Walter Hilgenberg was a professional American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player.

Hilgenberg was born in Marshalltown, Iowa

Marshalltown, Iowa

Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,552 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 26,009 population in the 2000 census. -History:...

 in 1942. His family moved to Wilton

Wilton, Iowa

Wilton is a city in Cedar and Muscatine Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,839 at the 2010 census. The Muscatine County portion of Wilton is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area....

 where he grew up and graduated from Wilton High School.
He attended the University of Iowa

University of Iowa

The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...

, where he starred on both sides of the line of scrimmage, as a linebacker and as a guard. He played 16 seasons in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

, with the Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

 and Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

.

In 1964, he was drafted in the fourth round by the Lions. In 1968, he was traded from the Lions to the Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

, but was waived before ever playing a game in Pittsburgh. After being waived by the Steelers, Hilgenberg was picked up off waivers by the Vikings, for whom he played until he retired after the 1979 season. During that time, he was one of 10 players to play in all four of the Vikings Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl IV

Super Bowl IV

Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...

, Super Bowl VIII

Super Bowl VIII

Super Bowl VIII was a professional American football game played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium. in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 1973 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Miami Dolphins defeated the National Football...

, Super Bowl IX

Super Bowl IX

Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1974 regular season. It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium...

, Super Bowl XI

Super Bowl XI

Super Bowl XI was a football game played on January 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1976 regular season...

).

Hilgenberg's daughter Kristi Hilgenberg was Miss Minnesota Teen USA

Miss Minnesota Teen USA

The Miss Minnesota Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Minnesota in the Miss Teen USA pageant. This pageant is directed by Future Productions....

 1998.

Hilgenberg died on September 23, 2008, after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...

 or Lou Gehrig's disease for several years.

See also

• Purple People Eaters
  Purple People Eaters
  Purple People Eaters is a term for the defensive line of the Minnesota Vikings from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. The term is a reference to a popular song from 1958, the superb efficiency of the defense, and the color of their uniforms...