Joel C. Hilgenberg (born July 10, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL).

Joel Hilgenberg
No. 61
Position:Center
Personal information
Born: (1962-07-10) July 10, 1962 (age 62)
Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Iowa City (Iowa)
College:Iowa
NFL draft:1984 / round: 4 / pick: 94
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:142
Games started:97
Fumble recoveries:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Hilgenberg was born in Iowa City, Iowa and played scholastically at Iowa City High School.[1] He played collegiately at Iowa, where he was a two-time All-Big 10 selection, and a second-team All-American as a senior.[2][3][4][5]

Hilgenberg was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL draft.[6] He spent ten years with the Saints, earning Pro Bowl honors in 1992.[1][2] Hilgenberg was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2006, and was selected as one of the greatest 50 players in franchise history in 2016.[7]

He is the son of player and coach Jerry Hilgenberg, brother of former center Jay Hilgenberg, and the nephew of Minnesota Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg; the brothers were teammates on the Saints in 1993.[8][9]

Hilgenberg was offensive quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers in 2011, and assistant offensive line coach for 2012–13. He resigned his coaching position in April 2014.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Joel Hilgenberg Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Joel Hilgenberg Stats". NFL.com. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  3. ^ Joe Mooshil (November 30, 1982). "Carter, Bostic, Lukens Top All-Big Ten Football Team". The Blade, Toledo, Ohio (AP story). p. 26.
  4. ^ "Hawkeyes represented well on AP all-Big 10 football teams". The Daily Reporter. December 1, 1983. p. 6.
  5. ^ "The 1983 NEA All-America team". The Republic (Columbus, Ind.). November 30, 1983. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ "1984 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "Joel Hilgenberg, New Orleans Saints, No. 43 of 50 greatest players". Shreveport Times. July 31, 2016. p. B8. Retrieved May 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  
  8. ^ (1 September 1993). For Saints, two Hilgenbergs better than one, Daily Reporter (AP)
  9. ^ (6 October 1991). Saints flying higher, Romes News Tribune (AP)
  10. ^ (25 April 2014). Joel Hilgenberg to resign Archived March 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Packers.com