Matt Birk

Team Number:	78
Birth Date:	07/23/1976
Height:	6'4"
Weight:	308lbs.
Position:	Center

More Info
Matt Birk was born on July 23, 1976 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended Harvard and led the team to a fifth ranked rushing offense and a passing efficiency of 86.3 percent which led the nation during his senior year. That year, Harvard went 7-0 in Ivy league play and 9-1 overall while winning the Ivy League title.

NFL highlights include playing center for the Minnesota Vikings while the team had the two highest single-season rushing totals in its history – Robert Smith’s in 2000 for 1,521 yards and Michael Bennett’s 1,296 yards in 2002. He has helped Viking running backs immensely, as they have gone over the 100-yard mark 22 times in the 75 career games that he has started. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006. Birk spent the 2005 season on the injured reserve with a hip and sports hernia injury.

In 2006, Matt Birk had a new running back to work with in Chester Taylor, and he elevated Taylor’s game to a new level, helping him rush for 1,214 yards, fourth best in single-season Viking history. On November 26, Birk opened the way for Taylor to go for 136 yards vs. Arizona. On October 25, Birk sprung a 95-yard touchdown scamper by Taylor and helped Taylor go for 169 yards on the day – the sixth best rushing day in team history.

In 2007, Matt Birk earned his 6th Pro Bowl slot. He was named the "Vikings Man of the Year" for his extensive community service. He is second in Minnesota Vikings history for most starts by a center (107 to date).

Matt Birk has been Viking of the Year in five different years. He is extremely involved in the Twin City area, opening a restaurant in downtown Minneapolis called Matty B’s. Birk was drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Vikings.