The Washington times., 1929-11-05
Bic GOPHER
POWERFUL
PLlJNGER

LOIVOEI
Out in the Middle West they
take their football seriously, and
they're mighty partisan. An
Illinois man can't sec anybody
but Bob Zuppke and his gang Of
Llini champions. At Ohio State
there's nobody to compare with
Holman, Fesler and the other
Buckeye stars.
4 But there's one man playing
Big Ten football, and playing 1T
SO well that he is being ranked
as one of the greatest players OF
all time, to whom all the rest OF
the conference take off their
hats and admit him as their
He is Bronko Nagurski, the
206-pound, 6 feet 2 inch fullbacK
OF "Doc' Spears Minnesota
Gophers, the husky farm boy who
is expected to lead Spears team
to the Big Ten championship
this year.
Ohio State has great fullback
in Holcomb, and there are 1eW
better line-smaSherS than ThomaS,
Of Iowa, and Humbert, OF Illinois,
vet there isn't fan in the Middle
West who will admit that any OF
these players so much as ap-
proacheS the mighty NagurSki.
He is another Herb JOest-
ing, better even than JOesting,
says doc" Spears.
q Nagurski has played tackle for
Minnesota and has been called
the best tackle in the conference,
and he has also played end and
guard with the Gophers. He IS
at fullback now because that is
the Minnesota eleven'S weakest
position If he doesn't fill it, and
it is at fullback that Nagurski is
certain to star for the remainder
OF the season.
The mighty Bronko, who was
chriStened Bronko because he
looked so much like horse when
Ahe was born, was first discovered
by Spears on the freshman squad
in the spring of 1925. He told
Spears he had played fullback at
high school, but DOC" put him
at end with the yearlingS and
only occasionally allowed him to
play in the backfield.
At the start of the 1927 sea-
son, Haycraft and Tanner, the
Gophers great pair of wingmen,
were slow getting started, so
Nagurski went in at end. He
played two games and was then
switched to tackle against Wis
consin to take the place of Mae
, der, the veteran left tackle, who
had been hurt.
After the game Glenn This
tIethWaite met Spears and
said: "Say, Doc, that fellow
NagurSki you've got IS the
best tackle in the conference"
Last year Spears still had Hay
craft and Tanner for his ends,
and he had two fine tackles in
johnson and Ukkleberg, but he
needed fullback to replace Herb
.Joesting. So Bronko played full
back against Purdue's Boiler
Ianakers. He did so well he was
Vsent against Chicago and then
against Iowa, He played the
Iowa game with a badly injured
back as a result of kick early
in the contest. But he went right
ahead, and when the North
western game came along the
following weekend, he Subhed for
johnson at left tackle and again
put in busy afternoon.
\ When the final game Of the
season against Wisconsin came.
along, Johnson was better, so
back to the fullback job went
Bronko. And it was . splendid
exhibition which this husky farm
boy gave at Madison. He ripped,
tore and battered his way through
the Badgers for the lone touch
down which beat Wisconsin. He
won for the Gophers and knocked
the Badgers out Of the conference
race.
At the start Of this season
: rKakkela and Langenberg, the reg
ular tackles, were a bit slow get
ting ready, so NagtIrSki played as
tackle until they were. When
the Northwestern game came
along he returned to the back
field, and once more ne shattered
the opposjtion's defense. Phar-
raer did most of Minnesota'S Scof-
ing, but it was Nagurski who
made the scoring possible.
Joesting was a great back,
but although Doc" Spears
' won't admit it because JOeSt-
in9 was his particular pride
= and joy, out in the Middle
West they acclaim NagurSki
rs even better than the great
Herb.
He is a better all-around
player, a more intelligent one.
j. .Joesting could hit the line as
hard and tnflict as much damage
as Nagurski. but he wasn't the
defensive player Bronko is, nor
was he as versatile as Bronko.
Unless tackle or Erl end. or
4. perhaps a guard is needed later
NJ ttaa aaaaoy1 Na0ItrSki will hold