Added this new Bronko Nagurski

[S_GERACE]

Hi John,
I'm not knocking Jim Dent at all. From what I've read, Nagurski was a very private person and it had to be hard to come up with enough material to warrant a book on him, even though he was/is very deserving of it. Strong's run was pretty cool (around the right side of the Giants line, right?)

I can't tell you guys how much fun it is to talk old football. I wish the NFL pushed it's history like MLB!
Regards,
Scott

P.S.-Thanks for the kind words on my card.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Hi Scott,

Here's the clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdXsV4veLWI

It's really loaded with plays - much better than the one on the 37 game because it includes so many non-scoring plays esp. Nagurski runs - those are pretty hard to find.

Right, Nagurski was a tough interview - Myron Cope tried to get him for his book and he said "I don't have time to reminisce".

I loved seeing Dent introduce Nagurski in the NFL Top 100 and I think he did a nice job, but I still feel let down by the book. In the book's intro, Dent says that he interviewed Nagurski's sister and Okie Miller and that Chris Willis from NFL films sent him lots of material, etc. so there was a lot of potential there. But after some fact checking, I kind of view it like the Friday Night Lights movie with Nagurski as Boobie Miles. Some of what was in there about Miles checked out historically and some didn't. The main difference is I expect that from Hollywood, but I didn't expect it from a biography - it kind of snuck up on me. To be fair though, trying to write a book that does justice to the character described in this scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-IHxD_4JP0

isn't an enviable task, so you have to cut him some slack

[S_GERACE]

I'll second that Dez! Actually, I just watched it again, the long run at the end was up the gut. Thanks for the link.

[jefferyepayne]

Incredible footage of Nags on the run. What a bull he was. It does help that for whatever reason a popular tackling tactic was to throw your body at the runner instead of arm tackling him. People just bounce off Nags!

jeff

Great Nagurski footage, cards, stories, and assorted memorabilia throughout this thread! Thank you guys

[revmoran]

According to this website Nagurski did not start wrestling until 1933 http://www.bronkonagurski.com/

The Albert Richard Coat Company used the All American footballs teams in its advertising for quite a few years and issued booklets and several groups of photo premiums. Probably the best was a set of 9" by 12" portraits of the 1929 All American team which included Chris Cagle and Bronko Nagurski - here is the Nagurski premium

[Hot Springs Bathers]

I am a huge Jim Dent fan but I have always felt the Nagurski book was his weak effort. Dent has gone through some very dark times in his personal life and I think this book comes from one of his bad periods. It may have been written while he was in prison?

[TanksAndSpartans]

Hey Mike, (Hot Springs Bathers), On Dent, that's what Dan Daly mentions in the earlier link I gave, how in 2003, Dent was sent to prison for violating probation on a drunk-driving conviction, so he definitely correlates the two events (prison/Nagurski book issues) and likely rightfully so. The part I don't get is I thought the quality of writing was great (if you read that intro - that really sounds like a person who was passionate about the subject matter) - but it was the embellishment that was a bit over the top and nagged at me from the back of my mind as I later read other books (the Bears playing barefoot at the end of the sneakers game, the mismatches with Joseph Page's book on pre SB championships, etc., etc.). For fact checking - I would have thought someone other than the author would be tasked with that. I didn't even know about Daly's post until recently - I read the book a while back, but it was on my Kindle and I went back to it and then started Googling myself to see if I could find support for a few things and ran across Daly's blog.


Thanks Mike (revmoran) - nice premium and great website - I esp. liked the "Cultural Recognition" section - of course my memory could be going since I know we've discussed Wheaties boxes a few times, but I never recall seeing that Nagurski box before.....