Bud Nygren
Bernard Clifford "Bud" Nygren (November 14, 1918 – December 26, 1984) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at San Jose State and professional football for the Los Angeles Dons and Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the head football coach at College of the Sequoias from 1948 to 1950.
Personal information | |||||||
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Born: | Minneapolis, Minnesota | November 14, 1918||||||
Died: | December 26, 1984 66) San Jose, California | (aged||||||
Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
College: | Gustavus Adolphus, San Jose State | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
As player: | |||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
As coach: | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early years
Born in Minneapolis, Nygren began playing college football at Gustavus Adolphus College.[1] He then transferred to San Jose State where he was selected as a Little All-American in 1940 and led the All-California Coast Conference in scoring.[2][3] He also received varsity letters in basketball and track and ran the 100 in 9.9 seconds.[3][4]
He served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II.[2]
Professional football
In 1946, Nygren played professional football in the All-America Football Conference as a right halfback for the Los Angeles Dons.[1] On September 13, 1946, Nygren scored the first points in Los Angeles Dons team history on a touchdown pass from quarterback Charlie O'Rourke. With the ball at the Dons' 40-yard line, Nygren caught the ball at the Brooklyn 30-yard line and ran the remaining distance to the end zone.[5] Nygren was a two-way player who was known as an "exceptional defender against passes."[3]
In April 1947, the Dons traded Nygren to the Brooklyn Dodgers.[6] He appeared in only one game for the Dodgers.[1]
Coaching career
After leaving the Dodgers, Nygren served as the freshman football coach at San Jose State in 1947. He next serve as the head football coach at Visalia Junior College/College of the Sequoias from 1948 to 1950.[4][2] He became the head football coach at Grossmont High School in San Diego in 1951.[7]
References
- "Bernie Nygren". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- "Nygren Not Returning to Coach Football at COS". Tulare Advance Register. March 15, 1951. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- "New Grid Dodgers: Bernie (Bud) Nygren". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 2, 1947. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Nygren Signs As New Tartar Football Coach". Visalia Times. June 2, 1948. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Dons Defeat Dodgers". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 1946. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Dons Trade Nygren For Star Lineman". Valley Times. April 24, 1947. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Nygren Named Head Coach Of SD High School". Visalia Times. May 23, 1951. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.