Wally Hilgenberg has Lou Gehrig’s disease

http://nc.startribune.com/blogs/vikings/
Wally Hilgenberg has Lou Gehrig’s disease

Search Ministries will hold a tribute this week for former Vikings LB Wally Hilgenberg, who has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – a terminal illness more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Hilgenberg is scheduled to speak at the event, set for Thursday morning at the Sheraton Bloomington hotel.

Hilgenberg has declined interview requests to this point. He was with the Vikings for 12 seasons, from 1968-79.

A link to Search Ministries, which is organizing Thursday’s event, can be found here.

Another former Vikings player, S Orlando Thomas, is in an advanced stage of ALS. Here is a link to Thomas’ story, which ran last summer in the Star Tribune: http://sci.tech-archive.net/Archive/sci.math.num-analysis/2007-06/msg00074.html.

Damn, that's too bad.
I always like Wally and still do.

My prayers are with him and his family.

I posted this a while back, but for sure worth another mention. He was a damn good player (and underrated) and is a great guy. Too bad he has to go through this...

I posted this knowing that there were darn few here who had ever heard of him, but he was (and is) a "class" guy!

He was part of some great Vikings teams....lots of memories for me. I do not live in Minnesota so I do not know if Wally lives there or not?? I have heard that he did a lot for the community/area while a Vikings player. That says a lot...especially in times like these.

Prayers and hopes Wally.

Cheers!

I wasn't alive when he played, but I wish he and his family the best.
One of my employee's mother's just passed away from the disease.
He is only 17 and I feel awful bad for the kid.

Thoughts and Prayers go out to Wally Hilgenberg and his family and friends. Fight like a Champion #58.

Good luck Wally, he is a class act for sure.
I met him as a young chap at a local BB event.

I remember #58 well...and wish him and his family the best as they struggle with this terrible disease.

Wow..

This is so sad. I've had the oppurtunity to have dinner with Wally through the Southern California Viking Club and he is without a doubt a class act. This sucks....