Bud Nygren
Personal information
Born:(1918-11-14)November 14, 1918
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died:December 26, 1984(1984-12-26) (aged 66)
San Jose, California
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College:Gustavus Adolphus, San Jose State
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:111
Receiving yards:170
Touchdowns:1

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.

Early years

Born in Minneapolis, Nygren attended Forest Lake Area High School, graduating in 1936, where he was a multi-sport athlete. He 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] In September 1940 he was named the NBC National Player of the Week. 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. (These were also the first points ever scored by any Los Angeles professional sports franchise.) 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]

High School Hall of Fame

Bud Nygren was a 2012 inductee to the Forest Lake Area High School Arts & Athletics Hall of Fame.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bernie Nygren". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Nygren Not Returning to Coach Football at COS". Tulare Advance Register. March 15, 1951. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "New Grid Dodgers: Bernie (Bud) Nygren". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 2, 1947. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Nygren Signs As New Tartar Football Coach". Visalia Times. June 2, 1948. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Dons Defeat Dodgers". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 1946. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Dons Trade Nygren For Star Lineman". Valley Times. April 24, 1947. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Nygren Named Head Coach Of SD High School". Visalia Times. May 23, 1951. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Hall of Fame / 2012 Inductees".
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