Presented is a 1944 Bronko Nagurski coaching contract with UCLA. Nagurski signed his name in blue fountain pen as “Second Party” at the left center of a the third page of the 8½ x 13-inch white onionskin contract with the University of California-Los Angeles to be the “Assistant Varsity Football (Backfield) Coach” for the Bruins beginning July 1, 1944 and ending January 2, 1945. The three-page typewritten contract stipulates that Nagurski will be paid $700 a month for five months with a total $3,500 salary. 

There are three additional signatures, in black pen, on the third page from “William C. Ackerman”, the Graduate Manager of the football team, “Geo. F. Taylor”, the Business Manager, and “Donald J. Hitchcock”, the UCLA Student Body President. The contract is inscribed “March 24, 1944” in black fountain pen in the lower right of the third page. The contract is folded in half and mounted in 9 x 13½-inch blue cover sheet. This Nagurski-signed contract is accompanied by a two-page typewritten letter to Nagurski on UCLA Bruins Associated Students 8½ x 11-inch letterhead from Ackerman, dated March 23, 1944 with details of the contract, and an undated two-page handwritten letter in black fountain pen to Nagurski on UCLA Bruins Associated Students 8½ x 11-inch letterhead from UCLA line coach Ray Richardson asking Nagurski if he would be interested in a coaching position with the Bruins football program.

Accompanying the contract and letters is the September 1944 issue of “The U.C.L.A. Magazine” with a cover story on Nagurski joining the Bruins football coaching staff. The 24-page, 8 ½ x 11 ½-inch white paper booklet features red printing on the front and back cover, and black printing throughout, including a feature on page 4, “Grid Future Bright”. Inserted in the alumni magazine are four loose magazine pages that include a page of photos of Ray Richards, and a three-page story, “Meet the Bronk” from the October, 1944 issue of “The U.C.L.A. Magazine”. Also included is a 3 x 5-inch black & white photograph of a photo of Nagurski in light sweatshirt, pants and football shoes kneeling, taken while he was the backfield coach at UCLA in 1944. In 1943, with the Chicago Bears losing so many players to World War II, Nagurski came out of retirement to play tackle. He remained at the position until he returned to fullback against the Chicago Cardinals, whom the Bears needed to defeat to advance to the 1943 NFL Championship Game; Nagurski scored a touchdown in the game as the Bears won 35–24. Chicago went on to win the 1943 title after beating the Washington Redskins 41–21, while Nagurski scored on a three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He retired again after the 1943 season and became the backfield coach for the UCLA Bruins. After one year, he resigned from his position with the Bruins to return to farming. Two years later he returned to football for a brief time as general manager of the Sylvan Park Dead Cherokees, a semi-pro team in Tennessee. This item comes with a LOA from the Nagurski family.

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