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University of Minnesota Athletics
On this Date - November 3, 1908
11/3/2021 7:00:00 AM | Football
Bronko Nagurski,widely considered to be the best college football player of all time, was born on this date in 1908.
The son of Ukrainian immigrants, Nagurski grew up in International Falls, Minn., and came to the University of Minnesota in 1927, playing tackle, fullback, defensive end, offensive end, linebacker and even quarterback from time to time as well. So talented was the powerful Nagurski that sportswriters decided after his senior season that he was the best fullback and tackle in the nation, making him the only player in college football history ever to be named a first-team consensus All-American at two different positions in the same season. Over his illustrious three year career in the Maroon and Gold, the Gophers lost a total of just four games, and none by more than two points.
In the fall of 1930, he graduated and signed on with the NFL's Chicago Bears. The Bronk went on to reach superstar status in the Windy City, where he would lead the team to three NFL Championships during his eight-year pro gridiron tenure. Nagurski, who dabbled in pro wrestling throughout his football career, also won several world heavyweight title belts from 1933-41 as well.
A six-time All-Pro, Bronko retired from football in 1943 with 242 points scored on 4,301 yards rushing. The Bears retired his No. 3 to further honor his legacy. He would later retire to International Falls, where he owned and operated a filling station.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and in 1963, he was unanimously elected to charter membership in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1979, his no. 72 was retired by the U of M, and Sports Illustrated later named Bronko as Minnesota's Greatest Athlete of the Century. He was even named as the "Best Football Player of the First Half Century." A year after his death he was a member of the inaugural class of the M Club Hall of Fame in 1991.
The son of Ukrainian immigrants, Nagurski grew up in International Falls, Minn., and came to the University of Minnesota in 1927, playing tackle, fullback, defensive end, offensive end, linebacker and even quarterback from time to time as well. So talented was the powerful Nagurski that sportswriters decided after his senior season that he was the best fullback and tackle in the nation, making him the only player in college football history ever to be named a first-team consensus All-American at two different positions in the same season. Over his illustrious three year career in the Maroon and Gold, the Gophers lost a total of just four games, and none by more than two points.
In the fall of 1930, he graduated and signed on with the NFL's Chicago Bears. The Bronk went on to reach superstar status in the Windy City, where he would lead the team to three NFL Championships during his eight-year pro gridiron tenure. Nagurski, who dabbled in pro wrestling throughout his football career, also won several world heavyweight title belts from 1933-41 as well.
A six-time All-Pro, Bronko retired from football in 1943 with 242 points scored on 4,301 yards rushing. The Bears retired his No. 3 to further honor his legacy. He would later retire to International Falls, where he owned and operated a filling station.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and in 1963, he was unanimously elected to charter membership in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1979, his no. 72 was retired by the U of M, and Sports Illustrated later named Bronko as Minnesota's Greatest Athlete of the Century. He was even named as the "Best Football Player of the First Half Century." A year after his death he was a member of the inaugural class of the M Club Hall of Fame in 1991.
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