Keith Nord
| No. 49 | |||||||||
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| Position | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | March 13, 1957 Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | September 19, 2018 (aged 61) Orono, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Minnetonka High School | ||||||||
| College | St. Cloud State University | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1979: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Keith Sterling Nord (March 3, 1957 – September 19, 2018) was an American professional football defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1979 to 1985.
Career
[edit]Nord was born on 13 March 1957 in Minnetonka, Minnesota.[1] As a teenager, Nord played football for Minnetonka High School.[2]
After graduation, he played college football at St. Cloud State University.[3][4][5] He was a member of the All-Conference and District 13 team, and a four-time letterwinner in football. During his senior season in 1979, he was voted both team captain and most valuable player.[2] He won St. Cloud State's NIC Glen Galligan Award, awarded to a player who achieved high academic accomplishment across their four years at the university. In 1989, he was voted into the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame.[6]
In the 1979 NFL Draft, Nord went undrafted.[6] The Minnesota Vikings, however, sent him an invitation to attend tryouts. Although relatively small in stature, Nord was an intense player. His teammate and former Vikings punter Greg Coleman stated that, "I remember Chuck Foreman coming through the line, and Keith popped him. And I mean, he popped him good. And Chuck jumped up and said, 'Hey rookie,' and the two had words. But Keith did not back down...And immediately I thought, 'You know what? This rookie from Minnetonka, he's going to be all right.'"[6]
In the beginning, Nord worked as one of the Vikings' reserve defensive players and occasional kick returner. He totaled 18 returns for 342 yards and one touchdown. In his first four seasons, he led the Vikings special teams in tackles. During 1980, he returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown.[7] Vikings coach Bud Grant took note of Nord's success, and, in the 1983 season, he was named special teams captain. He was the first Minnesota native to earn that honor.[8] During that season, Nord got both an interception and a sack. In 1985, he was voted by his peers to be the Vikings' recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award.[6]
Nord spent seven seasons with the Vikings. After leaving football in 1985, he worked as a motivational speaker to schools, businesses, and churches.[1] In 2013, he was inducted into the Minnetonka Skippers Hall of Fame.[9]
Nord died of stomach cancer on 19 September 2018.[10][11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Obituary of Keith Nord". September 19, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "SCSU Hall of Famer Nord passes away". St. Cloud State Huskies.
- ^ Looking Back: Nord made SCSU Hall of Fame 25 years ago Deprecated link archived 2014-11-17 at archive.today
- ^ Former Viking Keith Nord addresses athletes
- ^ "Former football player shares leadership experience with students". Retrieved November 17, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b c d Young, Lindsey (September 19, 2018). "Vikings Send Condolences to Family of Keith Nord". Retrieved June 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "St. Cloud has plenty of NFL connections". Townsquare Media.
- ^ "Minnesota native and former Viking Keith Nord remembered for beating the odds". FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. September 19, 2018.
- ^ "2013 Skipper Hall of Fame Inductee - Keith Nord '75". Minnetonka Schools.
- ^ "Former Vikings defensive back Keith Nord dies at 61". Star Tribune.
- ^ "Death of Minnesota Viking Keith Nord saddens his former SCSU teammates". SCSU Today.
External links
[edit]- Official website Archived 2014-12-17 at the Wayback Machine