Bronko: The Legendary Story of the NFL's Greatest Two-Way Fullback

Bronko is the definitive biography of NFL legend Bronko Nagurski. A small-town athlete from the plains of Minnesota, Bronko became one of the greatest players in NFL history. He led the Chicago Bears to success on the gridiron as a larger-than-life personality, helping raise the popularity of the fledgling league during the Great Depression.

ISBN-13: 9781538150627

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers - Inc.

Publication Date: 08-10-2022

Pages: 280

Product Dimensions: 6.29(w) x 9.36(h) x 0.89(d)

Chris Willis is the head of the Research Library at NFL Films. He is the author of multiple books on professional football, including The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr; Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians: How a Dog Kennel Owner Created the NFL’s Most Famous Traveling Team; and Red Grange: The Life and Legacy of the NFL’s First Superstar, all published by Rowman & Littlefield. Willis was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for his work on the HBO documentary The Game of Their Lives and won an Emmy in 2016 for his work on HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Houston Texans. He was awarded the Professional Football Researchers Association’s Ralph Hay award for lifetime achievement in pro football research and historiography in 2012. He lives in Audubon, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Tony Nagurski, son of Bronko Nagurski Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: A Better Life Chapter 2: Bronislaw to Bronko Chapter 3: International Falls Chapter 4: School of Hard Knocks Chapter 5: On His Own Chapter 6: Off to College Chapter 7: Mr. All-American Chapter 8: Eileen Chapter 9: East-West Shrine Game Chapter 10: Joining the Chicago Bears Chapter 11: State of the National Football League Chapter 12: Rookie Chapter 13: On the Doorstep Chapter 14: NFL Champions! Chapter 15: I’ll Try Wrestling Chapter 16: Back-to-Back Chapter 17: Not a Hollywood Star Chapter 18: Sneakers Spoil Perfection Chapter 19: Lost Season Chapter 20: Return to Glory Chapter 21: Wrestling Champion of the World Chapter 22: Double Duty Chapter 23: Stepping Away & Fatherhood Chapter 24: Returning to the Bears Chapter 25: Goodbye to Football Chapter 26: Nagurski’s Pure Servicenter Chapter 27: Pro Football Hall of Fame Chapter 28: Hard Working Family Chapter 29: Super Bowl XVIII Coin Toss Chapter 30: Losing Bronko Chapter 31: The Legacy of Bronko Nagurski Notes Bibliography Index About the Author Show More