Dave Feit's Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 51

Dave Feit is counting down the days until the start of the 2025 season by naming the best Husker to wear each uniform number, as well as one of his personal favorites at that number. For more information about the series, click here. To see more entries, click here.

Greatest Husker to wear 51: Mick Tingelhoff, Center, 1958 - 1961

Honorable Mention: Richie Incognito, Bo Ruud, Dan Schmidt, Kerry Weinmaster

Also worn by: Matt Baldwin, Jim Branch, Jared Brugmann, Brandon Chapek, Will Compton, Justin Evans, Gabe Fries, Bill Humphrey, Cam Jurgens, Courtney Love, Verl Scott, Matt Vrzal

Dave's Fave: Will Compton, Linebacker, 2008 - 2012

At the start of this project, I said that a player's NFL success would not be the primary selection criteria. I want this countdown to be about what a player accomplished while wearing the scarlet and cream, not what he did after leaving Lincoln.

But Mick Tingelhoff is the exception to that rule. His résumé - and story - is just too strong to ignore.

He started 259 consecutive games for the Minnesota Vikings. That is still the longest streak for an offensive lineman and is tied for 12th longest in NFL history. Ironically, Tingelhoff did not become a starter at Nebraska until his senior season.

Tingelhoff grew up on the family farm outside Lexington, Nebraska. His German immigrant parents thought football was "a waste of time." They may have been right: as a high school sophomore, his Lexington High team went 0-9. His parents never attended one of his games - they were too busy on the farm.

But by his senior season, Tingelhoff and his Lexington teammates - including Monte Kiffin, a future Husker and NFL legend in his own right - went 9-0, winning a state title and allowing just one touchdown all season.

1957-58 was a year of change for the Tingelhoff family: They got electricity for the first time, and despite his parents' wishes that he would stay on the farm, Mick went to Lincoln on scholarship.

Mick Tingelhoff didn't have a stellar career at Nebraska. He lettered three years, backing up Don Fricke in his first two seasons. As a senior, he was named a team captain but did not earn all-conference honors as NU's starting center. The Bill Jennings-led teams he played on won a total of 10 games in his three varsity seasons.

The biggest highlight from his playing career was the Halloween 1959 game against Oklahoma. The Sooners had won 74 consecutive conference games. Nebraska had not beaten Oklahoma since 1942. The Memorial Stadium goal posts were torn down for the first time and paraded down to the Governor's Mansion. Classes were canceled the following Monday. Tinglehoff was pictured carrying coach Jennings off the field.

Tingelhoff received invites for the Senior Bowl and All-American Bowl but did not get selected in the 20 rounds of the 1962 NFL Draft. He signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings. That's where his career took off.

Mick Tingelhoff was an iron man on the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line. | Minnesota Vikings

He started for the Vikings as a rookie - the first of his 259 consecutive starts over 17 seasons. He played in four Super Bowls and six Pro Bowls, and he earned All-NFL honors seven times. His NFL number (53) was retired by the Vikings, who inducted him into their Ring of Honor. Two of his Husker teammates (Pat Fischer and Ron McDole) also had lengthy pro football careers. Fischer played 17 seasons and McDole had 18 between the NFL and AFL.

Mick Tingelhoff was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015, just the fourth Cornhusker to reach the pinnacle of professional football. (Will Shields, who was also inducted in 2015, is the fifth).

Not too shabby for a farm kid from Lexington.

***

Bo Pelini's hire in 2008 energized and united the fan base. Gone were the failed Bill Callahan regime and the defense that couldn't stop a light breeze. In was Pelini, one of the celebrated heroes of the 2003 revival who turned the Blackshirts into an aggressive, turnover creating force.

Pelini's tenure got off to a bit of a rough start. After wins over lightweights Western Michigan, San Jose State, and New Mexico State, the Huskers lost three straight. Trailing 28-24 against Virginia Tech, Nebraska needed a stop on third down. They got it, but Nebraska was flagged for a late hit. Pelini complained a little too enthusiastically, drawing another 15-yard penalty. The Hokies scored the clinching touchdown three plays later. Missouri blew out NU at home as a special defensive scheme backfired. Nebraska nearly upset No. 7 Texas Tech but lost in overtime. Fourth-ranked Oklahoma blew out Nebraska on national TV before the Huskers rebounded to finish with nine wins, beating Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers in the Gator Bowl.

We didn't know it, but these would be some of the major themes from the Bo Pelini era. Nine (or ten!) wins. Four losses - a mix of nationally televised blowouts, games that Nebraska had no business losing, and last-minute groin-kick defeats. Excellent players with NFL futures. A sideline eruption from the volatile Pelini. The yin of a strong defense paired with the yang of offenses hindered by turnovers and penalties.

For my money, the best years of the Pelini era were 2008-2010, when Nebraska was still in the Big 12 Conference. Bo's defense - coordinated by his brother Carl - worked well against the league's explosive offenses. The North Division (Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri) was not an impossible hill to climb. At the time, fans mostly found Pelini's passion to be a feature - not a bug.

And did I mention the players? Those early Pelini teams had some great talent, especially on defense.

Will Compton in action against Michigan in 2012. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Before Will Compton became one of Nebraska's most passionate online supporters, the better half of the "Bussin' With the Boys" podcast, and a pregame hype man, he was a standout linebacker in the Bo Pelini glory days.

His personality was apparent early on. I always looked forward to the pregame starting lineup videos during his playing days when Compton would introduce himself as "William Earl Compton the Third, linebacker from THE Bonne Terre, Missouri." I always appreciated the showmanship, hometown pride, and the subtle acknowledgment that he refused to take life too seriously.

Those traits have served him well in his successful post-football career. I'm not a big fan of the majority of Barstool's "bro-centric" content, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for Compton. "Bussin" is a good podcast, and Compton (along with co-host Taylor Lewan) do a nice job of mixing serious with silly.

Plus, the pregame hype videos Compton did before home games in the 2024 - part old-school wrestling promo, part Christian Peter pump-up video - are absolute gold. Compton is currently one of the most well-known and vocal supporters of the program.

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