26 Facts About Bronko Nagurski

1.

Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski was a Canadian-born professional American football player in the National Football League, renowned for his strength and size.

2.

Bronko 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.

3.

Bronko Nagurski was born in Rainy River, Ontario, Canada, in a family of Ukrainian and Polish descent.

4.

Bronko Nagurski's family moved to International Falls, Minnesota, when he was five years old.

5.

Bronko Nagurski grew up working on his parents' farm and sawmill, delivering groceries for his father's grocery store and in his teens laboring at nearby timbering operations, growing into a powerfully muscular six-footer.

6.

Bronko Nagurski was discovered and signed by University of Minnesota head coach Clarence Spears, who drove to International Falls to meet another player.

7.

Bronko Nagurski was signed on the spot to play for the Golden Gophers.

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8.

Spears sent in three more players, blew his whistle and watched Bronko Nagurski produce the same explosive results and after a third try with the same conclusion realized what a super player he had recruited.

9.

Bronko Nagurski became a standout playing both tackle on defense and fullback on offense at Minnesota from 1927 to 1929.

10.

Bronko Nagurski was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

11.

Bronko Nagurski turned professional to play for the Chicago Bears from 1930 to 1937.

12.

Bronko Nagurski 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.

13.

Bronko Nagurski had the largest recorded NFL Championship ring size at.

14.

Bronko Nagurski was probably the largest running back of his time, bigger than most linemen of the day, often dragging multiple tacklers with him.

15.

Cal tore through the line, slammed into Bronko Nagurski and bounced off.

16.

The Spartans argued that Bronko Nagurski did not drop back five yards before passing to Grange, but the touchdown stood.

17.

In 1943, with the Bears losing so many players to World War II, Bronko Nagurski came out of retirement to play tackle.

18.

Bronko Nagurski retired again after the 1943 season and became the backfield coach for the UCLA Bruins.

19.

Tony Stecher, brother of former world champion Joe Stecher, introduced Bronko Nagurski to wrestling in 1933 and became his manager.

20.

Bronko Nagurski married his childhood sweetheart, Eileen Kane, on December 28,1936.

21.

In January 1984, Bronko 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.

22.

On January 7,1990, Bronko Nagurski died of cardiac arrest in International Falls, Minnesota, and is buried at its Forest Hill Cemetery.

23.

Bronko Nagurski was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a charter member on September 7,1963.

24.

In 1993, the Football Writers Association of America created the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded annually to the best defensive player in college football.

25.

In 1999 Bronko Nagurski was selected by Sports Illustrated as a starting defensive tackle for their "NCAA Football All-Century Team".

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26.

In 2007, Bronko Nagurski was ranked No 17 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.