Bronko Nagurski

Tall tales are in many times based on facts. We have a football legend that has some interestingly spun tales about him in the legend of Bronko Nagurski.

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of Bronko Nagurski - 15 May 1950 Minneapolis Audit. Wrestling Program.

I was reading an article by John Wiebusch in a book he wrote a few years back titled, More than a Game. One section of this group of football writings really inspired me when the author told a few tales about the legendary multi-sport star Bronko Nagurski.

Wiebusch’s point is that there are so many fascinating tales of wonder about Nagurski that it is hard to tell if they are real or not. The guy is larger than life and the author often compares the athlete to the mythical Paul Bunyan. He makes a good point of it and it really is quite interesting, even if they aren’t all true. I am hopeful that in a few months our friend historian Chris Willis will set the record straight on these in an upcoming book he has written.

First off Nagurski hails from International Falls, Minnesota. A place that has but two seasons: it rains five months a year, and then it is ice cold for the balance of the year. Bronko lived pretty much his whole life there, hunting, fishing, and running a gas station. He was a regular dude and everyone knew him and he knew everyone. Match that with his stardom on the football field of the University of Minnesota, the Chicago Bears, and in the wrestling ring and it is no wonder that people are in awe of this man and all had their versions of stories about him.

The second is that he has the perfect macho football name. The dude just sounds tough, Bronko Nagurski! His real name was Bronislau Nagurski, a Canadian-born kid of Ukrainian and Polish descent. Even his real name sounds like a hard-ass.

We all know he played in Chicago for a few years alongside Red Grange. In 1932 in what would become the NFL championship game, Bronko famously and controversially jump passed a throw to Grange where the Bears scored late to win over the Portsmouth Spartans. Portsmouth claimed that the pass was illegal due to an NFL rule at the time where the passer had to be five yards or more from behind the line of scrimmage, and claim Nagurski was close to the line when he let it fly. The refs saw it differently and the Bears took the crown.

Now surely men that shared a legendary play have to have some stories about one another, right? According to Wiebusch Red Grange does have one on Bronko. Grange recalls a tale where Nagurski’s coach at Minnesota, Doc Spears, visited Red at his Florida home. The conversation got on to Bronko at one point and Red asked the coach how in the world he ever got connected with Nagurski.

Spears claimed he went to International Falls to see some other kid, named Smith, he thinks. Trying to find “Smith” he came across a kid he says that was pushing a plow around a field, without a horse or any other motorized equipment. Spears pulled over and asked the kid where he could find Smith. Grange tells us that Spears said the kid picked up the plow and pointed in the direction of where Smith lived. Old Doc forgot about Smith and knew he had to have this guy, and he was Bronko Nagurski. Pretty far-fetched but interesting, what can I tell you!

At Minnesota, the Gophers lost only four games when Bronko was on the team. Three of those were by one point and the other was a two-point loss. During his stay on the varsity squad he played every position except center and quarterback, and in 1929 he did so well that he earned two different positions on Grantland Rice’s All-America team: fullback and tackle. Yeah, he was that good. The feature memory of that season was a 12-yard TD run against Northwestern where every member of the Wildcat defense hit him, but old Bronk would still not be denied of the goal line and The Golden Gophers won that game and more on Nagurski’s determination and talent.

In 1928 he was said to have played a game that medical staff told him not to be in due to a spinal injury he incurred. Nagurski instead wore a steel brace and with time running out on fourth down of a goal-line stand that he carried the ball each and every time on, he finally found paydirt and Minnesota took the Big Ten Title from the Badgers, who only needed a tie to be crowned.

It was feats like these that make a legend, and it is a guy like Bronko Nagurski that becomes legendary!

The banner photo is of 1912 Nebraska vs Minnesota football, taken by an unknown.

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant book mentioned above.