On the homepage
Thanksgiving
Out There
Reusse's Turkey
Nightlife
Continued: Former U lineman Enderle dies at 60
Print this story
E-mail this story
Save to del.icio.us
Share on Facebook
Share on Digg
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.
Previous pageRecent www.startribune.com stories
- Voters saw flight risk, so comeuppance was expedited
- NE Minneapolis home invasion leads police to pot-growing operation
- Sid Hartman: Favre's play boosts Vikes' stadium plans
- State trooper escapes injury when squad is hit by drunken driver
- Couple slips though security to crash state dinner
- Ponzi scheme suspect liked cars -- and his submarine
- Favre keeps playing, records keep falling
- SUV crashes avoiding deer; Edina woman badly hurt
- At issue: Two women, money and Hecker
- Miracle Boy has a miracle surgery
  Free Jobs E-mail NewsletterResources to help further your career. Sign up now. Find Your Next HomeSearch realtor represented & for sale by owner homes in the Twin Cities. Plus, find open house listings. |
Featured comment
Regards to Dick
I played rugby with Dick at the U of M and later with the Mpls Rugby Club in the '70's. When I didn't see him at the U of M Rugby Club … read more Alumni Reunion last year, I called him on my cell phone and passed the phone around. He was a gentle giant off the field. And would always have a great comment on a situation that would usually leave us laughing. Rest well Dick.
Close comment