The subjects of this week's Ticketmaster Hot Matchup will not play in tonight's Hall of Fame Game, but they are the reason the Vikings and Steelers were invited to play in the game. A pair or legends, C Mick Tingelhoff for the Vikings and RB Jerome Bettis for the Steelers, were enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend as part of the Class of 2015.
Tingelhoff (1962-1978) and Bettis (1993-2005) played in different eras, but they had the same kind of impact on their teams – a profound one.
Tingelhoff played 17 seasons for the Vikings and in that time started 240 consecutive games; he also played in 19 postseason games, including four Super Bowls. Tingelhoff was named to seven consecutive All-Pro teams and six straight Pro Bowls at one time and he helped the Vikings win 10 division titles in his final 11 seasons.
Bettis played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and then for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A first-round pick in 1993, Bettis was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro who scored 91 career rushing touchdowns and finished with 13,662 yards. Nicknamed "The Bus", Bettis rode off into the sunset after helping the Steelers win Super Bowl XL in his native Detroit in what would be the final game of his career.
To purchase Vikings single-game tickets, visit the official NFL Ticket Exchange.
