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Tingelhoff family made last-minute call to have Fran Tarkenton speak

NFL Hall of Fame Induction

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One of the most emotional moments of Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony came when former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton broke down while presenting his friend and center Mick Tingelhoff.

At one point Tarkenton asked if Tingelhoff wanted to say thank you, but stayed at the microphone to deliver those words for him.

Tingelhoff suffers from memory loss, and his wife said the decision to let Tarkenton do the talking came late in the process.

It was a last-minute decision,” Phyllis Tingelhoff said, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “We thought it would be fine for Fran just to kind of take the ball. We kind of made the decision just to take the pressure off Mick. It was easier for him to not say anything.”

Phyllis Tingelhoff said Tarkenton came up with the idea to speak for his best friend, and the family agreed to take pressure off the 75-year-old former center.

“Fran said, ‘Why don’t I get up there and I’ll thank everybody and Mick can just say thank you,’ ” she said. “All we’re going to say is he has short-term memory loss, which is what he has. It was emotional [Saturday] and that’s what it should be. It’s an emotional event. . . . We’re doing good.

“I think everybody’s really emotional this weekend, and it’s a good thing. [Tingelhoff is] extremely excited. It’s just a tremendous honor and he’s very happy he received it.”

Tingelhoff spoke briefly before Sunday’s Vikings-Steelers game, saying: “The weekend went great. Everything about it. It was fun.”

It was also moving for those who saw him inducted, ending a 37-year wait.