Each week, commenter Stu delights you with his look back at a forgotten Minnesota sports figure. Stu? -----

The Huntdown

Name: Jimmy Hitchcock Claim to Fame, Minnesota: a defensive back for the Minnesota Vikings in 1998 and 1999. Returned a league-leading three intereceptions for touchdowns in the Purple's star-crossed 1998 regular season. Was torched by the Falcons' Tony Martin in the 4th quarter of a game I'd rather not talk about. Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: had an 8-year career as an NFL defensive back despite having zero ACLs. To put this in perspective: he had an 8-year career as an NFL defensive back despite having zero ACLs. (The joke there is that it's very difficult to put something that unlikely in perspective.) He was projected to be a first-round pick out of North Carolina, but no doubt concerns about his knees allowed the Patriots to grab him in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft. [Proprietor question: Is he available to play Sunday?] Where He Is Now: if this Google profile is correct, he is an "independent rep" for Fortune High-Tech Marketing and part-owner of a liquor distributorship. Did He Have an Embarrassing and/or Troubling Off-Field Incident®: yes, but long after his time with the Vikings ended. Is He on Twitter: it appears so. Glorious Randomness: Hitchcock's liquor concern is the U4RIK line of vodka products, which I assume is the preferred drink of Rik Smits and his devoted fans, or "Smitheads" as they've come to be known. *Thanks to Twitter follower and heavily-moderated RandBall commenter "lattewarrior" for the suggestion.