Mick Tingelhoff, the Hall of Fame center who started in 240 consecutive games in his 17 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and who played in four Super Bowls, died on Saturday at an assisted living facility in Lakeville, Minn. He was 81.
The cause was Parkinson’s disease with dementia, his wife, Phyllis, said.
Tingelhoff, who played at center and linebacker for three seasons at the University of Nebraska, wasn’t selected in the N.F.L.’s 1962 draft. But the Vikings signed him, envisioning him as a linebacker.
They shifted him to center in their second preseason game, and he became an anchor of their offensive line.