Bronislau"Bronko"Nagurski(November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was a Canadian-American professionalfootballplayer who was afullbackanddefensive tacklein theNational Football League(NFL). Renowned for his strength and size, Nagurski was also a successfulprofessional wrestler,[1]recognized as a multiple-time World Heavyweight Champion.
 Nagurski in 1937 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Fullback Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | November 3, 1908 Rainy River, Ontario,Canada | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died: | January 7, 1990(aged 81) International Falls, Minnesota,U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 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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Nagurski became acollege footballstandout playing bothtackleon defense and fullback on offense for theGolden Gophersfrom1927to1929,selected a consensusAll-Americanin1929and inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Famein its inaugural year of 1951. His professional career with theChicago Bears,which began in 1930 and ended on two occasions in 1937 and 1943, also made him an inaugural inductee into thePro Football Hall of Famein 1963.
Youth and collegiate career
editNagurski was born inRainy River, Ontario,to a family ofUkrainianandPolishdescent. His parents, "Mike" and Michelina Nagurski, were immigrants from theGaliciaregion of eastern Europe. His family moved toInternational Falls, Minnesotawhen 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 coachClarence 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, twoAll-Big Tenlinemen andHerb Joestingcharged 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 from1927to1929.In 1929, after posting 737 rushing yards, he was a consensusAll-Americanat 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: 11Jim Thorpes,11Glen Davises,11Red 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 againstWisconsinin the season finale in1928.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 theBig Ten Conferencechampionship in 1927. Nagurski was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Famein 1951.
While at the University of Minnesota, Nagurski was a member ofSigma Chifraternity, at the same time as another All-American,Herb Joesting.[3]
In 1999,Sports Illustratedincluded him on its All-Century Team for college football.[4]
Professional career
editFootball
editNagurski turned professional to play for theChicago Bearsfrom1930to1937.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.[5]
Nagurski had the largest recorded NFL Championship ring size at19+1⁄2and wore a size-8 helmet.[6]He was probably the largest running back of his time, bigger than most linemen of the day,[n 1]often dragging multiple tacklers with him. In a time when players were expected to play onboth sides of the ball,he was a standout defensive lineman as well playing a ranging tackle or "The Monster." After an injury, instead of sitting on the bench, he would sometimes be put in as anoffensive tackle.In a 1984 interview withSports IllustratedwriterPaul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman,when asked what position he would play if he were coming up in the present day, he said, "I would probably be alinebackertoday. I wouldn't be carrying the ball 30 or 35 times a game. "
A time-honored and perhapsapocryphalstory about Nagurski is a scoring gallop that he made against theWashington Redskins,knocking two linebackers in opposite directions, stomping adefensive backand crushing asafety,then bouncing off thegoalpostsand crackingWrigley Field's brick wall. On returning to thehuddlefor theextra pointtry, he reportedly said: "That last guy hit me awfully hard."[7][8]
Once in a game against the Packers, the Bears prepared to punt, and Green Bay'sCal Hubbardwent toRed Grangeand said: "I promise not to try to block the kick, Red, but get out of the way so I can get a shot at thatPolack."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. "[9]
At the end of the1932 season,theChicago Bearsand thePortsmouth Spartanswere tied with the best regular-season records. To determine the champion, the league voted to hold its firstplayoff game.Due to the cold weather, the game was held indoors atChicago Stadium,which forced some temporary rule changes. Chicago won, 9–0. In the fourth quarter of the 1932 game, the Bears scored on a controversialtouchdown:Carl Brumbaughhanded the ball off to fullback Nagurski, who pulled up and threw toRed Grangein the end zone for the score.[10]The Spartans argued that Nagurski did not drop back five yards before passing to Grange, but the touchdown stood. The playoff proved so popular that the league reorganized into two divisions for the1933 season,with the winners advancing to a scheduled championship game. A number of new rule changes were also instituted: the goal posts were moved forward to the goal line, every play started from between thehash marks,and forward passes could originate from anywhere behind theline of scrimmage(instead of the previous five yards behind).[11][12][13]
In 1943, with the Bears losing so many players toWorld War II,Nagurski came out of retirement to play tackle. He remained at the position until he returned to fullback against theChicago Cardinals,whom the Bears needed to defeat to advance to the1943 NFL Championship Game;[14]Nagurski scored a touchdown in the game as the Bears won 35–24.[15][16]Chicago went on to win the 1943 title after beating theWashington Redskins41–21, while Nagurski scored on a three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.[17]
He retired again after the 1943 season and became the backfield coach for theUCLA Bruins.[18]After one year, he resigned from his position with the Bruins to return to farming.[19]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.[20]
Wrestling
edit
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 championJoe Stecher,introduced Nagurski to wrestling in 1933 and became his manager. Nagurski defeated Tag Tagerson in his ring debut. Hitting his peak in the late 1930s, Nagurski won a limited version of the world championship by defeatingDean Dettonon June 29, 1937. But he finally achieved full recognition with his firstNational Wrestling Associationworld title by defeatingLou Theszon June 23, 1939. Losing the title toRay Steeleon March 7, 1940, he regained it from Steele one year later on March 11, 1941, but lost it three months later toSandor Szaboon June 5, 1941.[21]Nagurski continued to wrestle until 1958.
