2007 Miller Lite Vikings Draft Party

Commentary by

05/04/07

Finally, after 4 years, I made it to the Vikings Draft Party at Winter Park this year. If you have never been to this event, I highly recommend it. The day proved to be more exciting than I had imagined.

We started off by not being able to find the Vikings Headquarters. I noticed some limousines and an official Vikings truck at the Braemar Arena lot so we stopped to ask directions. Turns out the Vikings don’t allow parking at the headquarters, so people park in the surrounding lots. The Vikings provided bus type limousines to and from the various lots. They would hold about 20 or 30 people and were very elegant inside. There were several televisions playing Vikings highlights from last year. I wasn’t but a few blocks away from the Training Facility so it all worked out.

Doors to the facility didn’t open till 8 AM so the fans started lining up outside. There got to be quite a line before they opened the doors. Once inside the turf had been covered with a large cover to protect it. A large number of vendors had set up to sell food, drink and Vikings merchandise. There were games and things for kids and the whole family to keep them entertained up to and during the draft. A large tent was set up for the autograph sessions with the various current and former players.

You can see pictures of the facilities and the day’s events at this link. 2007 Draft Party Photos.

A large stage was set up with two huge big screen televisions so everyone could watch the draft. KFAN was there to broadcast the day’s events. Up until the draft started, there were several interviews on stage with players, such as Tony Richardson and Chad Greenway. Once the draft started, Paul Allen, Mike “Superstar” Morris, and Greg Coleman handled the play by play. When ever a pick was made by a team, they would break in and turn on the sound from ESPN.

There were tons of purple, white, and gold balloons suspended over the Red Zone section. As Cleveland was about to make their selection, the excitement started to build. The crowd erupted when the selected Joe Thomas, as everyone realized Adrian Peterson might make it to the 7th pick. I had not been this excited in over a year and when the Vikings selected Peterson, the entire facility roared their approval as the balloons were dropped on the fans below. Right after the selection, Darren Sharper walked through The Red Zone, stopped at the end of my table about 3 feet from me, and gave an interview for the television crew. It was really fun to be that close to Sharper and I got some great pictures of him. Coach Brad Childress and Director of Player Personnel Rick Spielman both came out on stage and gave interviews along with thoughts on the draft to that point.

One of the best things about the Draft Party was getting to interact with players, former players, and yes, Cheerleaders. I got autographs from Chad Greenway, Jeff Dugan, Tony Richardson and my most prized autograph from Carl Eller. We almost missed Eller, as we were about through the line before he showed up. I wanted to get several pictures of him, but was so nervous to actually be standing there in front of one of my boyhood idols, that I couldn’t hold the camera steady enough. I also got to meet most of this years Cheerleader squad. This is a great bunch of young ladies that work really hard to entertain the fans throughout the day. I also got a chance to finally meet some fans from the message board that I have known for years and a few fans from other states that visit the website on a daily basis. It was really great meeting all the other fans and I hope to get a chance to meet them all again.

If you ever plan to attend this event I highly recommend getting The Red Zone Tickets. They sell for $60 compared to $20 for general admission. If I lived in the area, I would probably get the general admission, but not getting a chance all year to meet the players, staff, and Cheerleaders it makes for a much richer experience being in the special section up front. You get free food and drink tickets, private restrooms, a folder of the day’s events and are automatically entered in the prize drawings. There was a private autograph session with Chad Greenway also.

While I have never been to Training Camp, I must say that the Draft Party really affords the average fan a chance to meet and see a lot of the players and people that put in the work that goes into the game day experience during the regular season. The day’s activities at the Training Facility ended at 2 PM and we went back to the hotel to catch the rest of the draft. Brenda, my wife, and I both have penciled in next years Draft Party as a must do event to start off the year in 2008. If you ever get the chance, make the trip. You won’t soon forget it.