Norman B. Purucker (June 24, 1917 – November 12, 2014) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player.

Early years

A native of

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

, Purucker was the son of Frederick Purucker, a pipe fitter at a steel mill, who later worked as a meat cutter at a market. The family moved to

Boardman, Ohio Boardman Township is one of the fourteen townships of Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 40,213 at the 2020 census. A suburb directly south of Youngstown, it is the second largest municipality in the Youngstown–Warren met ...

, while Purucker was a child. He attended

Boardman High School Boardman High School is a high school in Boardman Township, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Boardman Local School District. Athletic teams compete as the Boardman Spartans in the Ohio High School Athletic Association as a ...

where he was a star in football, basketball and track and field. ''

The Vindicator ''The Vindicator'' is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio, United States and the Mahoning County region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. ''The Vindicator'' was established in 1869. As of September 1, 2019 ...

'' called him "the greatest all-around athlete in Boardman history." In 1980, he became the first person inducted into the Boardman High School Hall of Fame.

University of Michigan

Purucker enrolled at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and played at the halfback and punter positions for the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...

team from 1936 to 1938. He was also a sprinter on the Michigan track team in 1938 and 1939.

Professional football

Purucker signed with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

in June 1939. but was released in September 1939 after reporting late due to his attendance at summer classes at Michigan. He filed a $2,000 lawsuit against the Packers that he had been promised $175 per game, regardless of whether he played. Purucker further alleged that he was released after sustaining an injury in a game against the Texas All-Stars.

Later years

In January 1942, Purucker was accepted as a physical instructor with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He later worked as a real estate broker and income tax consultant. He died in

, in 2014 at age 97.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purucker, Norm 1917 births 2014 deaths American football halfbacks Michigan Wolverines football players Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio People from Boardman, Ohio Sportspeople from Mahoning County, Ohio United States Navy personnel of World War II