| No. 67, 74, 94, 75 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 19, 1956 Forest City, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | August 23, 2024 (aged 68) Lake Mills, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 280 lb (127 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Lake Mills (IA) | ||||||||
| College: | Iowa State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1979 / round: 2 / pick: 31 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Michael Iver Stensrud (February 19, 1956 – August 23, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a defensive lineman for five teams in 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He wrestled for Lake Mills High School, winning the unlimited heavyweight bracket in the state tournament.[1] He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones, also tried out for the Cyclones wrestling team,[2] and was selected in the second round of the 1979 NFL draft.[3][4]
After retiring from professional football, Stensrud lived in Houston, Texas. At his wife Laura's urging, Stensrud moved back to his hometown of Lake Mills, Iowa, where he worked at a lumber yard.[5] In 2000, Stensrud was inducted into the Iowa State Cyclones Hall of Fame.[6]
Stensrud coached the Lake Mills High football team while his son Andy played.[5] Andy was also recruited by Iowa State University as a basketball player.[7] During Andy's stint on the Iowa State Cyclones football team, he roomed with J. J. Moses.[8] Andy Stensrud was not selected in the 2001 NFL draft, signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent,[9] joined the New York Giants for training camp the following season,[10][11] and was signed by the Houston Texans in 2003.[12]
Stensrud had two other sons, Kevin and Michael.[13]
Stensrud served on the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors from 2009 to 2020.[14][15] Stensrud, a Republican, was unopposed in his 2012 reelection bid,[16] faced Gary Ludwig in the 2016 Republican Party primary and Democratic candidate Mike Huan in the subsequent general election,[17][18] then defeated Huan again in 2020.[19]
Stensrud died in Lake Mills, Iowa, on August 23, 2024, at the age of 68.[20][21]
Mike Stensrud, DL, Lake Mills All-state pick in 1973. Stensrud won a state wrestling title in the unlimited heavyweight division as a senior in 1974. He went on to play for Iowa State and then played 11 years in the National Football League.
Next year will be different for the younger Stensrud. He's not only going to play football, but he's planning on going out for the Cyclone wrestling team as well. "I never like wrestling until my senior year in high school," the 270-pounder grinned. "I guess I quit the team at least three times when I was a junior, but I always went back. But I sort of missed not wrestling last year."