Einar Magnus "Bill" Irgens (June 26, 1883 – October 28, 1947) was an American football player. A native of

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

, Norway, he played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) as a halfback and quarterback for the Minneapolis Marines. He appeared in 11 NFL games, seven as a starter, from 1921 to 1923.

Sav Rocca Saverio Giovanni Rocca (born 20 November 1973) is a retired Australian professional sportsman. He played Australian rules football for Collingwood and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League, and then switched to playing American f ...

is sometimes cited as the oldest NFL rookie at age 34. Irgens tops Rocca's mark by four years, having made his NFL debut at age 38. Irgens was also the first Norwegian-born player in the NFL. The second Norwegian-born player,

Halvor Hagen Halvor Reini Hagen (born February 4, 1947) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills. He was drafted in the third round of the 1969 NFL Draft ...

, did not debut in the NFL until 1975. In later years, Irgens worked as a painter in Minneapolis.World War II Draft Registration Card for Einar Magnus Irgens, born June 26, 1883, in Norway. Available at Ancestry.com. He died in 1947 in Minneapolis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irgens, Bill 1883 births 1947 deaths Sportspeople from Stavanger Minneapolis Marines players American football quarterbacks American football halfbacks