Matt Birk Matthew Robert Birk ( born July 23 , 1976 ) is a former American football center . He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft , and later played for the Baltimore Ravens . He played college football at Harvard . Birk is a two - time All - Pro and six - time Pro Bowl selection . Early years . Birk attended Cretin - Derham Hall High School in St . Paul , Minnesota , and was a letterman and standout in football , basketball , and track & field . He was an All - St . Paul Conference honoree , an Academic All - State honoree , and an All - State honoree in both football and basketball . Birk graduated from Cretin - Derham in 1994 . He recorded a 3 . 8 GPA and scored a 34 on his ACT . College career . Birk graduated from Harvard University in 1998 with a degree in economics . While playing for the Harvard Crimson , he attained All - Ivy League , All - New England and Division I - AA All - ECAC first team football honors . Professional career . 1998 NFL Draft . 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 . Minnesota Vikings . During his first two seasons with the Vikings , he appeared in 22 games as a backup offensive lineman . In 2000 , he took over the starting center position for the Vikings , starting all 16 games and was named to his first Pro Bowl team . Birk started every game for the Vikings at center from 2000 - 2003 . In 2004 , Birk missed the last 4 games of the season due to surgery to treat a sports hernia . He missed the entire 2005 season with a hip injury that required surgery . Birk returned to form in 2006 , anchoring the Vikings offensive line from the center spot and earning his fifth career Pro Bowl selection . In 2007 , Birk was named Minnesota Vikings Man of the Year for the sixth year in a row . He also earned his sixth Pro Bowl selection , tying Mick Tinglehoff for most Pro Bowl appearances by a Vikings center . Baltimore Ravens . An unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason , Birk signed a three - year , $ 12 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens on March 4 . The deal included $ 6 million guaranteed . On March 16 , 2012 Birk signed a new 3 - year deal with the Ravens . He won his first career championship during Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers . Birk announced his retirement on February 22 , 2013 . Personal . Birk established the HIKE Foundation in 2002 , which seeks to " impact the lives of at - risk children by providing interactive programs and resources needed to guide a child through the key educational transitions between elementary , middle , high school and college . " The foundation launched " Ready , Set , Read ! " in select Baltimore area public schools in the fall of 2010 . The program works with about 100 , 000 Baltimore students on improving their reading skills through an incentive - based system . Birk received the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2011 for his commitment to improving literacy among at - risk youth . He was named the sixth - smartest athlete by the " Sporting News " in 2010 . Birk is a pro - life activist . His wife volunteers at a crisis pregnancy center and he participated in the Maryland March for Life in 2011 . He is also a Roman Catholic and father of six . In October 2012 , Birk publicly spoke out against gay marriage before a Maryland ballot referendum on the Civil Marriage Protection Act which eventually passed . Birk announced in February 2013 his intentions to eventually donate his brain to Boston University ’ s School of Medicine for research into concussions .