More honors for Jimmy

When the quip comes out, "He just made a lot of money," credited to then-NDSU Coach Bob Babich in response to a play made in a rivalry game, you know greatness may just be coming your way.

But Carrington's own Jim Kleinsasser put together a body of work in the college ranks that was more than just one grainy sprint-and-score that made the rounds in the early Internet days.

Before he put on the pads for the Minnesota Vikings for 13 years, Jimmy, as he is affectionately called around these parts, plied his trade as a member of the UND Fighting Sioux from 1995 to 1998.

It was that time of his football career that has earned the former 6'3", 272-pound tight end/H-back, and son of Carter and Kathe Kleinsasser of rural Carrington, his most recent achievements.

On Monday, September 4, the Senior Bowl selection committee, based out of Mobile, Ala., named Kleinsasser as one of 175 honorees for the 75th Anniversary Team. Membership on the team is limited to players who suited up for NFL teams between the years of 1998 to 2023 inclusive.

This comes on the heels of another big announcement in June, that Jimmy was among the potential inductees on the ballot for the 2024 National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame class.

Kleinsasser was a three-year First Team All-North Central Conference (NCC) selection at tight end from 1996 to 1998. In his sophomore season, he was named an Honorable Mention All-American, followed by First Team NCAA Division II All-American by several publications in his junior and senior seasons.

During his time with the Fighting Sioux under Head Coach Roger Thomas, he finished with career marks of 88 receptions for 1,309 yards and 10 touchdowns. The team won 32 of their 42 games in which Kleinsasser played, along with an in-conference 28-8 mark.

He would be drafted with the 44th overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Vikings, and his blocking abilities would coincide with some of the franchise's best season outputs in the running game, with probable future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson in the backfield for much of his 1999-2011 career.

Kleinsasser's final NFL numbers included 1,688 receiving yards on 192 receptions and six touchdowns.

In his high school days, along with his football exploits for the Cardinals, he was a member of the 1995 Class B state champion boys' basketball team coached by the late Jim Jeske, and at one time, he held both the Class B shot put and discus records (the discus mark has since been broken).

Jimmy and his wife, Christa, have two sons, Carter and Cayden, and they live in Minnetrista, Minn.

Fans can vote online for the 75th Anniversary Senior Bowl Team at http://www.SeniorBowl.com.