Matthew Robert Birk born on July 23, 1976, is a former American football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He spent most of his professional career playing for his hometown Minnesota Vikings. Born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Birk played college football at Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics and entered the 1998 NFL Draft. He was drafted towards the end of the draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He spent his first two seasons with the Vikings as a backup offensive lineman.
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He is the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota running alongside Scott Jensen in the 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election. As a free agent following the 2008 season, Birk left the Vikings and joined the Baltimore Ravens. In 2011 he was awarded the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his charitable work in improving childhood literacy. After the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII, Birk retired from the NFL. Following his retirement in 2012, Birk returned to his home state of Minnesota. He started a Catholic school in Burnsville, Minnesota in 2019. Active in anti-abortion causes and local Republican politics, Birk joined Jensen’s gubernatorial candidacy in March 2022.
Ranked as the No. 16 offensive tackle available, Birk was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 6th round (173rd overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft. He was described by Sports Illustrated as “maybe the best Ivy League prospect to come along in several years”, who “could be a nice developmental type pick”. Birk was the first Harvard Crimson lineman to be selected in an NFL draft since Roger Caron in 1985. Birk attended Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, and was a letterman and standout in football, basketball, and track and field.
Matt Birk is married to Adrianna Birk. Adrianna was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. She has three sisters. She shares a healthy relationship with her mother and sisters. Adrianna mentioned that her mother raised her and her sisters alone and worked really hard to send them to private schools. Adrianna volunteered at a crisis pregnancy center and he participated in the Maryland March for Life in 2011. She attended a private catholic school. Adrianna is an active member of a bible study group which is also attended by Matt Birk, fellow Ravens teammates, and their wives. Most recently she opened a boutique store that sells women’s clothes at parties.
Matt Birk and Adrianna Birk in a file photo. (image credits: twitter) Matt Birk and Adrianna Birk in a file photo. (image credits: twitter)
