Rick Spielman

Rick Spielman is the General Manager of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. He was promoted to General Manager in 2012 after spending 2006–2011 as the team's Vice President of Player Personnel. He formerly worked for ESPN on NFL Live.

Spielman is a graduate of Massillon Washington High School located in Massillon, Ohio and is the older brother of Chris Spielman, the former Detroit Lions linebacker.

Playing career
Spielman played linebacker at Southern Illinois (1983–86), earning 1st-Team All-Gateway Conference honoree as a junior. He was also part of the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA national championship team as a redshirt freshman. Upon entering the NFL, as an undrafted free agent, he was invited to training camp with the San Diego Chargers (1987) and Detroit Lions (1988), but did not make it as a professional football player.

Career in scouting
Spielman began his NFL career as a scout with Detroit in 1990 and worked with the club in college scouting for five seasons before adding pro scouting duties in 1995 and 1996. He moved to Director of Pro Personnel for the Bears from 1997-99 before joining the Dolphins in 2000 as Vice President of Player Personnel. He was promoted in 2002 to Senior Vice President-Football Operations/Player Personnel and eventually General Manager in 2004. Spielman left the Dolphins during the 2005 off-season.

Spielman worked with ESPN as an NFL analyst in 2005, before joining the Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings
Spielman assumed the Vikings' Vice President of Player Personnel role on May 30, 2006, replacing Fran Foley.

To date, Spielman has overseen six drafts in Minnesota. His most notable draftees include Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice in 2007, Tyrell Johnson and John Sullivan in 2008, Percy Harvin and Phil Loadholt in 2009, Chris Cook and Toby Gerhart in 2010, Christian Ponder and Kyle Rudolph in 2011, and Matt Kalil, Harrison Smith and Blair Walsh in 2012. The draft aside, Spielman is best known for the offseason moves the Vikings made in 2008, when they signed Bernard Berrian and Madieu Williams to contracts and traded a first round and two third round picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for pro-bowl defensive end, Jared Allen, and finally in 2009 when the Vikings came to terms with long time Green Bay Packer Brett Favre.

On January 3, 2012, Spielman was promoted to General Manager of the Vikings.

Personal life
Spielman is married and has six adopted children. His wife's name is Michele, and his children are Juan, Luis, Ronnie, J.D., Omie and Whitney.