From Carrington to College Football Immortality: Kleinsasser Enshrined
JIM KLEINSASSER WAS INDUCTED INTO THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2025.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KVRR) – North Dakota football royalty gained another crown jewel Tuesday night as former UND tight end Jim Kleinsasser was officially inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
For Kleinsasser, who starred for the Fighting Sioux from 1995–98 before a 13-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings, the moment was surreal.
“Kind of, you know, humbling experience,” Kleinsasser said.
He now joins one of the most exclusive clubs in sports. Only 1,111 players and 237 coaches have been enshrined—less than two hundredths of a percent of the nearly 5.8 million people who have ever played or coached the game.
“It feel like you’re a bit of a fraud when you see the names and the people that are in there,” Kleinsasser said. “But, you know, extremely blessed and honored to be a part of it.”
The Carrington, North Dakota native enters the hall alongside icons such as Peyton Manning, Michael Strahan, Troy Polamalu, and 2025 coaching inductees Urban Meyer and Nick Saban.
His induction also gives North Dakota its second member in the College Football Hall of Fame—and yes, both are Jims. Jim LeClair earned the honor in 1999. The shared name is coincidence, but Kleinsasser insists what truly matters is the shared foundation UND provided.
“Everyone that I encountered at UND—from professors to coaches, my teammates, fellow classmates—they had such a huge impact on my life,” he said. “Not even just about football, but growing up and becoming the person you’re gonna be and setting me on the right path.”
That path led him to a successful NFL run after being drafted 44th overall by the Vikings in 1999. Kleinsasser became one of the league’s most versatile and respected tight ends and fullbacks, finishing his career with 192 catches for 1,688 yards and six touchdowns. He also added a rushing TD in 2001.
Playing close to home made it even more meaningful.
“I was just extremely lucky to be drafted close to home,” Kleinsasser said. “My friends were able to come down, my family came to every home game. I kept my support system close by, which was something I greatly needed, especially in my early years.”
A UND legend, a Vikings staple, and now a Hall of Famer—Jim Kleinsasser’s name, coincidence or not, is etched forever in college football history.
