Hall of Fame professional football player and pro wrestler. Bronko Nagurski was probably best known for his accomplishments on the football field but also rose to the top of the wrestling world. Born in 1908 in the small border town of Rainy River, Ontario to parents Michael and Amelia Nagurski, the youngster grew up an athlete in Minnesota, having to run four miles each day to school and back to the family farm, where he lived with his parents and three siblings. He loved wrestling and boxing as a teen, but his mother tried to dissuade him, frightened that he might get hurt. But Bronko wouldn't be stopped. He was an All-American at the University of Minnesota from 1927 to 1929 and was the only player in U.S. college history to make all-star at two positions -- fullback and tackle. In 1930, he was signed by George Halas to the Chicago Bears and helped the Bears to championships in 1932 and 1933. The tenacity paid off in the wrestling ring too. Nagurski hit his peak during the late '30s, and early '40s, when he held the NWA World title twice, beating Lou Thesz on June 23, 1939, for his first win. Nagurski would lose the title to Ray Steel on March 7, 1940, and regain it from Steele a year later on March 11, 1941. Sandor Szabo finally took the gold from Nagurksi on June 5, 1941. Nagurski retired from wrestling in 1960 a physical wreck, and for the last years of his life, he ran a gas station in International Falls, Minnesota. He died on Jan 8, 1990. Nagurski married his childhood sweetheart Eileen Kane on December 28, 1936, and the couple had a child on Christmas Day 1937, who they named after his father. Bronko Nagurski died of cardiac arrest at age 81 in 1990.
Hall of Fame professional football player and pro wrestler. Bronko Nagurski was probably best known for his accomplishments on the football field but also rose to the top of the wrestling world. Born in 1908 in the small border town of Rainy River, Ontario to parents Michael and Amelia Nagurski, the youngster grew up an athlete in Minnesota, having to run four miles each day to school and back to the family farm, where he lived with his parents and three siblings. He loved wrestling and boxing as a teen, but his mother tried to dissuade him, frightened that he might get hurt. But Bronko wouldn't be stopped. He was an All-American at the University of Minnesota from 1927 to 1929 and was the only player in U.S. college history to make all-star at two positions -- fullback and tackle. In 1930, he was signed by George Halas to the Chicago Bears and helped the Bears to championships in 1932 and 1933. The tenacity paid off in the wrestling ring too. Nagurski hit his peak during the late '30s, and early '40s, when he held the NWA World title twice, beating Lou Thesz on June 23, 1939, for his first win. Nagurski would lose the title to Ray Steel on March 7, 1940, and regain it from Steele a year later on March 11, 1941. Sandor Szabo finally took the gold from Nagurksi on June 5, 1941. Nagurski retired from wrestling in 1960 a physical wreck, and for the last years of his life, he ran a gas station in International Falls, Minnesota. He died on Jan 8, 1990. Nagurski married his childhood sweetheart Eileen Kane on December 28, 1936, and the couple had a child on Christmas Day 1937, who they named after his father. Bronko Nagurski died of cardiac arrest at age 81 in 1990.
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Nagurski memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
