Nobby Wirkowski

Norbert "Nobby" Wirkowski (August 20, 1926 – October 15, 2014) was an American and Canadian football player and coach. He is best known as quarterback of the Toronto Argonauts. The touchdown he engineered in the 1952 Grey Cup turned out to be the last offensive touchdown by the Argonauts in a Grey Cup for 30 years.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he excelled in athletics and became the first athlete at Crane Technical High School to letter in 3 sports (football, basketball, and baseball) since George Halas accomplished the feat at the turn of the century.

Wirkowski played for two exceptional football coaches while attending

From 1952 to 1957, Wirkowski coached the senior football team at De La Salle College (Toronto)^[1] which won consecutive league championships in 1955, 1956 and 1957.^[2]

He was traded to Hamilton in 1955

In 1963, Argonauts General Manager Lew Hayman promoted Wirkowski to the head coaching position after Lou Agase was fired.^[4] He served as the Argonauts head coach through the 1964 season, after which he was promoted to Director of Player Personnel. He served in that role through the 1967 season.

After the 1967 season Wirkowski was approached by York University. York was looking at starting a football program and needed a coach who could build a team 'from scratch.' He accepted the offer from York and was named Athletic Director and Head football coach and joined the Faculty of Physical Education as a professor. He coached York from 1968 to 1975 and from 1988 to 1989, and was an associate coach for the 1984 and 1987 seasons.

He is a member of the Miami University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Mississauga Hall of Fame.

On October 15, 2014, Wirkowski died with his family at his side at the age of 88.^[5][6]

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