On November 29, 1981, in a Border Battle matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Joe Senser caught 11 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. By the end of that game, a high-low hit had torn his knee apart. He stayed in, finished the game, and also started in the last three games of the season.

That was Joe Senser, the Minnesota Vikings’ legendary tight end. The 79 catches and 1,004 yards in 1981 made him a Pro Bowler and the only tight end in Vikings history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season. But the stats only tell half the story. The other half is what he did after the knee ruined what should have been a long career.

Joe Senser passed away on Thursday, May 7th, at the age of 69. After the news of his passing broke, Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf and Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf released a statement that captured Senser’s legacy with the Vikings perfectly.

“The Vikings family is saddened by the loss of Joe Senser,” the statement read. “Joe was a Pro Bowler on the field, but his impact on the organization and in the community was felt long after his playing days. Joe was a generous soul with countless charitable endeavors. He brought his positive personality to every interaction he had, whether it be with former teammates, Vikings staff, or our family when we became stewards of this franchise. Joe’s warmth and welcoming spirit will last in the memories of those who knew him.”

Ring of Honor linebacker Scott Studwell, who had been with the Vikings since 1977, called Senser a “late-round steal,” which he was as a sixth-round pick out of West Chester who arrived with nothing guaranteed.

Punter Greg ‘Touch’ Coleman, meanwhile, remembered a rough start with Senser at a 1979 Training Camp that blossomed into a lifelong friendship. Coleman recalled Senser’s rookie year, when Coleman was running the scout-team defense with a dummy bag, only for Senser to power through and push Coleman down.

“Rookie, if you ever hit me again during walk-throughs, I am gonna kick your a**,” Coleman had fired off. But Senser’s reply stopped him cold.

“Touch, you don’t understand,” Senser said. “I gotta do everything I can to make this team.”

That forged a bond which never faded away. And it wasn’t just his teammates who were impacted by Senser’s presence. So when the Vikings shared the news, the entire NFL community lined up to pay their respects to the legend.

The NFL community remembers Joe Senser’s legacy

The old teammates were the first to lead the charge when the news of Senser’s passing broke. Former Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer – who played with Senser for five seasons – took to X to share his own tribute for his tight end.

“It wasn’t about the money, it wasn’t about fame, it was about playing the game we loved and winning,” Kramer wrote. “Most of all, it was about the fans. Joe was one of the best. Rest easy, my friend, until we meet again.”

Paul Allen, who spent years in the Vikings Radio Network booth alongside Senser as the play-by-play voice, remembered a mentor and a friend.

“So saddened by the loss of former @vikings TE Joe Senser, one of the classiest, most loving people I’ve ever known,” Allen wrote on X. “Had the privilege of spending my first five years calling Vikes games with Joe & he taught me so much, so fast. This hurts. May God rest your soul, ‘Uncle Joe.’”

That “Uncle Joe” line says something. Allen was a young broadcaster who learned his craft from Senser at the start of his career. That relationship came through every time the two were on air together. But Senser’s impact wasn’t just limited to the Vikings community.

Aside from a career in radio, Senser also ran restaurants in Minnesota and the Chicago area. A Chicago Bears fan wrote that they remembered Senser’s restaurants – specifically the Schaumburg, Illinois location, while showing respect.

“RIP from a Bears fan,” the person wrote. “I didn’t know him too well, except that he played for the Vikings & some unfortunate issues that happened in recent years. I remember going to all his restaurants & they even opened up one in Schaumburg, Ill in the early 90’s for a while. The food was real great, especially their barbecue chicken sandwich & wings.”

Even a Packers fan mourned “the most goated waffle fry sauce ever.” That’s Senser, too; a man who built something real enough that people who rooted against him still showed up.

A Vikings fan who met Senser in person wrote, “One of the nicest and kindest human beings I ever met. Loved him as a player and announcer.”

One fan even described pretending to be Senser as a kid, catching passes in the backyard – the kind of thing you only say about players who meant something beyond the stat line.

“I remember playing football in the backyard as a kid and pretending I was Joe Senser catching passes and evading would-be tacklers,” they wrote. “RIP Joe.”

Joe Senser spent four seasons on the field, eight years in the broadcast booth, and three decades feeding people at his restaurants across the Twin Cities. He did it after a knee injury derailed what was turning into one of the best tight end careers of his era – and he did it without complaint.

“I don’t feel sorry for myself because every time I want to feel sorry for myself, I think about all the great things that have happened to be in football,” Sencer told the Minneapolis Tribune in 1983. “I’ve been so, so lucky.”