Bronko Nagurski
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Position: | Fullback Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Rainy River, Ontario, Canada | November 3, 1908||||||||||
Died: | January 7, 1990 International Falls, Minnesota, U.S. | (aged 81)||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 226 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Bemidji (Bemidji, Minnesota) | ||||||||||
College: | Minnesota (1927–1929) | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was a Canadian-born professional
Nagurski became a standout playing both tackle on defense and fullback on offense at the University of Minnesota from 1927 to 1929, selected a consensus All-American in 1929 and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1951. His professional career with the Chicago Bears, which began in 1930 and ended on two occasions in 1937 and 1943, also made him an inaugural inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
Youth and collegiate career
Nagurski was born in Rainy River, Ontario to a family of Ukrainian and Polish descent. His parents, "Mike" and Michelina Nagurski, were immigrants from the Galicia region of eastern Europe. His family moved to International Falls, Minnesota when he was five years old. Nagurski grew up working on his parents' farm and sawmill, delivering groceries for his father's grocery store. In his teens, he labored at nearby timbering operations, growing into a powerfully muscular six-footer.
Nagurski was discovered and signed by University of Minnesota head coach Clarence Spears, who had originally driven to International Falls to meet another player. On the outside of town, he watched Nagurski out plowing a field without assistance. According to legend, Spears asked him for directions, and Bronko lifted his plow and used it to point.[1] He was signed on the spot to play for the Golden Gophers. Spears later admitted he concocted the story on his long drive back to the university in Minneapolis.
Legends aside, on his first day of practice Spears decided to test Nagurski in the "Nutcracker" drill, where a defensive player had to take on two blockers and try to tackle a following ball carrier. On the first drill, two All-Big Ten linemen and Herb Joesting charged at Bronko, who promptly split the blockers and drove the big fullback into a blocking dummy. Spears sent in three more players, blew his whistle, and watched Bronko produce the same explosive results. After a third try with the same conclusion, Spears realized what kind of a player he had recruited.
Nagurski became a standout, playing both tackle on defense and fullback on offense at Minnesota from 1927 to 1929. In 1929, after posting 737 rushing yards, he was a consensus All-American at fullback, and despite playing fewer games at the position also made some All-American teams at tackle. The pre-eminent sportswriter of the day, Grantland Rice, listed him at the two positions in picking his 1929 All-America team. Rice later wrote, "Who would you pick to win a football game: 11 Jim Thorpes, 11 Glen Davises, 11 Red Granges, or 11 Bronko Nagurskis? The 11 Nagurskis would be a mop-up. It would be something close to murder and massacre. For the Bronk could star at any position on the field, with 216 pounds (98 kg) of authority to back him up."
His greatest collegiate game was against Wisconsin in the season finale in 1928. Wearing a corset to protect cracked vertebrae, he recovered a Badger fumble deep in their territory, then ran the ball six straight times to score the go-ahead touchdown. Later in the same game, he intercepted a pass to seal the victory.[2]
During his three varsity seasons at Minnesota, the Gophers went 18–4–2 (.792) and won the Big Ten Conference championship in 1927. Nagurski was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
While at the University of Minnesota, Nagurski was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, at the same time as another All-American, Herb Joesting.[3]
Professional career
Football
Nagurski turned professional to play for the Chicago Bears from 1930 to 1937. At 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and 235 pounds (107 kg), he was a formidable presence, and a dominant force, helping the Bears win several division titles and two NFL championships. He ended his eight-year stint with 3,947 rushing yards on 856 attempts, completed 36 of 80 passes, and scored a total of 236 points.[4]
Nagurski had the largest recorded NFL Championship ring size at 19+1⁄2 and wore a size-8 helmet.
A time-honored and perhaps
Once in a game against the Packers, the Bears prepared to punt, and Green Bay's Cal Hubbard went to Red Grange and said: "I promise not to try to block the kick, Red, but get out of the way so I can get a shot at that Polack." Grange, glad not to try to block Hubbard for once, obliged. Cal tore through the line, slammed into Nagurski and bounced off. Rising slowly, he turned to Grange and said: "Hey, Red, don't do me any more favors."[8]
At the end of the
In 1943, with the Bears losing so many players to
He retired again after the 1943 season and became the backfield coach for the UCLA Bruins.[17] After one year, he resigned from his position with the Bruins to return to farming.[18] Two years later he returned to football for a brief time as general manager of the Sylvan Park Dead Cherokees, a semi-pro team in Tennessee.[19]
Wrestling
During his football career, he built a second athletic career as a professional wrestler and became a major box-office attraction. Tony Stecher, brother of former world champion
Championships and accomplishments
- California State Athletic Commission
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2009[22]
- National Wrestling Association
- New York State Athletic Commission
- Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club
- World Heavyweight Championship (Minneapolis version) (2 times)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (1 time) – with Verne Gagne
- NWA San Francisco
- NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (2 times)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- (Class of 2011)[24]
- (
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Other titles
- 1 time)
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
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Won NFL Championship
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Led the league | |
Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
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GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
1930 | CHI | 13 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | – | – | – | – | – |
1931 | CHI | 10 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
1932 | CHI | 14 | 14 | 121 | 533 | 4.4 | 38.1 | – | 4 | 6 | 67 | 11.2 | – | 0 |
1933 | CHI | 13 | 10 | 128 | 533 | 4.2 | 41.0 | – | 1 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 |
1934 | CHI | 13 | 11 | 123 | 586 | 4.8 | 45.1 | – | 7 | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | – | 0 |
1935 | CHI | 5 | 3 | 50 | 170 | 3.4 | 34.0 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
1936 | CHI | 11 | 8 | 122 | 529 | 4.3 | 48.1 | – | 3 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 |
1937 | CHI | 10 | 8 | 73 | 343 | 4.7 | 34.3 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
1943 | CHI | 8 | 0 | 16 | 84 | 5.3 | 10.5 | 11 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
Career | 97 | 75 | 633 | 2,778 | 4.4 | 28.6 | 11 | 25 | 11 | 134 | 12.2 | 23 | 0 |
Personal life
Nagurski married his childhood sweetheart, Eileen Kane, on December 28, 1936. The couple had six children: sons Bronko Jr., Tony, Ronald and Kevin, and daughters Genie and Janice.[25] Bronko Jr. was born on Christmas Day 1937, played football at the University of Notre Dame, and became an all-star with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.[26]
Later life and legacy
Later life
After Nagurski retired from wrestling, he returned home to International Falls and opened a service station.[1] A local legend claims that Nagurski had the best repeat business in town because he would screw customers' gas caps on so tightly after filling their tanks that no one else in town could unscrew them.[27] He retired from that in 1978, at the age of seventy, and lived out a quiet life on the shores of Rainy Lake on the Canada–U.S. border.
