Former U lineman Enderle dies at 60

He played when the Gophers last won the Big Ten title, in 1967, was All-Big Ten in 1968 and spent eight seasons in the NFL.

By DENNIS BRACKIN, Star Tribune

Last update: September 5, 2008 - 8:28 PM

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Dick Enderle, a cornerstone of the Gophers' last Big Ten championship football team in 1967 and longtime NFL player, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Thursday at the age of 60.

Enderle, born in Breckenridge, Minn., was a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior at Minnesota in 1968 and played eight NFL seasons with Atlanta, the New York Giants, Green Bay and San Francisco.

Enderle's death stunned former Gophers teammates, who remembered his quiet off-field personality as much as his success on the playing field.

"He was a gentle giant,'' said McKinley Boston, a defensive tackle on the '67 team who is currently the athletic director at New Mexico State. "He was very much of an introvert -- not the overly aggressive personality you'd expect from such a hard-nosed football player. Just a really pleasant, soft personality.''

Enderle was an offensive guard, playing alongside future NFL stars John Williams and Charlie Sanders on the right side of the Gophers' 1967 line. Murray Warmath, coach of the '67 team, said several years ago that those three comprised one of the most powerful right sides of a line in Gophers history.

"[Enderle] was an outstanding player, which is reflected by his professional career,'' said Bob Stein, a defensive end on the '67 team. "A really good guy ... a small-town guy who came to the university with real traditional values.''

The '67 team finished 8-2, and 15 players from that team received at least NFL tryouts. Nine players on the team -- Enderle, Boston, Stein, Williams, Sanders, Hubie Bryant, Jim Carter, Noel Jenke and Ezell Jones -- played in the NFL.

"That's why we won -- we had some talent,'' Boston said. "And Dick was very much a part of that. Just a great guy.''

Enderle was found unconscious on the floor of his apartment next to an exercise machine. Emergency medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene, and police said no foul play was suspected.

Enderle, a graduate of Elbow Lake-Wendell High School, worked as a carpenter after leaving the NFL.

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