Читать книгу The 50 Greatest Players in Chicago Bears History - Robert W. Cohen - Страница 27

Nagurski scored the first two touchdowns of his career during a 20–0 victory over the Minneapolis Red Jackets on October 5, 1930, scoring on runs of 8 and 2 yards.

Nagurski gave the Bears all the points they needed to defeat the Giants by a score of 12–0 on November 16, 1930, scoring the game’s only two touchdowns on a pair of short runs.

Nagurski’s 62-yard touchdown run highlighted a 26–13 win over the Chicago Cardinals on October 18, 1931.

Nagurski contributed to a 28–8 victory over the Giants on November 6, 1932, by completing a 55-yard touchdown pass to Red Grange.

Nagurski clinched a 9–0 win over the Packers on December 11, 1932, by recording a 56-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Nagurski led the Bears to a 17–14 win over the Portsmouth Spartans on November 26, 1933, by carrying the ball 18 times for 124 yards and one touchdown, which came on a game-winning 29-yard run in the fourth quarter, just moments after he committed a costly holding penalty on defense that enabled the Spartans to eventually take the lead. Angry with himself over his miscue, Nagurski returned the ensuing kickoff to the Chicago 45 yard line, after which he reportedly told his teammates in the huddle, “This is my fault. Give me the ball!” Playing like a man possessed, Nagurski subsequently proceeded to dole out punishment to the opposing defense until he ultimately recorded his 29-yard TD run in the closing moments.

Nagurski proved to be a huge factor in the Bears’ 23–21 victory over the Giants in the 1933 NFL championship game, carrying the ball 13 times for 64 yards and throwing a pair of TD passes.

Nagurski had a hand in all three touchdowns the Bears scored during their 24–10 win over the Packers in the opening game of the 1934 regular season, throwing a 7-yard TD pass to Bill Hewitt and recording a pair of touchdown runs, the longest of which covered 40 yards.

Nagurski’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Bill Hewitt late in the fourth quarter enabled the Bears to defeat the Detroit Lions by a score of 19–16 on November 29, 1934, with the victory clinching the Western Division title for Chicago.

Nagurski turned in the most memorable performance of his career nearly a decade later, with his extraordinary effort in the final game of the 1943 regular season enabling the Bears to clinch the Western Division title with a 35–24 victory over the Chicago Cardinals. After spending the entire season serving as a tackle on the offensive side of the ball, Nagurski returned to his more familiar position of fullback when the Bears found themselves trailing their arch-rivals by a score of 24–14 heading into the fourth quarter. Taking the game into his own hands, Nagurski ran for 84 yards and one touchdown in the final 15 minutes, leading the Bears to a come-from-behind win that earned them a berth in the NFL championship game. Looking back on his performance years later, Nagurski said, “That game gave me my greatest kick out of football.”