Twitter/jor_rudolph Jordan and Kyle Rudolph first met in college and now the duo are taking on the NFL together.
Kyle Rudolph is one of the most recognizable talents in the entire NFL, but there’s one person who’s cheering just a bit louder for the Vikings tight end – his wife Jordan.
The pair, who first met when he was a standout at Notre Dame, are fixtures in the football world and Jordan has even started to build her own brand. The St. Mary’s College grade regularly works with the Vikings community and also pens her own lifestyle blog, giving fans a chance to see into the life of a football family.
Now, as the Vikings notch one of their most successful seasons in recent memory, Jordan is still cheering just as loud. Here’s everything you need to know about her:
1. Jordan’s Maiden Name Was ‘Nine’ – the Same As Kyle’s College Jersey Number
Happy 25th birthday @KyleRudolph82 !! I hope this is the best year yet! Xoxo http://t.co/A14pioP3jD
It might have been fate.
Kyle Rudolph was in the midst of a dominant career at the University of Notre Dame when he met the woman who would be his future wife – and her name matched the number on the back of his jersey. Kyle wore No. 9 throughout his career, so meeting Jordan Nine felt a bit like romantic kismet.
It didn’t take long for the two to hit it off and, fast forward five years, Jordan was saying ‘yes’ to Kyle’s proposal, surrounded by family and friends in Cincinnati. Love potion number nine, indeed.
2. The Pair Tied the Knot in Los Cabos on February 13, 2016
The longtime couple officially became Mr. and Mrs. with a destination wedding in one of their favorite locations – a picturesque beach in Los Cabos, Mexico. Jordan explained the location to The Wedding Mag:
We absolutely love Cabo and had been to dinner at Hacienda Beach Club while on vacation two years ago. We loved the location, the view, the food, how close it is to everything. It was perfect. Our wedding was very intimate. We were able to spend time with each guest and talk with every person there. We did not want a huge extravagant wedding. We had a pretty big number for a destination wedding and each person there plays a huge role in our lives and our relationship.
The Rudolphs kept it relaxed, with a ceremony on the beach, although Jordan did admit that planning from a distance wasn’t always easy. She worked with a local planner, Fatima Falcon, and said she “had an idea of what everything was going to look like, but there were no tastings, no picking out flowers, and no setting up tables. It was based entirely on pictures and trust.”
Jordan and Kyle recited traditional vows, but added a personal touch with a candle ceremony and walked back down the aisle to Daniel Jang’s “Cheerleader.”
3. Jordan Gave Birth to Twins in October 2016
2016 was a very good year for the Rudolph family.
Just a few months after their picture-perfect wedding, Jordan and Kyle welcomed their first children – plural. Jordan gave birth to identical twin girls Andersyn Kate and Finley Claire on October 4, releasing a statement:
Jordan and I are so excited to share that the twins, Andersyn and Finley, are happy and healthy this morning after being born late last night. Thank you to everyone including family, friends, teammates, coaches and fans for all your support and well-wishes.
The couple announced they were expecting in a memorable way – when Kyle threw out the first pitch before a Twins game on May 23. And he even dressed the part.
What better way to announce that you’re expecting double than at a @Twins game?
Kyle also spoke with Twins star Joe Mauer, who has his own twin girls, getting a few tips and tricks for dealing with double the trouble and double the cute.
4. Jordan Writes a Blog Called ‘First Steps & First Downs’
Talk about inspiration.
After giving birth to her and Kyle’s twins in 2016, Jordan’s mother suggested she document her experiences online. Jordan was cautious of the idea at first – despite majoring in communications at St. Mary’s College, certain there wasn’t an audience for it – but after a few weeks of consideration decided to test the blog-waters. It didn’t take long for her to hit her stride.
“Of course everybody wants to see the pretty picture and paint the pretty picture, but not every bit of it is pretty,” Jordan told Vikings.com of the site. “I think it’s important to be unfiltered, and that was kind of my goal with the whole thing.”
Although Jordan’s blog is, primarily, focused on the trials and tribulations of raising identical twin daughters, it’s also a window into her life and what it’s like to be part of the NFL word. In fact, one of her most recent posts documents the rollercoaster of emotions that was the ‘Minnesota Miracle’ against the Saints.
5. She & Kyle Regularly Work With the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital
#WPMOYChallenge #Rudolph @KyleRudolph82 is definitely the best candidate if you ask me. #biased #proudwife
After Kyle was drafted by the Vikings in 2011, it didn’t take long for him and Jordan to decide they wanted to give back to the community. The couple has worked with a handful of organizations over the last few years, but their biggest venture is partnering with the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.
Construction is already underway on “Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone,” which is slated to open later this winter, a therapeutic play center for young patients at the hospital. Jordan and Kyle also hold an annual Halloween Huddle at the hospital, a chance for patients and their families to celebrate the holiday. Jordan has also done some of her own work, calling on other Vikings wives and children when she heard the hospital had run out of its typical supply of blankets. She also hosted a spa day for patients and patient’s mothers, recounting the day on Vikings.com:
I’ll always remember, one little boy was losing his hair already and was very self-conscious about it, and he wanted to come down and get an actual haircut so it was all one length; and he wanted to save it to remember what his hair once was. I’d love to continue to get the wives involved and let them be a part of it, too, because it’s so rewarding.
Jordan added that becoming a mother herself has changed her outlook on working with the hospital, hoping that her experiences can help better someone else’s.