The history of the NFL has seen many players who have graced the field thousands of times. The select elite, few in numbers, among them are eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, thus recognizing their impact on the game. This is certainly a dream for any athlete as this award puts his name down in the history books.
Paul Krause is a precise example of a successful football player who has gone down as one of the all-time best safeties in the league. Known for holding the NFL career interceptions record with 81, Krause is among the most feared players to go up against.
Moreover, if you check the article where ClutchBet ranks the greatest NFL players from Iowa Krause’s name of course makes it into this list.
College career in Iowa
He started off his college career at the University of Iowa where he spent four years earning All-American honors along the way. Krause was an all-around player who enjoyed playing basketball and baseball as well.
He eventually chose football over his other options. Krause was first assigned to start as a wide receiver, defensive back, and running back. The talented young star finished off his college football swing with 42 receptions for 718 yards, 49 carries for 263 yards, and eight touchdowns.
Spell in the East
In 1964, Paul Krause was drafted in the second round by the Washington Redskins, thus making his way to the East for the first time in his life. His speed and range drew attention to him in his rookie season when he led the NFL with 12 interceptions. However, he missed out on winning the 1964 NFL Rookie of the Year award as he was surpassed by his teammate Charley Taylor in the final standings.
Krause enjoyed three more decent years with the Redskins before getting traded to the Minnesota Vikings where he would further unleash his potential.
The strong center fielder played in all four of his team’s Super Bowl appearances between 1968 and 1979. Unfortunately, he was unable to help his team clinch even one title which turned out to be his big miss throughout his career.
Back to his roots in Minnesota
Paul Krause was named to eight Pro Bowls and made the First-team All-Pro three times. He was considered one of the strongest members of the NFL as he missed just two games due to injuries throughout his extensive career.
His amazing frame and speed helped him protect his body from tough hits that could have been game-changing for his entire existence.
On top of everything else, the solid safety recovered 19 fumbles, returning them for 163 yards and three touchdowns. These feats helped him get inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. Roaming in football’s center field remains the main highlight of his 16 seasons in the NFL.
Krause’s legacy
Even though Krause ended up without winning a single Super Bowl, he remains one of the pioneers of the game. His all-time interceptions record might not be surpassed any time soon as his closest competitor among the active players is Marcus Peters who is tied-188th with 32 interceptions in seven seasons.
Furthermore, with the rules favoring the offense more nowadays and with the quarterbacks getting better and better, we might as well put this record among the unbreakable ones.
Krause has undoubtedly been one of the most difficult safeties to face in NFL history as only the lack of a strong core around him held him back from going all the way and putting his name on the trophy. However, he will inevitably go down as an all-time great player who was able to produce a high-quality one-man show at any time for his team.