His senior year he transferred to Bemidji High School in hopes of securing a college football scholarship, but was declared ineligible because of the transfer, so he played on their basketball team. Nagurski Jr. was born in International Falls on Christmas Day, 1937, and he went on to play offensive tackle for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in college. He was son of the famed National Football League player Bronko Nagurski. Bronko Nagurski, Jr. (December 25, 1937 – March 7, 2011) was an American offensive tackle in the Canadian Football League.

Associated With He and Dave Winfield were named by Sports Illustrated as two of the four greatest athletes in Minnesota state history. The son of NFL Hall of Fame player and pro wrestler Bronko Nagurski, he played collegiate football at the University of Notre Dame before being selected by the San Francisco 49ers during the 10th round of the 1959 NFL Draft. Athletic from a young age, Bronko played both football and basketball in high school. Gophers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. poses with Ron and Jane Nagurski at an event for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy in Charlotte, N.C. on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. Bronko Nagurski Jr. died of cancer at the age of 73 Monday night in International Falls, Minn., leaving Big Ang to mourn a man he'd called a close ... ADVERTISEMENT search

Bronko Nagurski Jr., son of legendary football star Bronko Nagurski and a noted football player in his own right, has died in International Falls at the age of 73. He fathered a son, Bronko Nagurski Jr., in 1937, one year after marrying his childhood sweetheart, Eileen Kane. (Courtesy of University or Minnesota)