Who was Ed Thorp and how in the world is he connected to this weekend’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Vikings’ 1969 NFL championship team?
“Ed who?” asked Gary Larsen, one of the famed front four forever known as the Purple People Eaters.
Ed Thorp. A friend to several NFL owners in the early ’30s. A referee. Ran a sporting goods store. The league loved him so much it created the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy upon his death in 1934.
Much like the Stanley Cup in hockey, the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy was supposed to be a traveling trophy first awarded to the Giants in 1934.