Farewell to an old foe: Wally Hilgenberg

Wally Hilgenberg, a tough, chippy linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings from 1968 to 1979, died Tuesday at his home in Lakeville, Minn. He was 66 and had been battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

He went to four Super Bowls with the Vikings, but never won a ring. Hilgenberg talked about that in "Black and Blue: A Smash-Mouth History of the NFL's Roughest Division," a book about the old NFC Central Division written by former Press-Gazette sports editor Bob Berghaus.

"When people are looking back and say the Vikings were there four times and lost four times do I regret it? Certainly," he said. "Would I have liked to have won one? Absolutely."

"On the other hand I’d like to think my perspective is I loved the game. I loved to play the game and it was a game. I remember walking out of the locker room after the Kansas City loss and my wife was crying. I asked ‘What are you crying about’ and she said ‘We lost the game’ and I said ‘Hey, if that’s the worst thing that ever happens to us in life we’ll be pretty grateful.’

"That’s always been my perspective. I loved the game. I don’t think anybody prepared any harder or played any harder than I did and I was very grateful for what I accomplished, for the talent I had. But as I look back on it, it was a great experience. My whole career was fun."

Hilgenberg, who was the Vikings' starting right-side linebacker for 12 seasons, played a memorable role in a 3-0 win over the Packers at old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minn., on Nov. 14, 1971.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, he teamed up with defensive linemen Alan Page and Jim Marshall to stuff Packers running back Donny Anderson twice with 2 feet to go for a first down and just 1½ yards to go for a touchdown.

Hilgenberg starred at Iowa and started his NFL career with Detroit, spending three seasons with the Lions. The Vikings acquired Hilgenberg after he was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp in 1968.

After retiring from football, he went into banking and real estate with former teammate Stu Voigt, a tight end who starred at Wisconsin.

Hilgenberg is survived by his wife, four children and 14 grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending.

Photo: Packers guard Bill Lueck (62) blocks Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg (58) to clear the way for running back MacArthur Lane during Green Bay's 32-17 loss to Minnesota in the season opener at Lambeau Field on Sept. 15, 1974. Press-Gazette archives