Ex-Vikings star Kyle Rudolph continues to focus on philanthropy after lengthy NFL career
Rudolph was Vikings' Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee 3 times
Kyle Rudolph officially retired from the NFL after 12 seasons in September. A Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rudolph was able to end his career where it all started – with the Minnesota Vikings.
But instead of approaching retirement with the idea of slowing down, Rudolph has continued his efforts of giving back to the community.
The veteran tight end recently spoke to Fox Business about his latest efforts to give back and the importance it has had on shaping his career, both on and off the field.
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Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after defeating the New Orleans Saints in the NFC wild-card playoff game, January 5, 2020, in New Orleans. (Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
"I think it's something that as professional athletes, we're told all the time. But when you're in the thick of it, like as a player, you don't really think about what life will be like after, in my case, football," Rudolph explained.
"I was fortunate I got to play 12 years in the NFL, which is longer than most, certainly longer than the average length of an NFL career. But at the same time, here I am. I just turned 34 last month. I still have so much life ahead of me and I played a really, really long time. That's not the case for everyone. They tell you all the time that your time as a player comes to an end, usually when you're not expecting it to or before you would like it to. So, for me, the focus was: Who am I besides the football player? What do people think of when they hear the name Kyle Rudolph? Is it just tight end for the Minnesota Vikings or is there significantly more meaning behind my name and all the stuff?"
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Rudolph has long been invested in the welfare of his community.
Kyle Rudolph of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half, January 8, 2023, in Atlanta. (Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
A three-time Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, Rudolph and his wife were frequent visitors to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital throughout his time with the Vikings. In 2017, they opened Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone, a center at the hospital dedicated to young patients and their families.
Last month, Rudolph also partnered with Medtronic for the Blue Balloon Challenge as part of a campaign aimed at raising money to provide insulin to kids living with type 1 diabetes in underserved communities.
Kyle Rudolph of the New York Giants, left, celebrates his touchdown catch with David Sills against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium, October 24, 2021, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Mike Stobe / Getty Images)
"Diabetes is, unfortunately, something that everyone's familiar with and either knows somebody that struggles with the challenges of being diabetic or maybe themselves," Rudolph said. "I feel like it's just one of those things in our country where it'd be hard to find someone that doesn't know someone going through these challenges on a daily basis. So, when the opportunity was presented to me and the initiative of the Blue Balloon Challenge was brought to my attention, it was something I was extremely excited about."
Rudolph explained his own connection to the disease, recalling that his aunt, Julie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child.
"Certainly, growing up when she grew up, times are a lot different now, and the ability and access to the resources that people have now are far greater than they were back in the '80s when my aunt was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic."
"So, I think the way that I was able to relate to this initiative is that, yes, there are incredible resources and technology now that help kids, but not everyone has the access to it. And what the Blue Balloon Challenge is doing is not only bringing awareness to the daily struggles that people who balance diabetes and their regular life go through, but also it's raising money to make sure that people who don't have access to things like insulin can get it."
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A two-time Pro Bowl tight end, Rudolph played with the Vikings from 2011 to 2020. The following season, he signed with the New York Giants and played his final year in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.
He announced his official retirement in September.
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