Opponent, teammate pull for Tingelhoff’s HOF enshrinement

Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

We’re mere hours from learning who will make the cut for Hall of Fame enshrinement in 2015. At a minimum, this year’s senior candidate has plenty of support.

Shortly after learning in mid-2014 that Mick Tingelhoff had been by the Hall of Fame’s senior committee as its lone candidate, long-time Packers defensive end Willie Davis indicated that he was surprised.

But he did not mean that as a slight in any way against the 17-year Vikings great.

“I thought he was already in and couldn’t believe that he wasn’t.” Davis says.

Photo courtesy of Willie Davis

“I was thrilled to see he was designated as [the] senior finalist. … It’s another situation similar to my old teammate Jerry Kramer. In my opinion, both deserve their spots in the Hall of Fame. I remember Mick as a true competitor. I played against him for many years and he was just an outstanding center. You could always expect him to play tough and play well.”

Tingelhoff’s selection as the 2015 senior candidate has been met almost universally by readers of this site with excitement. If not readers’ first selection, most at least said he was among the strongest senior candidates in years. Teammates, coaches and opponents provided the Minnesota Vikings with quotes supporting his candidacy in a post on the team’s website.

And a couple former NFL greats in their own right said they agree that the Viking vet belongs immortalized in Canton, Ohio.

Ed White recalled his first season with the team in 1969. He had been drafted in the second round out of California where he played defensive tackle on one of the best college defenses of the era. The Vikings of the day already had Jim Marshall, Carl Eller, Alan Page and Gary Larsen anchoring their defensive line so White was moved to offense – a transition he went through reluctantly.

While there was a learning curve, White was thrust into the starting lineup at guard early in his career, replacing a

Photo courtesy of Ed White

teammate who missed four games with an appendectomy. He credited Tingelhoff’s quiet, calm nature for helping him feel accepted as a part of the line – and for giving him the confidence to compete right away against players like Dallas defensive lineman Bob Lilly.

“Offensive line is a lot about communication and talking and having confidence in the people around you,” White says. “It was quite an experience and I could never have done it without the people around me. It was a tough transition.”

That line had several stalwarts besides Tingelhoff. Grady Alderman and Hall of Famer Ron Yary anchored the tackle spots. White became a long-time starter and Milt Sunde also played several years.

“The fact we had such a veteran line and great leadership made it easy for me,” White adds.

But White says Tingelhoff was the leader of that line, a mainstay, someone he has remained friends with in their post-career days and someone who contributed greatly to his own success.

“He had a quietness – I think it was his Nebraska farm boy demeanor,” White says. “He was very quiet, a good man – he didn’t say much, but when he said something you listened.”