Bronislau Nagurski (1908 - 1990)

Born 3 Nov 1908 in Rainy River, Ontario, Canada

Died 7 Jan 1990 at age 81 in International Falls, Koochiching, Minnesota, United States

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Biography

Bronko Nagurski is Notable.

'Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski' was a Canadian-born American football player in the National Football League (NFL). He was renowned for his strength and size.

Bronislau Nagurski was born in Rainy River, River, Ontario, on 3 November 1908, to Ukrainian immigrants Michael Nagurski and Michelina Nagurski (her birth name was Nagurski).^[1]

In 1912 the family moved across the Canada-U.S. border to International Falls, Minnesota. In International Falls, Michael Nagurski worked in a saw mill for a time, then built a grocery store and later bought a farm to produce dairy products for the store. As a youth, Bronislau, the oldest son, worked on the farm and delivered groceries for the family business. He attended high school in International Falls, where his athletic ability was recognized and where he played on the school football team. The team won no games during his three years, although Bronislau was regarded as a team hero for scoring one touchdown (the school's first touchdown against another northern Minnesota team) in one of its losing games. Before his senior year he transferred to the high school in the larger northern Minnesota town of Bemidji in hopes of attracting notice from colleges. The International Falls coach was upset by the transfer, and arranged for his star player to be declared ineligible to play football in his senior year at Bemidji. Bronislau played basketball instead, and with the help of a Bemidji doctor who was impressed at his prowess, he got the attention of the University of Minnesota football coach, who recruited him to play football.^[2]

He entered the university as a freshman in 1926. In 1927, his first year playing football for Minnesota (in that era freshmen did not play varsity sports), he garnered significant public attention in a game against Notre Dame, then coached by the legendary Knute Rockne. In the 4th quarter, Bronko Nagurski broke through the Notre Dame line to block a punt and recover the subsequent fumble, allowing Minnesota to tie the game at 7-7, which was regarded as a major upset. Sportswriters praised him for his physical power and began to describe him as playing like a superman. As his fame grew, legends were created around him, attributing to him feats similar to those of legendary folk heroes like Paul Bunyan. Polish groups in Minnesota claimed him as a Polish hero, requiring him to protest that he was actually Ukrainian. ^[2]

In 1930, after Bronko Nagurski played his last collegiate football game, George Halas hired him to play for his Chicago Bears professional football team, paying him $5,000 a year. Nagurski was a star in the professional game, and his fame and legend grew. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Halas reduced his salary, and Nagurski went into professional wrestling to supplement his income from football.^[2]

He was among the first players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when it was established in 1963. He was a unanimous choice for the honor. ^[2]

Father: Nykolaj "Mike George" Nagurski^[3]
Mother: Michelina Jaman^[4]

Married Eileen Kane^[5] on 28 Dec 1936

Children:
Bronko K Nagurski 1937 Minnesota^[6]

Research Notes

The image of Bronko Nagurski at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bronko_Nagurski.jpg is not free to republish, but it may be possible to get permission for its use from the Chicago Historical Museum. See according to the index at:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20100527163716/http://memory.loc.gov:8081/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/copyres.html for details. This is image SDN-0068904 *https://web.archive.org/web/20100528105306/http://memory.loc.gov:8081/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/cdnsp4e.html

Sources

1. ↑ Tarapacki, Thomas. Bronko Nagurski: Was he Polish or not?. The Am-Pol Eagle (Cheektowaga, New York), accessed online, published January 4, year not indicated.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Britz, Kevin. “Of Football and Frontiers: The Meaning of Bronko Nagurski.” Journal of Sport History, vol. 20, no. 2, 1993, pp. 101–126. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43609928. Accessed 2 Feb. 2021.
3. ↑ Mike George Nagurski on Find A Grave: Memorial #113340088 accessed on 16 Jan 2020
4. ↑ Michelina Nagurski on Find A Grave: Memorial #113340053 accessed on 16 Jan 2020
5. ↑ Eileen Kane Nagurski on Find A Grave: Memorial #97722232 accessed on 16 Jan 2020
6. ↑ Bronko K Nagurski on Find A Grave: Memorial #66650060 accessed on 16 Jan 2020

See also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #5745 accessed on 16 Jan 2020
• Wikipedia: Bronko Nagurski
• This WikiTree profile is referenced from Wikidata: Item Q927663, en:Wikipedia
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVS1-DNP5 : accessed 16 January 2020), Bronislau Or Bronko Nagurski, SouthWest Central, Oklahoma, United States, 09 Jan 1990; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Tulsa World, born-digital text.
• "Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V4WV-R29 : 4 December 2014), Bronislau Nagurski, 07 Jan 1990; from "Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2001); citing Koochiching, Minnesota, record 2343395, certificate number 001452, Minnesota Department of Health, Minneapolis.
• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JYFP-LPP : 20 May 2014), Bronko Nagurski, Jan 1990; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
• "Ontario Births, 1869-1912," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV9H-718X : 16 July 2017), Bronislaw Nagurski, 04 Nov 1908; citing Birth, Rainy River, Rainy River, Ontario, Canada, citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,358,407.
• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWBQ-R9H : accessed 16 January 2020), Brones Nagurski in household of Mike Nagurski, International Falls, Koochiching, Minnesota, United States; citing ED 52, sheet 9A, line 5, family 174, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 842; FHL microfilm 1,820,842.
  • Note: name is Brones Nagurski
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X383-9BB : accessed 16 January 2020), Bronko Nagurski in household of Mickel Nagurski, Koochiching, Koochiching, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 25, sheet 1B, line 97, family 20, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1102; FHL microfilm 2,340,837.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSL7-BWM : 25 November 2019), Bronko Nagurski in household of William Kane, Ward 3, International Falls, International Falls City, Koochiching, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 36-19B, sheet 3B, line 67, family 51, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1931.