Gale Herbert Gillingham (February 3, 1944 — October 20, 2011), was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 guard

Guard (American football)

In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....

 who spent his entire ten-year professional football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 career in the National Football League (NFL)

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 with the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

 (1966

1966 Green Bay Packers season

The 1966 Green Bay Packers season was their 46th in the NFL and resulted in a 12-2 record, coached by Vince Lombardi and led by quarterback Bart Starr. The team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1966 NFL Championship Game, the Packers' 10th NFL title...

–1974

1974 Green Bay Packers season

The 1974 Green Bay Packers season was their 54th season in the National Football League. The club posted a 6-8 record under coach Dan Devine, earning them a third-place finish in the NFC Central division...

, 1976

1976 Green Bay Packers season

The 1976 Green Bay Packers season was their 56th season in the National Football League. The club posted a 5-9 record under coach Bart Starr, earning them a fourth-place finish in the NFC Central division.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:...

).

Born in Madison, Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

, Gillingham grew up on a farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

 in nearby Stoughton

Stoughton, Wisconsin

Stoughton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States and is a neighbor of Madison. It straddles the Yahara River about 20 miles southeast of the capital, Madison. Stoughton is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. He attended the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

, where he was a classmate of future Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...

 defensive end Aaron Brown

Aaron Brown

Aaron Brown is an American broadcast journalist most recognized for his coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks, his first day on air at CNN...

, whom he faced in Super Bowl I

Super Bowl I

The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...

.

In his rookie season, he alternated as the starter at left guard with veteran Fuzzy Thurston. During the 1967 season, he took Thurston's spot full-time, opposite perennial All-Pro Jerry Kramer

Jerry Kramer

Gerald Louis "Jerry" Kramer is a former professional football player, author and sports commentator, best remembered for his 11-year NFL career with the Green Bay Packers as an offensive lineman...

. He started the Ice Bowl

NFL Championship Game, 1967

The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. The game was held at Lambeau Field on December 31, 1967. The winner of the game was...

 and Super Bowl II

Super Bowl II

The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....

, coach Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi

Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...

's final games after nine seasons with the team.

Gillingham was the last member of the Lombardi-era Packers to be active with the franchise. By time he retired, Bart Starr

Bart Starr

Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....

, whom he blocked for when Starr was leading the Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls, was the team's coach. Gillingham was a five-time Pro Bowler (1969, '70, '71, 73 and '74), six-time All Pro, and a two-time NFL First Team All Pro (1969 and '70). He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame

The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame was the first hall of fame built to honor a single professional American football team. After receiving approval from coach Vince Lombardi, William L. Brault, a Green Bay restaurateur and Packers fan, founded the Hall of Fame in 1966...

 in 1982.

The only season he wasn't on offense was 1972

1972 Green Bay Packers season

The 1972 Green Bay Packers season was their 52nd season in the National Football League. The club posted a 10-4 record under coach Dan Devine, earning them a first-place finish in the NFC Central division. This marked the return of the Packers to the playoffs after a four-year drought. The Packers...

 when head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 Dan Devine

Dan Devine

Daniel John Devine was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980, compiling a career college football mark of...

 inexplicably shifted him to the defensive line even though Gillingham was the team's best offensive lineman. During that campaign, the success of the Packers' offense heavily depended on a strong running attack led by MacArthur Lane

MacArthur Lane

MacArthur Lane is a former professional American football player who was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round of the 1968 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 220-lb...

 and John Brockington

John Brockington

John Stanley Brockington is a former American football running back. He was the National Football League's Green Bay Packers' 1st round draft choice out of the Ohio State University, and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1971.-College career:Brockington played halfback and fullback for...

. Devine's move, which failed when Gillingham sustained a season-ending knee

Knee

The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...

 injury two games into the regular season, was criticized for eventually being a factor in diminishing the team's playoff run.

Gillingham died in Little Falls, Minnesota

Little Falls, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,719 people , 3,197 households, and 1,899 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,232.5 people per square mile . There were 3,358 housing units at an average density of 536.2 per square mile...

, age 67, survived by his three sons and one daughter. Noted for his brute strength, he was one of the first players in the NFL to use weight training

Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...

 to stay in playing shape during the offseason. His oldest son, Karl

Karl Gillingham

Karl Gillingham is a Professional Strongman and powerlifter from Minnesota.-Strongman career:...

, is a Professional Strongman and has competed in two Worlds Strongest Man competitions. Middle son, Brad, is a 5 time World Champion powerlifter with several National and World Records. Youngest son, Wade, is a former Professional Strongman and is widely regarded as having one of the best grips in the world.