Hall of Famer Mick Tingelhoff doesn’t speak, teammate provides great moment
Mick Tingelhoff didn’t give a speech when he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
The longtime Minnesota Vikings center is having health problems including memory issues, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Tomasson said Tingelhoff planned a “short and sweet” speech, but had a change of heart when he got to the podium with presenter Fran Tarkenton.
Tarkenton then provided a touching moment for his former teammate.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league todayl]
Tarkenton asked Tingelhoff if he wanted to thank anyone, and Tingelhoff declined. Tarkenton started to speak for him.
“Mick is a man of little words, but a lot of action. He’s so proud to be in this class of 2015. He waited 37 years to get to the Hall of Fame,” Tarkenton said.
Then Tarkenton stopped because he was overwhelmed by emotion, with Tingelhoff at his side. As the tears started flowing, fans rose and gave a standing ovation. It was a great moment that epitomized what it means to be a teammate and a friend.
Tingelhoff didn’t give a speech on Saturday night, but his enshrinement still provided one of the best and most touching moments of the night.
– – – – – – –
Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab