“The Vikings didn’t need me to play right away as they had a great offensive line with multiple Pro Bowlers,” Birk said. “I got to develop and learn, and then [before the 2000 season,] All-Pro center Jeff Christy went to Tampa Bay, and it was an open competition for the starting center position. And I won it.”

Once Birk broke into the lineup, he never looked back. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team in his first season as a starter.

His success was especially sweet because he made his mark as a member of his childhood-favorite team.

“It was a dream come true to get my shot with the Vikings,” Birk said. “It [was] already a dream to play in the NFL, but when you’re playing in front of your hometown and your family and friends, it makes it that much better.”

The Harvard alum made six Pro Bowls, tying Mick Tinglehoff’s franchise record for a Minnesota center, in seven seasons spanning from 2000 to 2007—he missed all of 2005 with an injury.

In 2009, it was time to move on, and the veteran signed with Baltimore. He made 112 consecutive starts with the Ravens to end his career—the last of which came in Super Bowl XLVII.

MAN OF THE YEAR

Birk has also made a large splash off the field through his community work.

“To me, the thing about Matt is not the football accolades,” Murphy remarked. “It’s what everybody thinks about him as a person. To be named NFL Man of the Year among all of his peers tells you that what he does outside of football has had even more impact than what he’s done on the field.”

Birk is highly respected by his former teammates—he was named Minnesota Vikings Man of the Year every year from 2002 through 2007. In 2011, the center received the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his promotion of literacy among at-risk youth through his HIKE Foundation, which he founded in 2002.

The foundation partners with school districts to promote literacy through programs that reward kids with incentives for out-of-school reading and ensure that children are provided with books.

Birk understands the opportunity he was given to make an impact in the community.

“The platform that football provides you in front of young people is pretty unique,” he said. “I thought that there must be a way to try and do some good with it…To be recognized with an award named after Walter Payton was a huge honor.”

“ALL THE STARS LINED UP”

The NFL’s physical game eventually wears every player down, and entering his 15th season this past fall, Birk was ready to soon retire.