Jerry Hilgenberg is a name well-known to longtime Iowa Hawkeyes fans, but his distinguished career began 75 years ago in Wilton.
Beavers football fans had the opportunity to be in the presence of a living legend when the school honored one of its most accomplished alumni Friday night before the game against West Branch. The celebration was partially in honor of the 70th anniversary of Hilgenberg being named a first-team All-American.
Hilgenberg, who now lives at the Wilton Retirement Community, was announced, along with his three sons, Jay, Joel and Jim. Jerry also did the ceremonial coin toss to start the game, surrounded by the captains of the Wilton and West Branch football teams.
Jerry Hilgenberg was born in 1931 in Coon Rapids, the son of Walter “Curly” and LaVonne Hilgenberg, and the family moved to Wilton when he was a child. His mother ran the hot lunch program for the Wilton Community School District for many years. His father, who played football and baseball as a young man, served as a member of the school board. Jerry’s parents and sister, Donna, are all buried in Wilton’s Oakdale Cemetery.
When Jerry was a teenager, the high school, then still known as Wilton Junction High School, did not have a football program until he was a senior. His father helped lead the effort to bring a football team together. Jerry played a single season in the fall of 1948 as a running back. The head coach was Archie Frye.
Hilgenberg moved on to the University of Iowa, where he also played baseball. He was a walk-on to the 1950 Hawkeyes football squad, then coached by Leonard Raffensperger. Hilgenberg came in as a quarterback, but was quickly moved to center and linebacker.
He was a three-season starter, from 1951-1953. Forest Evashevski became head coach in 1952, and in Hilgenberg’s senior season, the Hawkeyes finished in the top ten in the college football rankings for the first time since 1939 – the legendary Ironmen team that was coached by Eddie Anderson and led by halfback Nile Kinnick.
Hilgenberg played a vital role in the Hawkeye’s success in 1953, and he was named first-team all-Big 10 and first-team All-American, and played in the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl. A banquet was also held in his honor at Wilton High School following his senior year at Iowa. The football coaches and many Wilton residents attended.
He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the NFL draft in 1954. However, he was also drafted by the U.S. Air Force, and his military service ended his professional football career.
Hilgenberg returned to the University of Iowa after his Air Force service, and was hired as an assistant coach from 1956-1963, working under Evashevski and Jerry Burns. During that time, the Hawkeyes won three Big 10 conference titles and two Rose Bowls.
In 1989, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the University of Iowa football program, fans selected an all-time Hawkeyes football team. Hilgenberg was selected as an offensive lineman. He was also inducted into the Iowa High School Football Players Hall of Fame, and in 1995, he was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame.
Hilgenberg legacy
But Jerry Hilgenberg also created a legacy that went beyond his own football career.
While serving as an assistant coach at Iowa, Jerry had the opportunity to coach his younger brother, Wally, who also graduated from Wilton High School. Wally was a co-captain of the Hawkeyes his senior year, and was named first-team all-Big Ten and third-team All-American in 1963.
Wally played linebacker and guard for the Hawkeyes, and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 1964 NFL draft. He played linebacker for the Lions for four seasons, before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1968. While he was eventually waived by the Steelers, he was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings, where he played for another 12 seasons, and had the opportunity to play against players such as Gale Sayers and Walter Payton. Hilgenberg was one of 11 players to appear in all four of the Vikings’ Super Bowl appearances.
During the celebrations for Super Bowl L, every high school in the country that had an alumni play in in a Super Bowl received a gold football. Wally’s gold football is now on display at Wilton High School. He was also named honorable mention to the all-time Hawkeyes team, and was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame eight years after his brother.
His son, Eric, and grandson, Luke Lindahl, also played for the Hawkeyes.
Despite an 11-year age difference between the brothers, Wally said he always looked up to his big brother. When Jerry was co-captain of the baseball team his senior year at Iowa, he ordered a letter jacket in the smallest size available and gave it to Wally.
“I got to wear that letter jacket with the big ‘I’ on it,” Wally told the Des Moines Register when he was inducted into the Register’s Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. “That was pretty big stuff in Wilton, Iowa.”
Wally Hilgenberg died in 2008 from complications of Lou Gehrig’s disease. After his death, his family donated his brain to medical science, and he was also found to have advanced chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.
Hilgenberg sons
Jerry and his wife JoAnn had four children, Jim, Jay, Joel and Jane, and raised their family in Iowa City. His sons all played football at Iowa, and two played in the NFL.
Jim played football at Iowa from 1973-1977 and was a co-captain of the team his senior year.
Jay played at Iowa from 1977-1980, entered the NFL and played for the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints in a career that spanned from 1981-1993, and he started 152 games at center. He was a member of the Bears team that won Super Bowl XX in 1985 and played in seven Pro Bowls. He was also named to the list of the 100 Greatest Chicago Bears Players and has been a nominee for the NFL Hall of Fame. Jay currently works as a game analyst for WBBM-AM Radio in Chicago and the Bears Radio Network.
Joel played at Iowa from 1980-1983, was drafted in the fourth round of the 1984 draft, and played center for the New Orleans Saints from 1984-1993, starting 97 games. He played in the 1992 Pro Bowl, and was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. He also served on the coaching staff of the Green Bay Packers from 2011-2013.
The brothers played on the Saints together in 1993 and have both been inducted into the University of Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 2022, the Hilgenberg family donated funds to help purchase an electronic records board in the Townsend Commons at Wilton High School. The board displays students’ athletic records, yearbooks, and other achievements. The National Honor Society chapter at Wilton High School is also named for Jerry.
“We wanted to honor him and his family since he moved back to Wilton,” said superintendent Joe Burnett. “The Hilgenberg family has had a tremendously positive impact in the community and helped put Wilton Junction on the map. They are a class act and a family to be admired and appreciated. It was a treat to be able to recognize Jerry and his family.”