,” Cleveland’s Calvin Hill told reporters afterward. “A damn good flea flicker, that Senser-to-Brown play.”
That gave Grant had his 11th NFC Central title as the Met erupted. The euphoria wouldn’t last long. The Vikings opened the playoffs in Philadelphia and were beaten 31-16 by an Eagles team that would go on to lose to Oakland in the Super Bowl.
Nonetheless, the Met had its miracle and Kramer, Rashad and Vikings fans had a memory for a lifetime.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com
The play itself was a simple shallow crosser to Oliver, but the defense was creeping up on him. Cousins threw it short and it made Oliver stop on a dime to make the catch and it allowed him to fight to get into the endzone.
The Vikings are tied with the Chargers at seven nearing the end of the first half.
Vikings players took to social media to express their love and appreciation for the legendary head coach
The football world lost one of the best head coaches to ever do it in Bud Grant on Saturday, as he passed at the age of 95.
Having been elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994, Grant is the only person to ever be drafted by both the NBA and NFL. He also played in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before becoming their head coach. The Minnesota Vikings hired Grant in 1967 and the rest is history.
Grant had a tremendous impact on the Vikings, its players and everyone that covered and loved the team. Current and former Vikings went to Twitter to express their condolences.
Love you Bud, so thankful for every conversation we have had over the years! RIP 💜 https://t.co/mQegJugKs7
Cousins sets a team record as he continues going Zero Dark LeBron mode
After a phenomenal first quarter, Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Kirk Cousins continued going Zero Dark LeBron mode in breaking a long-standing team record held by Vikings great quarterback Tommy Kramer.
So, a lot going on there.
Kirk Cousins' shovel pass to Jalen Reagor for the TD is his 17th consecutive completion to open this game, a Vikings record.
Cousins has completed a total of 19 consecutive passes if you include his final two completions in Week 4 vs. Saints.
Set back in 1979, Kramer completed 16 consecutive passes. Second place was held by Wade Wilson with 14 who did that in 1988. Cousins topped it with relative ease to start the day against a lowly Chicago Bears defense.
After three drives where the Vikings scored touchdowns on all three to take a 21-3 lead, Cousins is currently 17-17 for 176 yards and a touchdown which came on a push pass to wide receiver Jalen Reagor. He also currently sits at 19 combined if you go back to the New Orleans Saints game.
This is arguably the best game that Cousins has ever played in a Vikings uniform and perhaps in his NFL career. If he continues playing anywhere close to this level, the league needs to watch out.
When the Minnesota Vikings traded Stefon Diggs in March of 2020, the expectation that they would get a player as good or better with that pick would have been very hard to believe. Luckily for them, they hit the jackpot.
Justin Jefferson has turned himself into an elite player for the Vikings and done so in record time. He and Adam Thielen have become one of the best wide receiver duos in the league.
When visiting training camp, former Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer, best known for having a Green Bay Packers urinal, had a massive compliment for the third-year player.
This is some incredibly high praise from Kramer. Carter, who played for the Vikings from 1985-1993, is best known for dominating the 1987 playoffs, including a 10-reception/227-yard performance against the San Francisco 49ers in a divisional round upset. Carter was an explosive weapon that could be utilized anywhere on the field.
Jefferson also fits that description, as he has dominated from both the slot and on the outside. If he continues on this path, he will exceed Carter’s success.
Packers fans were not entertained with Kramer’s potty humor
If former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer was looking for some smoke, he certainly got it from Green Bay Packers fans after he uploaded a video on Twitter of his brand new functioning Packers urinal.
It wasn’t just the urinal itself that sent fans of the rival team into a furious uproar, either. Kramer also had a framed picture of Aaron Rodgers lying on the ground after being knocked out of a 2017 game against the Vikings by linebacker Anthony Barr.
The 2022 NFL season hasn’t even started yet, and the heat from the rivalry is already at a boiling point. Leave it to Kramer to stir the pot a little.
There’s no love lost for former longtime Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer when it comes to the Green Bay Packers.
He ate, slept and breathed the rivalry in his 13 years of playing across from them as a member of the Vikings in the 1970s and 1980s. But if his recent social media post is any indication, it’s clear that he still eats, sleeps and breathes the rivalry to this very day.
In a video uploaded to Twitter, Kramer shows off his brand new Packers urinal recently installed in his home.
Granted, turning Green Bay’s colors and logo into a toilet for daily use is already next level when it comes to rivalry ideas, but he takes things even further with the choice of picture neatly placed above the urinal at eye level.
It’s a picture of Aaron Rodgers writhing in pain after getting blasted by linebacker Anthony Barr in 2017. The legendary Packers quarterback suffered a broken collarbone after that hit, but he did end up returning near the end of the season.
