Bronko Nagurski fans have another thing to be proud about.
An entire day, actually.
In conjunction with Nagurski being named a Big Ten Icon, Sept. 25 will be Bronko Nagurski Day in the state of Minnesota.
The University of Minnesota, where Nagurski starred from 1927-29, will host a bundle of events on that Saturday in honor of the legendary football giant. All of the events will be coordinated around the Gophers football game at 7:30 p.m. that night against Northern Illinois at TCF Bank Stadium.
“That’s going to be a really exciting day,” said Tony Nagurski, one of Bronko’s six children.
The entire family, including the six children and 18 grandchildren, are expected to attend Saturday’s festivities in what the Nagurski’s are calling a glorified family reunion. Tony is expecting a big turnout from the family.
“It was a great honor first of all that my father was selected as the icon, considering all the All-Americans and great athletes the University has had in all sports,” Tony said. “Now to have a day strictly for him, this is tremendous.”
The entire Nagurski family will be wearing commemorative Bronko football jerseys, featuring the legendary No. 79 in maroon and gold. A jersey will also be raffled off by Ed Oerichbauer, the director of Koochiching County Museums. Oerichbauer will also be displaying Bronko’s replica NFL Hall of Fame ring at the stadium, which is still the largest size (19 1/2) that ring manufacture LG Balfour has ever made.
Among Saturday’s other attractions at TCF Bank Stadium:
• A 6-foot Bronko Nagurski bobble head statue, along with the historic “Bronko Plow” will be displayed on the plaza for fans to view and take pictures with.
• Nagurski family members will be at the end of the Gopher Victory Walk to welcome the team into the stadium.
• The first 5,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive a commemorative button, the third in a series of seven for each home game this season.
• “Bronko Nagurski: A Minnesota Icon,” presentation with Nagurski family members will take place at halftime. Bronko will be honored and family members will be presented with the Proclamation of “Bronko Nagurski Day” in Minnesota from the Governor’s office.
• Bronko will be the feature of the university’s “Golden Moments” piece on the video board during the game. Various Bronko fun facts will be displayed throughout the game, including stories of the plow and how Bronko was discovered and how he ended up at the U of M.
“Big Ten Icons,” the Big Ten Network’s new 20-episode series hosted by legendary sports broadcaster Keith Jackson, will debut Sept. 18. New episodes every Tuesday night will continue to countdown throughout football season and into the spring. The No. 1 icon will be revealed around the 2011 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Icons 50 through 25 have already been revealed online, including former Gophers Bobby Bell (football) at No. 40 and Neil Broten (hockey) at No. 31. Four more icons will be revealed prior to the show’s on-air launch date Saturday.
The top-50 list and the order are being determined by a panel of on-air talent, network executives, conference officials and long-time Big Ten observers, based on each individual’s Big Ten playing career.
As a Gopher, Bronko is still the only collegiate player ever to be named a consensus All-American in the same year at two different positions — fullback and defensive tackle. He also made the All-Big Ten squad as a defensive tackle in 1929. He was a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
