Former Nebraska players Mick Tingelhoff (left) and Will Shields wave to the crowd after being recognized for their induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during a break at Memorial Stadium in 2015.
Former Husker and Hall of Fame center Mick Tingelhoff, the ultimate ironman who started 240 consecutive games at a bruising position for the Minnesota Vikings and played in four Super Bowls, died. He was 81.
Undrafted in 1962, Tingelhoff played 17 years for the Vikings and was never sidelined once. His games started streak is the third longest in NFL history, behind only Brett Favre (297) and Jim Marshall (270). Philip Rivers tied Tingelhoff last season before retiring.
“Mick was one of those guys who, when they made him, the mold was thrown away,” his former teammate, Chuck Foreman, said in an interview on Saturday after the Vikings and the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Tingelhoff’s death.
No cause was given. Tingelhoff’s cognition had been in decline, the toll of playing a punishing position for so long during an era when safety measures were scant. He was in the first wave of former players who joined the concussion lawsuit filed against the league a decade ago, alleging they were misled about the long-term effects of head injuries. The 2013 settlement will cost the NFL an estimated $1 billion over a 65-year period.
Tingelhoff was a co-captain for Bill Jennings’ Huskers in 1961. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Tingelhoff grew up on a farm in Lexington and played for the home state team, before latching on with the Vikings and making the switch from linebacker during the preseason of his rookie year. He became the anchor of an imposing offensive line that helped them win 10 division titles in an 11-season span from 1968-78. He was a five-time All-Pro selection, despite his undersized listing of 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login