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Hall of Fame center Mick Tingelhoff, who started in 240 consecutive games in his 17 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and played in four Super Bowls, died Saturday at an assisted living facility in Lakeville, Minn. He was 81 years old.
His wife, Phyllis, said it was because of Parkinson’s disease with dementia.
Tingelhoff, who played three seasons as a centerback and centerback at the University of Nebraska, was not selected in the NFL’s 1962 draft. But the Vikings signed him up, envisioning him as a linebacker.
They had him center in their second game before the season and he became an anchor of the offensive lines. He was named to the Pro Bowl six seasons in a row and was named five-time All-Pro first-team All-Pro in the 1960s. Listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 237 pounds, he was fast on his feet and tough enough to thwart burly defenders.
When Tingelhoff retired after the 1978 season, he finished 2nd in NFL history with a straight start on the defensive end, behind teammate Jim Marshall’s 270 straight starts on the defensive end. The current record is held by quarterback Brett Favre, who played 297 games in a row. Tingelhoff and quarterback Philip Rivers, who retired after the 2020 season, share 3rd place.
“Mick and Jim were our two leaders,” Bud Grant, who coached the Vikings of Tingelhoff’s time, told The Star Tribune of Minneapolis in 2015 when Tingelhoff was selected for Salon in the veteran category for long-retired players. .
“It’s hard for me to talk about Mick without Marshall and Marshall without Mick. Mick was an introvert. Jim was an extrovert. They were different personalities, but they were really respected and our best players. If I say ‘Jump’, they’ll be the first to jump and everyone else will have to jump with them.”
Tingelhoff played on an offensive line that helped the Vikings claim 10 divisions titles from 1968 to 1978. He provided pass protection to speeding quarterback Fran Tarkenton and punched holes to run back Chuck Foreman, who had three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. (1975-1977). He took the opponents’ center backs, notably Joe Schmidt of the Detroit Lions, Ray Nitschke of the Green Bay Packers and Dick Butkus of the Chicago Bears.
He played on teams that lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the January 1970 Super Bowl, the Miami Dolphins in 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1975, and the Oakland Raiders in 1977.
Tarkenton, a Hall of Fame member, spoke on behalf of Tingelhoff in her 2015 Hall of Fame assignment in light of her cognitive issues. “Mick is a man who speaks little but acts a lot,” said Tarkenton, who burst into tears and burst into tears. Many former teammates of Tingelhoff, his wife and other family members and friends attended the emotional ceremony.
While it’s not clear why Tingelhoff had to endure a long wait to get into the Hall in Canton, Ohio, the central location is not a glamorous place and has never won a Super Bowl championship ring.
Henry Michael Tingelhoff was born on May 22, 1940, in Lexington, Neb., the youngest of six children to Henry and Clara (Ortmeier) Tingelhoff. He grew up on a family farm and played centerback and centerback at Lexington High, but his family never attended his games.
“My dad thought football was a waste of time,” Tingelhoff said in 2015. “They weren’t too happy about my scholarship in Nebraska. They wanted me to stay on the farm.”
He is survived by sons Michael and Patrick, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, in addition to his wife, Phyllis (Kent) Tingelhoff.
After quitting professional football, Tingelhoff worked in commercial real estate.
Bud Grant called him “one of the greatest Vikings of all time”.
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