Wally Hilgenberg

Walter William “Wally” Hilgenberg (September 19, 1942 – September 23, 2008) was a professional American football player. A linebacker, he played sixteen seasons in the National Football League, four with the Detroit Lions and twelve with the Minnesota Vikings.

Born in Marshalltown, Iowa, Hilgenberg’s family moved to Wilton (then known as Wilton Junction) where he grew up and graduated from Wilton High School. He played college football in the Big Ten Conference at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where he starred on both sides of the line of scrimmage, as a linebacker and as a guard.

Hilgenberg was selected in the fourth round of the 1964 NFL Draft (48th overall) by the Lions. In 1968, he was traded from the Lions to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was waived before ever playing a game in Pittsburgh.