Jay Hilgenberg
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 9:55 am
The most common way supporters describe Jay Hlgenberg's career is to say he played in the Pro Bowl seven years in a row (after the 1985-91 seasons). That's true, but I think it understates his impact.
At that time there were two major organizations that chose annual all-conference teams by polling sportswriters: UPI and Pro Football Weekly. And during Hilgenberg's run, each of these groups picked him as the all-NFL center every single year. One other major all-conference team was picked in those days: the starting team for the Pro Bowl, which I believe was voted on by the players themselves. And once again, Hilgenberg won the NFC's starting spot all seven years.
One other reputable organization was picking all-conference teams back then: Football News. I'm not familiar with the magazine, but I suspect that its teams were chosen by the members of the staff -- a much smaller pool than the voters who picked the other three teams. So I take this team less seriously than the other three, but it's still worth noting that the folks at Football News were not as enthusiastic about Hilgenberg. They picked him only two or three times in that seven-year stretch. Still, even if you consider Football News equal with the other three, Hilgenberg was the very clear consensus all-NFL choice for that whole span.
He didn't just get all-conference support, either. In 1988 and 1989 he was named to just about every all-NFL team, and he got occasional all-NFL selection in other seasons too.
In those days there were, what, 14 teams in the NFC? And for a stretch of seven years Hilgenberg was consistently regarded as the best center in the bunch. What about his team? Of course, the Bears won the championship in 1985, and they won at least 11 games in all but one of the other seasons. They were certainly one of the better publicized teams in the NFL. But somehow, despite all that exposure and all the honors, Hilgenberg still isn't in the Hall of Fame more than 30 years after he retired. I can't figure it out.
Jay Hilgenberg was no favorite player of mine. He played 1,000 miles from where I live, and anyway whose favorite player is a center? But it seems to me that he has a slam dunk case for the Hall of Fame, and I think it's time somebody pointed that out.
At that time there were two major organizations that chose annual all-conference teams by polling sportswriters: UPI and Pro Football Weekly. And during Hilgenberg's run, each of these groups picked him as the all-NFL center every single year. One other major all-conference team was picked in those days: the starting team for the Pro Bowl, which I believe was voted on by the players themselves. And once again, Hilgenberg won the NFC's starting spot all seven years.
One other reputable organization was picking all-conference teams back then: Football News. I'm not familiar with the magazine, but I suspect that its teams were chosen by the members of the staff -- a much smaller pool than the voters who picked the other three teams. So I take this team less seriously than the other three, but it's still worth noting that the folks at Football News were not as enthusiastic about Hilgenberg. They picked him only two or three times in that seven-year stretch. Still, even if you consider Football News equal with the other three, Hilgenberg was the very clear consensus all-NFL choice for that whole span.
He didn't just get all-conference support, either. In 1988 and 1989 he was named to just about every all-NFL team, and he got occasional all-NFL selection in other seasons too.
In those days there were, what, 14 teams in the NFC? And for a stretch of seven years Hilgenberg was consistently regarded as the best center in the bunch. What about his team? Of course, the Bears won the championship in 1985, and they won at least 11 games in all but one of the other seasons. They were certainly one of the better publicized teams in the NFL. But somehow, despite all that exposure and all the honors, Hilgenberg still isn't in the Hall of Fame more than 30 years after he retired. I can't figure it out.
Jay Hilgenberg was no favorite player of mine. He played 1,000 miles from where I live, and anyway whose favorite player is a center? But it seems to me that he has a slam dunk case for the Hall of Fame, and I think it's time somebody pointed that out.
