Former Vikings offensive tackle Steve Riley died Thursday, the team announced. He was 68.
Riley died the day after the funeral service for Mick Tingelhoff, his teammate for five seasons. Tingelhoff died Sept. 11.
Riley, the 25th overall choice in 1974, played all 11 seasons of his NFL career with the Vikings.
Riley appeared in 138 games, including 128 starts. His games played ranks fourth-most in Vikings history among tackles behind Ron Yary (199), Grady Alderman (194) and Tim Irwin (188).
Riley helped the Vikings reach the playoffs seven times.
In 1976, Riley took over the starting left tackle spot, where he remained a fixture throughout the rest of his career. He started in Super Bowl XI to cap that season and helped Minnesota advance to the 1977 NFC Championship Game.
“When you’re on a line with Ed White, Mick Tingelhoff and Ron Yary, it’s easy to be overlooked, but he was a valuable part of our success,” former Vikings tight end Stu Voigt told Vikings.com. “Linemen are the strong, silent type, and that was Steve. He was quiet and unassuming, but a great teammate and a great guy to be around. He’s going to be missed.”
Riley’s Vikings teammates nominated him as the team’s first recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award in 1984, an honor extended to one player on each team every season since.
