Rudy Bukich
St. Louis (MO) Roosevelt | |||||||||||||||||
| College: | Iowa, USC | ||||||||||||||||
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| NFL draft: | 1953 / Round: 2 / Pick: 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com | |||||||||||||||||
Rudolph Andrew Bukich (September 15, 1930 – February 29, 2016) was an
High school career
Born and raised in
College career
As a freshman, Bukich played at the University of Iowa[3] before transferring to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. During his senior year in 1952, USC played in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. After the Trojans' primary passer, All-American halfback Jim Sears, was sidelined early in the first quarter with a broken leg,[4] Bukich came in and conducted a drive, completing all but two of his passes, that resulted in the only score of the game, and USC defeated Wisconsin, 7–0.[5] Bukich was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the game, and after his career, he was inducted into the USC Trojan Hall of Fame and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame (2004).
Professional career
Bukich was
Bukich's greatest performances were during his second stint with the Bears in the 1960s. He was a reserve quarterback with the Bears in 1963 when they won the NFL championship (Bill Wade was the starter throughout the season). Bukich replaced Wade during Week Four against the Baltimore Colts after Wade completed just 5 of 21 passes. Bukich played the remainder of the game and completed 6 of 7 passes, including a pass to Ronnie Bull for a touchdown that was the deciding margin of victory.[8][9]
Post-playing career
After his playing days Bukich was a real estate developer in southern California.[2] In his later years he was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and he died at age 85 in San Diego in 2016.[10] He is interred at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.
References
- ^ "Rudy Bukich Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Ex-USC quarterback Rudy Bukich, 1953 Rose Bowl MVP, dies". USC Trojans Athletics. March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "1949 U of Iowa football players". Sioux City Journal. 10 December 1949. p. 10. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ Myers, Bob (January 2, 1953). "USC beats Wisconsin in 37th Rose Bowl, 7-0". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 14.
- ^ Ward, Arch (January 2, 1953). "U.S.C. pass in 3d defeats Wisconsin, 7-0". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- ^ "Bears grab 'Skins QB on waivers". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 20, 1958. p. 19.
- ^ "Irked Redskin flays club's lust for gold". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. November 20, 1958. p. 1, sec. 6.
- ^ Rollow, Cooper (October 7, 1963). "Bears make it 4 in row; rally to beats Colts, 10-3". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- ^ Coppock, Chet (October 4, 2013). "1963 season: Bears defeat Colts 10-3 at Wrigley". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ Biggs, Brad (March 1, 2016). "Former Chicago Bears' QB Rudy Bukich, 85, dies". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference ·
- Legacy.com – Rudy Bukich
- Rudy Bukich at Find a Grave
Media related to Rudy Bukich at Wikimedia Commons