Steve Riley, who was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings and starred for the team as an offensive lineman over an 11-year NFL career, died Thursday, the team announced Friday. He was 68 years old.
Riley died within a week of his former Vikings linemate, Hall of Famer Mick Tingelhoff, whom the Vikings announced died at the age of 81 Saturday.
An All-American at the University of Southern California, Riley later played in 138 NFL games, starting 128. The Vikings made the playoffs seven of his 11 seasons, and he played in Super Bowl XI.
He ranks fourth all-time in Vikings history in games played among offensive tackles.
“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 said, according to 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.”
–Field Level Media