Will Shields played 14 seasons with the Chiefs.
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Mick Tingelhoff played so long ago that a lot of present day fans can be excused for not knowing who he was. With Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Maurkice Pouncey all slotted to not play in the game, you have to wonder how many, if any, points Landry Jones and the Steelers’ backup offense will be able to orchestrate.
Hall of Fame safety Paul Krause said it was great to be on-hand and see Tingelhoff receive well-deserved honor.
“All we’re going to say is he has short-term memory loss, which is what he has”, she said.
Tarkenton choked up when he said Tingelhoff “waited 37 years”, before adding, “but Mick’s in the Hall of Fame”.
Finally, in January, he was in. Those who know him, though, talk first about his humility. “He’s a real good friend”. Grant came from Minnesota with Jerry Burns, Tingelhoff’s offensive coordinator and later a Vikings head coach.
The speech was less than 100 words, but it was fitting, much like the signature Gold Jacket Tingelhoff received Thursday for a man whose actions and accomplishments spoke loudly. The Vikings saw enough potential to pick him up as an undrafted prospect, and he took care of the rest.
Newman said it was a great learning experience the first time and one that he looks forward to enjoying again. He played on the same line with fellow Hall of Fame tackle Ron Yary. Tingelhoff played from 1962-1978, and is widely regarded as the best center in his era. We kind of made the decision just to take the pressure off Mick. “He was a captain the whole time I coached him, and guys looked at him as an example of how to do things”. He was an All-Pro five times between 1964 and ’69, missing in 1967. Tingelhoff never missed a match since his 17-year career, starting with 240 consecutive games. Tingelhoff has been feeling the toll on his body from that repeated banging against defensive linemen and linebackers. With the addition of Boykin, it becomes increasingly apparent that the Steelers are attempting to upgrade the defensive backfield of the team and the former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback might just be the player needed to bolster that side.
Tingelhoff was one of 11 players to play in all four of the Vikings Super Bowl appearances during the 1970s and while he was never able to lift the Lombardi Trophy, the Nebraska native’s on-field dominance was unquestionable. Grant was inducted in 1994. He was first eligible for the Hall in 1984, but was passed over for more than three decades before being elected this year as a Seniors Committee nominee. But every now and then someone would pretend to be Tingelhoff when they snapped the ball, and knocked down the pretend Page coming after their quarterback.
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That Mick chose not to speak is unfortunate, but the reality of the toll that a long career in the NFL can have on a player was accented.
