No. 63, 62 | |||||||
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Position: | Center | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. | March 21, 1959||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Iowa City [1] | ||||||
College: | Iowa | ||||||
Undrafted: | 1981 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Jay Walter Hilgenberg (born March 21, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints from 1981 to 1993.
He is the son of All-American University of Iowa center Jerry Hilgenberg and nephew of Minnesota Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg. [2] His brother Joel Hilgenberg played center for the New Orleans Saints, and the brothers were teammates in 1993 for the Saints.
Hilgenberg attended the University of Iowa in the late 1970s. [3] He started in the NFL's Pro Bowl seven times. He was a member of the winning team in Super Bowl XX as a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears as well as their Division Champion teams from 1984 to 1988 and 1990. [4]
He has been a nominee for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [5] [6] [7] Hilgenberg is currently a game analyst for WBBM-AM Radio in Chicago and the Bears Radio Network.
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships, eight prior to the AFL–NFL merger and one Super Bowl. They also hold the NFL records for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears' NFL championships and overall victories are second behind the Green Bay Packers, with whom they have a long-standing rivalry.
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South Division. Since 1975, the team plays its home games at Caesars Superdome after using Tulane Stadium during its first eight seasons. Founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966, the Saints joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1967.
Super Bowl XX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1985 season. The Bears defeated the Patriots by the score of 46–10, capturing their first NFL championship since 1963, three years prior to the birth of the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XX was played on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
Michael Keller Ditka is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator. During his playing career, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year in 1961, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a six-time All-Pro tight end with the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL); he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Ditka was the first tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards receiving.
Kurtis Eugene Warner is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend from an undrafted free agent to a two-time Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Cinderella stories in NFL history.
Morten Andersen, nicknamed "the Great Dane", is a Danish-born former football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons, most notably with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Following a career from 1982 to 2007, Andersen holds the NFL record for regular season games played at 382. He also ranks second in field goals (565) and points scored (2,544). In addition to his league accomplishments, he is the Saints all-time leading scorer at 1,318 points. Andersen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. Along with Jan Stenerud, he is one of only two exclusive kickers to receive the honor.
Brian Urlacher is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, where he received consensus All-American honors as a senior, and was selected ninth overall by the Bears in the 2000 NFL draft.
Douglas Leon Atkins was an American football defensive end who played for the Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Bears, and the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers under head coach Robert Neyland. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Atkins was also drafted to the NBA in the 17th round by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1953 NBA draft.
James Paul "Jimbo" Covert is an American former football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft.
Rickey Anderson Jackson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints (1981–1993) and the San Francisco 49ers (1994–1995). He led the team's Dome Patrol linebacker corps while playing with the Saints. In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX one year before retiring. On February 7, 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Roberto Garza is a former American football center. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL draft, and in 2005, joined the Chicago Bears, spending ten seasons with the team. Despite being an offensive lineman, a position not typically glorified in American football, Garza was a fan favorite among Hispanic Americans across the United States.
Russell Scott Grimm is an American former professional football player who was a guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He has also served as an assistant coach for the Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans. As a professional, Grimm had multiple selections to both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Grimm played 11 seasons for the Redskins and was a first-team selection to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.
Michael Lee Lewis is an American former professional football player who is the team ambassador of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and return specialist, earning first-team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection as a returner in 2002.
William Patrick Polian Jr. is an American football executive. He rose to league prominence as the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills, building a team that participated in four straight Super Bowls—the most consecutive appearances by any team—but lost each time. Following his stint in Buffalo, Polian went on to become the general manager of the expansion Carolina Panthers. He then served as general manager and team president of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 1998 to 2011, where they reached two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLI. He subsequently served as an NFL analyst for ESPN. Polian was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Polian co-founded the now-defunct Alliance of American Football in 2018.
John Rally Gilliam is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He has owned a number of businesses, and for two years he worked for a radio station in Atlanta. He has made his home in Atlanta since 1968. His wife Fannie is an attorney, and they have four children.
Walter William Hilgenberg was a professional American football linebacker, he played 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), four with the Detroit Lions and 12 with the Minnesota Vikings.
Joel C. Hilgenberg is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL).
David A. Whitsell was an American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears, and the New Orleans Saints. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1967 season. Whitsell played college football at Indiana University. Dave was married to Jacque Whitsell. They had four children daughters Amy and Lisa, sons Mike and Dave.
Derek Craig Kennard is an American former professional football player who was a guard and center in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Los Angeles Express in the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack.
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