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The 20 Biggest Baddest Bears of All Time; #2 Bronko Nagurski
No. 2 Bronko Nagurski
Bronko Nagurski
Yet another Bears player of legendary status is Bronko Nagurski. His name points to the type of player he was, a one-man bull who wrecked his way into the Hall of Fame from his fullback position.
Nagurski was the ultimate power back in an era of much smaller players. Nagurski played in the leather helmet era and often led with his head, his shoulder or a forearm.
At 6’2”, 235 lbs, he was thick, muscular and strong during an era not known for weightlifting.
One legendary story (via The New York Times) attached to Nagurski has him “on a touchdown gallop against the Redskins, he is said to have knocked two linebackers in opposite directions, stomped over a defensive halfback and crushed an interferring (sic) safety man before caroming off the goalposts and finally crashing into the stadium's brick walls.”
Upon returning to the huddle for the extra-point try, he reportedly said: "That last guy hit me awfully hard."
He played on both offense and defense, and after one injury, was placed at offensive tackle, where he was named All-Pro at three non-kicking positions, the first player in the history of the NFL to achieve such an honor.
In Nagurski’s final season, he came back to the Bears after a stint on the pro wrestling circuit. With the Bears short on players in 1943 due to the soldiers leaving to fight in the war, Nagurski was asked to play. He played most of the game at tackle, but on the game’s final drive, was put back at his familiar fullback position.
With the game winding down, Nagurski took handoff after handoff, bowling through the line time and again for positive yards. Finally, he scored the game-winning touchdown, which sent the Bears into the NFL title game that year.
Nagurski was an NFL pioneer, the first of his kind as a power runner and would have been formidable in any era. Therefore, he earns the second overall spot in our countdown.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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You'll never see a multi pos player like that in todays era again. Maybe different parts of the OL, or RB/WR, but not OL/"Skill position"
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When you read through these stories one thing becomes clear. The Bears of the George Halas era were one of the most innovative teams in pro football.
Here's Nagurski who was the first power RB in the NFL. A 6'2" 235lb Jim Brown sized "bulldozer" in an era when many defensive players weighed 200lbs or less. Then there was Sid Luckman the first NFL QB to run the "modern T formation" which Clark Shaughnessey developed for Halas.
Following those two we had Bill George, the first of the modern day MLBs and then Ditka the first pass catching TE and a guy like Doug Atkins who was so dominating as a DE that he was one of the first defensive players teams had to scheme how to stop.
That's quite a colorful history and it's no wonder so many Bears players have been elected to the HOF. Many were the first of their kind at their position. You also gotta' love Nagurski's name. Was their ever a more suitable name for a Chicago Bears than "Bronko Nagurski"?
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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High Fives / Like - 2 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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I'd read that story about Nagurski. It was great I also read another and I think it was also about him. A player was asked what the best way to stop Nagurski was, and he responded something like "Shoot him before he enters the locker room".
I don't even remember if it was a teammate or opposing player, but obviously the guy was hard to stop.
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High Fives / Like - 1 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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I think a lot of more contemporary power RBs like Larry Csonka, John Riggins, Earl Campbell, Jim Taylor, and even the great Jim Brown can take a page out of "Bronk's" book of stylistic power running. Hell, you might can say Walter Payton could, too, because of the fact that Nagurski played and excelled at so many positions, much like Payton did.
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Originally Posted by
Dagan81 
I think a lot of more contemporary power RBs like Larry Csonka, John Riggins, Earl Campbell, Jim Taylor, and even the great Jim Brown can take a page out of "Bronk's" book of stylistic power running. Hell, you might can say Walter Payton could, too, because of the fact that Nagurski played and excelled at so many positions, much like Payton did.
I loved to watch Earl Campbell on Sunady Night Football. Man what a power house
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui844C3TQVI
The passion of a few, to rule the many, that's Washington D.C.. Where else was that said before, about whom?
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I watched some Barry Sanders highlights on there too. Both Campbell and Sanders were amazing backs. Sanders reminds me of what Sayers must've been like. I don't know how he and Walter Payton compare to each other simply because I don't think Sanders did as much with the operations of the offense as did Payton, but he was awesome. Campbell reminded me a little of Payton, only he was bigger and probably not as fast.
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Originally Posted by
Dagan81 I watched some Barry Sanders highlights on there too. Both Campbell and Sanders were amazing backs. Sanders reminds me of what Sayers must've been like. I don't know how he and Walter Payton compare to each other simply because I don't think Sanders did as much with the operations of the offense as did Payton, but he was awesome. Campbell reminded me a little of Payton, only he was bigger and probably not as fast.
I have to say BS is mysecond ALLTIME favorite player in the NFL. not Bears, NFL. He was AWSOME. Looking back a Farve he was good and all, but the class BS showed was never matched by BF. BF played with GB and I hate him BS played for detiolet and I like him. BF won against us ( the Bears) BS lost most times against us ( the Bears) yet I do respect him, for he LOVED WP.
The passion of a few, to rule the many, that's Washington D.C.. Where else was that said before, about whom?
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Originally Posted by
yttocs I have to say BS is mysecond ALLTIME favorite player in the NFL. not Bears, NFL. He was AWSOME. Looking back a Farve he was good and all, but the class BS showed was never matched by BF. BF played with GB and I hate him BS played for detiolet and I like him. BF won against us ( the Bears) BS lost most times against us ( the Bears) yet I do respect him, for he LOVED WP.
Man, I thought I was going to have to kill you if you said one time that you loved Brett Favre.
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Originally Posted by
Dagan81 Man, I thought I was going to have to kill you if you said one time that you loved Brett Favre.
Step away from the.......
The passion of a few, to rule the many, that's Washington D.C.. Where else was that said before, about whom?
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