Minnesota VIkings great Chris Doleman died Tuesday night after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He was 58.
Doleman, who in 2018 had surgery to remove a brain tumor, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 after a 15-year playing career in which he totaled 150.5 sacks, the fifth-most in NFL history.
“The Minnesota Vikings express our deepest sympathies to Chris Doleman’s family and friends upon his passing. Chris was a great example for players past and present, as he embodied all the best characteristics of a Viking – resilience, toughness and a competitive spirit. Chris always carried himself with dignity and class. Vikings fans worldwide will greatly miss him,” the Vikings said in a statement.
Selected by the Vikings with the fourth pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, Doleman spent 10 years in Minnesota. Six of his eight appearances in the Pro Bowl were as a Viking, and both of his All-Pro First Team selections (1989, 1992) were with Minnesota.
“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Chris Doleman after a prolonged and courageous battle against cancer,” said David Baker, Pro Football Hall of Fame president and CEO. “I had the honor of getting to know him not only as a great football player but an outstanding human being.”
“The legacy of Chris Doleman will live forever in Canton, Ohio, for generations to learn from how he lived a life of courage and character.”
Couldn’t get back to sleep upon hearing of the passing of Chris Doleman, a gentle giant of a defensive end who always had a curious outlook on life, Glioblastoma brain cancer. Insidious, unrelenting. We cherish every day since my wife’s diagnosis 18 months ago. #cancerwarrior
— Mark Rosen (@KFANRosen) January 29, 2020
“When I was a little kid, I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Doleman told NFL Network in May 2018. “I also never thought that I’d have brain cancer either.”
