Mike Tilleman

Mike Tilleman

Date of birth:	March 30, 1944 (1944-03-30) (age 67)
Place of birth:	Chinook, Montana
Career information
Status:	retired
Position(s):	Defensive tackle
Height:	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:	272 lb (123 kg)
College:	Montana
High school:	Chinook High School
NFL Draft:	1965 / Round: 12 / Pick: 163
Drafted by:	Minnesota Vikings
Organizations
As player:
1966 1967–1970 1971–1972 1973–1976	Minnesota Vikings New Orleans Saints Houston Oilers Atlanta Falcons
Career highlights and awards
Honors:	2nd Team All-Big Sky Conference (1963 & 1964)[1] #26 on the Sports Illustrated list of the 50 Greatest Montana Sports Figures
Career stats
Games Played	149
Games Started	14
Fumbles Recovered	5
Playing stats at NFL.com

Michael John Tilleman (born March 30, 1944 in Chinook, Montana) is a former American football player. He played defensive tackle in the NFL for 11 seasons (1966-1976).

Biography

Early life

Tilleman was born and raised on a ranch near Zurich, Montana by Henry and Irma Tilleman (née D'Hooge). He was a prep star at Chinook High School and attended the University of Montana on scholarship.

Playing career

Tilleman played for the Grizzlies from 1963 to 1964, where he was a second team All-Big Sky Conference selection in both seasons. After graduating from UM, he bypassed his senior season to sign with the Minnesota Vikings who had selected him with the 163rd pick of the 1965 NFL Draft. He was drafted in earlier rounds by the Kansas City Chiefs but opted for the Vikings because the NFL was a stronger league than the AFL.

He played for four different NFL teams during his pro career: two years for the Minnesota Vikings, he was drafted in the expansion draft by the New Orleans Saints and hence an original Saint, two years for the Houston Oilers bought out his option with the Oilers and was traded for a first round draft choice by the Atlanta Falcons to get him to Atlanta. He finished his pro career in Atlanta. An offensive lineman once commented that he would rather catch javelins for an hour than to take head slaps from Mike Tilleman.

Personal life

Mike and his wife Gloria live in Havre, Montana where they run Tilleman Motor Company, a local General Motors dealership. They have three grown children—Craig, Suzanne and Christopher. Mike Tilleman hosts a celebrity Pheasant hunt - Legends for Lights ( www.legendsforlights.com ) where past NFL legends come to Havre, MT every Fall and all money raised is donate to the Northern Lights Athletic Foundation for the MSU-Northern athletic program providing scholarships and paying for one full time coaching position.^[2]

External links

• College Football Data Warehouse - Montana Grizzlies results 1960-1964
• Pro-Football-Reference.com - career NFL stats

References

1. ^ 2008 Big Sky Conference Football Media Guide, Big Sky Conference, 2008 (accessed online 2009-01-30)
2. ^ "Alumni Notes". The Montanan (online) (Missoula, MT: University of Montana). 2005. http://www.umt.edu/montanan/s06/anotes.shtml. Retrieved August 27, 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Tilleman, Mike
Alternative names
Short description	American football Defensive tackle
Date of birth	March 30, 1944
Place of birth	Chinook, Montana, United States
Date of death
Place of death