LANDOVER, Md. -- It took 50 years for the Minnesota Vikings to finally play a game without Fred Zamberletti.
The longtime Vikings trainer missed Saturday's game against the Washington Redskins with an illness. It's the first game in Vikings franchise history that Zamberletti has missed. His streak ends at 1,049, including preseason, regular season and playoffs.
Zamberletti was the trainer from the franchise's inception in 1961 until 1998. He's now a consultant and team historian.
Team spokesman Jeff Anderson said Zamberletti was feeling better Saturday morning and considered catching a flight to the game, but the 79-year-old member of the team's Ring of Honor stayed home.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press