People, Locations, Episodes

Alan Page, Athlete, and Judge born

Alan Page

*Alan Page was born on this date in 1945. He is a Black retired football player, lawyer, state Supreme Court Judge, and education activist.

From Canton, Ohio, he is the son of Howard and Georgiana Page and has one brother and two sisters. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in his hometown. In 1967, young Page received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. Then, the Minnesota Vikings drafted him into the National Football League the following year.

Page played professionally with the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears until 1981. In 1971, he was the first defensive player in NFL history to receive the "Most Valuable Player" Award. Eight years later, Page became the first active NFL player to complete a marathon (26.2 miles). Also during this time (1978), he received his Jurist Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School.

He is married to Diane Sims Page; they have four children: Nina, Georgi, Justin, and Kamie. In 1987, he completed the Edmund Fitzgerald 100-kilometer (62-mile) race. In 1988, Page was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Two years later, he helped dedicate "Alan Page Drive" in his hometown.

Page has received many honors and awards in his lifetime, including the National Football League Players' Association (NFLPA) Executive Committee, 1972-1975 and NFLPA Representative, 1970-1974, 1976-1977. In 1979, Page became a member of the National Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

One year later, he joined the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers and has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Mixed Blood Theater Company since 1984.  He was a Color Commentator for Turner Broadcasting System, College Football Game of the Week in 1982, and a Commentator for National Public Radio from 1982-1983. Page received the National Education Association "Friend of Education" Award and Chicago's Inner City Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. In 1993, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

In 1994, Page won the Aetna Voice of Conscience Arthur Ashe, Jr. Achiever Award. 1999, he was one of Sports Illustrated's "The 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Ohio." In 2001 he was selected Academic All-American Hall of Fame and the Dick Engberg Award. In 2002, Page was inducted into the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame. In 2004, he received the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award.

After football, Page was an Associate with Lindquist & Vennum from 1979-1984. A Special Assistant Attorney General (Employment Law Division) from 1985-1987 and Assistant Attorney General, State of Minnesota from 1987-1993. He became an Associate Justice at the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1993 and is presently still serving.

Page was on the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Urban League from 1987-1990 and a member of the Institute of the Bill of Rights Law Task Force on Drug Testing in the Workplace, 1990-1991.  In 1988, he founded The Page Education Foundation, which assists minority youth with post-secondary education. The Page Education Foundation was created with a simple but innovative idea: to entice young people of color to positively influence younger children by offering mentoring and financial assistance for college in exchange for their volunteer service.

He also helped establish the Kodak/Alan Page Challenge, a nationwide essay contest encouraging urban youth to recognize the value of education. He frequently speaks to groups of students about the importance of education.
Page was a member of the Board of Regents, University of Minnesota, from 1989-1992.  Page is also a member of the American Law Institute since 1993.

In 2004, Page received the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award. 2005, he received the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Distinguished American Award. Also, in January 2007, the Trumpet Award Association honored Justice Page as their 2007 recipient of the Trumpet Award in Law. Alan C. Page retired from the bench of the Minnesota Supreme Court on August 31, 2015, and a middle school in Minneapolis is now named after him.

To become a Professional Athlete

To become a Judge