In January 1984, Nagurski performed the coin toss at Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa, Florida, with Washington Redskins quarterback and co-captain Joe Theismann calling the toss on behalf of his team's co-captains and the captains of the opposing Los Angeles Raiders.
On January 7, 1990, Nagurski died of cardiac arrest in International Falls, Minnesota, and is buried at its Forest Hill Cemetery.
Legacy
Nagurski was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a charter member on September 7, 1963. At the University of Minnesota house of his fraternity, Sigma Chi, Nagurski's jersey and Significant Sig recognition certificate are on display. After his death, the town of International Falls honored him by opening the Bronko Nagurski Museum in Smokey Bear Park.[28]
Sports Illustrated named Nagurski one of the four greatest athletes in Minnesota state history; the other three were Dave Winfield, Kevin McHale, and Joe Mauer. In 1993, the Football Writers Association of America created the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded annually to the best defensive player in college football. Notable winners include Warren Sapp, Charles Woodson, Terrell Suggs, Champ Bailey and Derrick Johnson. In 1999 Nagurski was selected by Sports Illustrated as a starting defensive tackle for their "NCAA Football All-Century Team". The other starting defensive tackle on that list was Rich Glover. In 2007, Nagurski was ranked No. 17 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.
In 1999, he was ranked No. 35 on
A fictionalized eyewitness account of Nagurski's 1943 comeback is the subject of a dramatic monologue in the 2001 film version of Hearts in Atlantis. The film's screenwriter, William Goldman, repeated much of this rendition from his earlier account of the same story in his novel Magic.
In 2009, Nagurski was an honorary team captain, represented by his son,
In September 2021, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Hall of Fame, housed in Troy, Michigan.
See also
- List of Canadian sports personalities
- List of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers
Notes
- ^ A forerunner to large fullbacks like Marion Motley, John Henry Johnson and Jim Brown
References
- ^ a b c Wolf, Bob (February 2, 1984). "A tank! Bronko Nagurski hit like one, ran like one". Milwaukee Journal. p. 3, part 3.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Downer, George F. (November 25, 1928). "Gophers crush Badger hopes, 6 to 0". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 3.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Noted in the 1929 Minnesota Gopher yearbook, p.323.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dr. Z's Top 10 Big Backs - Bronkosaurus - Bronko Nagurski was, literally, a monster of the Midway. Sports Illustrated. Paul Zimmerman (Dr. Z). November 24, 1997 [Q]uarterback Sid Luckman, about Nagurski. "A monster," Luckman said. "The neck, the hands. They measured him for a championship ring in 1943, when he made his comeback, and his ring size was 19 1/2."
- ^ Bronko Nagurski Is Dead at 81; Star Runner for Chicago Bears Paul Rodgers, The New York Times, January 11, 1990
- ^ "Hill recalls wall at Wrigley - tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Chicago Bears pro champions". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Chicago Tribune). December 19, 1932. p. 14.
- ^ "History 1931–1940". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises LLC. 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
- ^ Hickok, Ralph (2004). "The 1932 NFL Championship Game". HickokSports.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
- ^ Bennett (1976), pp 32–33
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Red (May 26, 1978). "Hunk Anderson, Nicest Tough Guy". The New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ Goldman, William (December 9, 1963). "A Big Game for the Old Man of the Bears". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ "Championship - Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears - December 26th, 1943". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Naylor B. White, History of the Chicago Bears (Glenview, IL: 163).
- ^ "Bronko Nagurski - OWW". Onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "Title Lineages: CASAC World Heavyweight Championship – the Home of Historical Wrestling". Archived from the original on May 11, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- PWInsider. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ "World Heavyweight Title [NYSAC]". Wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "Lawler, McMahon, Road Warriors among PWHF Class of 2011". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. November 26, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
- ^ Weil, Martin (January 9, 1990). "Chicago Bears legend Bronko Nagurski dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ "Bronko: The man". International Falls Journal. December 13, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ Czuba, Ashley (January 29, 2010). "Taking a Look in the Bears History Book: Bronko Nagurski". Windy City Gridiron.
- ^ "Rainy Lake - International Falls, Minnesota - Home of Voyageurs National Park, Grand Mound History Center, Koochiching County Historical Museum, Bronko Nagurski Museum, Smokey Bear Park, International Bridge of Canada, Boise Cascade". Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
Further reading
- Sullivan, George (1972). The Great Running Backs. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 41–46. ISBN 0-399-11026-7.
External links
- Bronko Nagurski at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Bronko Nagurski at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference
- Bronko Nagurski at Find a Grave
- Bronko Nagurski's profile at Cagematch.net , Internet Wrestling Database