Championships and accomplishments
edit- California State Athletic Commission
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2009[23]
- 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)(2 times) – withVerne Gagne(1) andIlio DiPaolo(1)
- NWA San Francisco
- NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (2 times)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Other titles
NFL career statistics
edit| Legend | |
|---|---|
| WonNFL Championship | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
editNagurski married his childhood sweetheart, Eileen Kane, on December 28, 1936. The couple had six children: sonsBronko Jr.,Tony, Ronald and Kevin, and daughters Eugenia and Janice.[26]Bronko Jr. was born on Christmas Day 1937, played football at theUniversity of Notre Dame,and became an all-star with theHamilton Tiger-Catsof theCanadian Football League.[27]
He was naturalized as a United States citizen in December 1938.[28]
Later life and legacy
editIn early February 1944, Nagurski was summoned by theUnited States Armyfor service.[29]TheUnited Pressremarked "Gen.Dwight D. Eisenhowercan stop worrying "if Nagurski were to join as" the general will have a one-man army on his team, "while the Army should" just armor-plate him—call his number—and follow him to Berlin. "[30]After a three-day physical examination atFort Snelling,the Army ruled him medically unfit due to injuries sustained during his football career.[31][32][33]
Following his retirement from wrestling, he returned home to International Falls and opened aservice 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.[34]He retired from that in 1978, at the age of seventy, and lived out a quiet life on the shores ofRainy Lakeon the Canada–U.S. border.
Nagurski performed the coin toss forSuper Bowl XVIIIinTampa, Florida,in 1984.Washington Redskinsquarterback and co-captainJoe Theismanncalled the toss on behalf of his team's co-captains and the captains of the opposingLos Angeles Raiders.
On January 7, 1990, Nagurski died of cardiac arrest in International Falls, Minnesota, and is buried at its Forest Hill Cemetery.[7]
Honors
editNagurski was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fameas a charter member on September 7, 1963. At theUniversity of Minnesotahouse 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.[35]
Sports Illustratednamed Nagurski one of the four greatest athletes in Minnesota state history; the other three wereDave Winfield,Kevin McHale,andJoe Mauer.In 1993, theFootball Writers Association of Americacreated theBronko Nagurski Trophy,awarded annually to the best defensive player in college football. Notable winners includeWarren Sapp,Charles Woodson,Terrell Suggs,Champ BaileyandDerrick Johnson.In 1999 Nagurski was selected bySports Illustratedas a starting defensive tackle for their "NCAA Football All-Century Team". The other starting defensive tackle on that list wasRich 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 onThe Sporting News'list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranking foreign-born player. In 2000, he was voted the second-greatest Minnesotan sportsman of the 20th century by the sportswriters of theStar Tribune,coming in behind onlyMinnesota TwinsHall of FamerKirby Puckett.
A fictionalized eyewitness account of Nagurski's 1943 comeback is the subject of a dramatic monologue in the 2001 film version ofHearts in Atlantis.The film's screenwriter,William Goldman,repeated much of this rendition from his earlier account of the same story in his novelMagic.
In 2002, he was ranked 90 out of 100 wrestlers forDave Meltzer's Top 100 Wrestlers of All Time.
In 2009, Nagurski was an honorary team captain, represented by his son,Bronko Nagurski Jr.,at the opening game ofTCF Bank Stadium.His home town's International Falls high school is nicknamed the Broncos in his honor.
In September 2021, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Hall of Fame, housed in Troy, Michigan.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^A forerunner to large fullbacks likeMarion Motley,John Henry JohnsonandJim Brown
References
edit- ^abcWolf, 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 1929Minnesota Gopheryearbook,p.323.
