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Laddar... Monster of the Midway: Bronko Nagurski, the 1943 Chicago Bears, and the Greatest Comeback Everav Jim Dent
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Jim Dent's Monster of the Midway is the story of football's fiercest competitor, the legendary Bronko Nagurski. From his discovery in the middle of a Minnesota field to his 1943 comeback season at Wrigley, from the University of Minnesota to the Hall of Fame, Bronko Nagurksi's life is a story of grit, hard work, passion, and, above all, an unstoppable drive to win. Monster of the Midway recounts Nagurski's unparalleled triumphs during the 1930s and '40s, when the Chicago Bears were the kings of professional football. From 1930, the Bronk's first year, through 1943, his last, the Bears won five NFL titles and played in four other NFL Championship Games. Focusing on Nagurski's 1943 comeback season, and how he miraculously led the Bears to their fourth NFL championship against the backdrop of World War II era Chicago, Jim Dent uncovers the riveting drama of Nagurski's playingdays. His efforts were the stuff of legend, and his success in 1943 accomplished in spite of a battered frame, worn-out knees, multiple cracked ribs, and a broken bone in his lower back.While chronicling the drama of the '43 championship chase, Dent also tells of both the Bears' colorful early years and Bronko's improbable rise to fame from the backwoods of northern Minnesota. Woven into the narrative are the sights and smells and sounds of one of the most romantic, flavorful eras of the twentieth century. And laced through it all are stories of legend: Bronko rubbing shoulders with colorful characters like George Halas, Red Grange, Sid Luckman, and Sammy Baugh; Bronko running into (and breaking) the brick wall at Wrigley Field; Bronko winning All-American spots for two positions; Bronko knocking scores of opponents unconscious; and Bronko reaching the heights of football glory and, with rare grace, turning his back on the game after winning his last championship.Rich in unforgettable stories and scenes, this is Jim Dent's account of Bronko Nagurski-arguably the greatest football player who ever lived-and his teammates, the roughest, toughest, rowdiest group of players ever to don leather helmets, and the original Monsters of the Midway. Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
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Bronko played fullback and line backer for the Bears at a time when men were really men—players played both offense and defense, and two of his teammates even distained helmets (!), not that the leather versions of the time provided all that much protection. And Bronko was the baddest (and nearly the biggest) member of the rough gangs recruited and exploited to play pro football by the likes of George Halas (Bears), Curley Lambeau (Packers), and George Preston Marshall (Redskins).
Although not nearly as “nifty” a runner as his teammate Red Grange, Bronko was very tough to bring down once he got going. Dent relates an incident when Nagurski broke several tackles, ran out of bounds, and then collided with and knocked down a policeman’s horse that happened to be standing along the sideline! Bronko himself remembered the hardest hit he sustained as a runner as the time he broke several more tackles, burst over the goal line, only to be stopped short by the brick wall at Wrigley Field’s north end. On returning to the huddle for the extra point try, he reportedly said: "That last guy hit me awfully hard." Nagurski seems to have run with his head down much of the time.
The NFL players of the 1930’s did not make much money, and Bronko retired from football after playing from 1930-37 to pursue a professional wrestling career. Wrestling wasn’t much of a career either in those days, and so when the Bears called the Bronk in 1943 to supplement their war-depleted roster, he decided to give it another shot. Because his knees and back had undergone substantial deterioration, he felt unable to play fullback, but was still up to contributing at offensive and defensive tackle. The Bears won most of their games that year, but needed a victory against their cross town rivals (the Chicago football Cardinals) in the final game to qualify for the league championship.
The Bears were trailing in the second half, and desperately needed some spark on offense. In the “Greatest Comeback Ever,” Bronko switched back to playing fullback, and ground out the yardage for two winning touchdowns. The following week, he was still at fullback and still unstoppable, leading the Bears to a 41-21 victory over Sammy Baugh and the Washington Redskins for the league championship.
Dent frequently resorts to hyperbole (maybe he forgot that Michael Jordan “came back” to win three championships), but it is all in good fun. I enjoyed reading about some of the not quite star players (Mainiaci, Manders, Osmanski, Musso, and Turner), whose exploits had been the subject of some of my father’s regaling. Most especially, I enjoyed reading about Bronko’s chief rival for best fullback of the era, Clarke Hinkle, who was my father’s college football coach. A perfect book for a 10-16 year old sports nut, and not a bad one for us older fans.