Evening star., 1938-08-09
GRID MIND BACKS
BRONK0'S POWER
Vet, Natural, in Game,
Would Have Been Best at
End, Coach Spears Says.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.
Special Correspondent of The Star.

BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent of The Star.
NEW YORK. Aug. 9.-Bronko Ma
gurski's decision to stick to wrestling
in the fall and go on a mat tour Of
the world takes him out of football
for the first time in 16 years.
Eight years he spent with the Chi
cago Bears in the National Profess
sional League. and back cf those were
four years at Minnesota and four at
high school in International Falls.
MINI. That's a lorg time for fellow
to play football. and maybe the Bronx
was slowing up a little these last
couple of years.
But he could have slowed up a lot
more and still been million miles
ahead of most football PLAYERS.
In Minnesota they say Nagurski
was the greatest football player that
ever lived. That's claiming lot for
any man. remembering Thorpe. Hes
ton, Heffelfinger, Eckersall, Grange
Baugh, Hinkey. Frank. Dutch Clark
and few more But NagurSki be-
longs in that group and, if I were
picking an all-time. all-star backfield
I would place Clark at quarterback
Grange and Thorpe at the halves and
Nagurski at fullback.
Ran His Own Interference.
Steve Owen, who has looked at
many a great football player, says
that Bronko is the only back he ever
saw who ran his own interference.
He never needed any blockers out
in front of him." Steve said He'd
Just butt the tacklers out Of his way
and stomp on EN-. I've seen him
play lot and I don't think l ever
saw one man bring him down. The
. usual way was for four or five of them
to throw themselves on him and then
be dragged along for or 10 yards
before they could stop him"
Bronko had very little coaching be-
fore he entered Minnesota. He came
from one of those give me the ball.
coach!" high schools. where the big
gest kid on the squad calls for the ball
and gets it most of the time and the
other kids do the best they can to
help him on his way. But he had a
natural gift for playing football. and
Doc Spears. who was coaching at Min
nesota when he arrived there. discov-
cred he could use him anywhere.
Bronko Has Coach's Mind.
He has a coach's mind" Doc once
said of him. "and he's as smart as a
mule in a field. Ever watch a mule
in a field? He sees everything that
goes on. If rabbit pops out of a
bush, he sees it. If bird flies off a
tree, he sees it. He doesn't miss a
thing. And that's the way Bronko is
on the football field He spots every
move made by an opposing player and
diagnoses the enemy attack or defense
instantly"
AS freshman Nagurski played full
back. but. when he moved up to the
varsity the following year-that was
1927-there was no room for him at
fullback. for that was the senior year
of Herb Joesting. one of the greatest
plungers the Gophers ever have had.
That didn't disturb Nagurski in the
least He filled in at one end or the
other until Haycraft and Tanner. the
best pair of ends in the conference.
had completely recovered from injuries
suffered in practice and were clicking
again
Then he moved over to tackle as a
substitute for either Gary or Nader.
Versatile Player in 1928.
Joesting having been graduated. Ma
gurski began the 1928 season at full
back, but the line buckled and he was
moved up to tackle post. Later. when
the backfield sageed, he was shunted
again to fullback. Against Iowa that
year he played both positions. starting
at tackle and being moved back after
Bill Glasgow's field goal put Iowa in
the lead, 3 to 0. The first time he car
ried the ball he ran 43 yards, mainly
by himself, for touchdown.
He was showing Minnesota rooters a
new type of plunging. Joesting had
hit the opposing line with sharp
crack that splintered it, and had spun
on for long gains. Bronko tore the
line to shreds and then carried the
remnants along with him. Having put
the Gophers in the lead. he had to
60 up in the line to protect that lead.
Burt Ingwerson. coaching Iowa. was
too smart to direct his plays at
Bronko's side of the line. He sent
Oran Pape around the other side and
Pape. one of the fastest men in the
Big Ten. ran for touchdown in the
final minute of plav and Minnesota
was beaten. 9 to 7. But Naeurski was
the greatest player on the field that
day-and the greatest player in the
conference
Would Have Made Great End.
That same year. when Minnesota
beat Wisconsin, s to 0. to keep it from
moving into tie for the conference
championship, he gave another great
show He recovered Wisconsin FUN
BILE deep in Minnesota's S territory, car
ried the ball nine times in a drive
down the field. and finally took it
over the line. His defensive play from
there on, including the interception OF
several passes. stopped the Badgers
cold.
In 1929 he played most of his time
at fullback, but, when they needed
him in the line, he was sent up
there-and there wasn't a fullback
or a tackle in the country tn cononare