- ^Maisel, Ivan (August 16, 1999)."Team of the Century".Sports Illustrated.91(6).
- ^"Bronko Nagurski Back for More Pro Football".Reno Gazette-Journal.AP.October 30, 1943.RetrievedJune 22,2019– viaNewspapers.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."
- ^abBronko Nagurski Is Dead at 81; Star Runner for Chicago BearsPaul Rodgers, The New York Times, January 11, 1990
- ^"Hill recalls wall at Wrigley - tribunedigital-chicagotribune".Archivedfrom the original on December 16, 2017.RetrievedDecember 15,2017.
- ^Bob Broeg (October 23, 1977)."Cal Hubbard: 'Big Umpire' Was A Man For All Sports".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.p. 16.RetrievedMay 21,2016– viaNewspapers.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 fromthe originalon September 27, 2007.RetrievedOctober 12,2007.
- ^Hickok, Ralph (2004)."The 1932 NFL Championship Game".HickokSports.com. Archived fromthe originalon June 3, 2007.RetrievedJune 5,2007.
- ^Bennett (1976), pp 32–33
- ^"Bronko Nagurski at Fullback Spot as Bears Meet Cards".The Gazette.UP.November 28, 1943.RetrievedJune 22,2019– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Smith, Red (May 26, 1978)."Hunk Anderson, Nicest Tough Guy".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 22,2019.
- ^Goldman, William (December 9, 1963)."A Big Game for the Old Man of the Bears".Sports Illustrated.RetrievedJune 22,2019.
- ^"Championship - Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears - December 26th, 1943".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedJune 22,2019.
- ^"Bronko Nagurski On UCLA Staff".Nevada State Journal.UP.April 13, 1944.RetrievedJune 22,2019– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Bronko Nagurski Will Give Up All Coaching".The Fresno Bee.AP.February 10, 1945.RetrievedJune 22,2019– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Naylor B. White, History of the Chicago Bears (Glenview, IL: 163).
- ^"Bronko Nagurski - OWW".Onlineworldofwrestling.com.RetrievedFebruary 29,2020.
- ^"Title Lineages: CASAC World Heavyweight Championship – the Home of Historical Wrestling".Archived fromthe originalon May 11, 2017.RetrievedMarch 21,2017.
- ^Johnson, Mike (June 30, 2009)."Ricky Steamboat, Nick Bockinkel Among 2009 Class Honored By Wrestling Museum & Institute".PWInsider.RetrievedNovember 30,2018.
- ^"World Heavyweight Title [NYSAC]".Wrestling-titles.com.RetrievedFebruary 29,2020.
- ^"Lawler, McMahon, Road Warriors among PWHF Class of 2011".Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. November 26, 2010.RetrievedNovember 28,2010.
- ^Weil, Martin (January 9, 1990)."Chicago Bears legend Bronko Nagurski dies".The Washington Post.RetrievedJune 22,2019.
- ^"Bronko: The man".International Falls Journal.December 13, 2007.RetrievedJune 22,2019.
- ^"Nagurski becomes Citizen of U.S."Oakland Tribune.AP.December 12, 1938.RetrievedNovember 11,2024– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Bronko Naguski Gets Army Call".The Bismarck Tribune.AP.February 1, 1944.RetrievedSeptember 14,2024– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Human tank ready for the U.S. Army if Nagurski passes".The Buffalo News.UP.February 2, 1944.RetrievedSeptember 14,2024– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Nagurski for Army".The Spokesman-Review.AP.February 10, 1944.RetrievedSeptember 14,2024– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Bronko Nagurski Has Army Rejection; His Football Too Rugged".McCook Daily Gazette.UP.February 12, 1944.RetrievedSeptember 14,2024– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Cullum, Dick (February 12, 1944)."No Need to Warn 1944 Glovers Not To Try Pro Game".Minneapolis Daily Times.RetrievedSeptember 14,2024– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^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 fromthe originalon January 31, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 19,2009.
Further reading
edit- Sullivan, George (1972).The Great Running Backs.New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 41–46.ISBN0-399-11026-7.
External links
edit
- Bronko Nagurskiat thePro Football Hall of Fame
- Bronko Nagurskiat theCollege Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics fromPro Football Reference
- Bronko NagurskiatFind a Grave
- Bronko Nagurski's profile atCagematch.net,Internet Wrestling Database
