QB Bill Mrukowski (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

Quarterback of Ohio State?s 1961 team dies at 70
Wednesday May 9, 2012

Bill Mrukowski, starting junior quarterback on the undefeated 1961 Ohio State team that was denied a trip to the Rose Bowl by the school, died late Monday night after a lengthy fight with prostate cancer. He was 70.

Previously a three-sport star at Elyria (Ohio) High School, Mrukowski was one of three quarterbacks, including John Mummey and Joe Sparma, who were used by coach Woody Hayes in that 8-0-1 season of 1961.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Linda, their sons Bill D. and Jay, and their families. Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home in Worthington is handling arrangements, with visitation Friday from 1 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m., with a memorial service on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Linworth United Methodist Church.

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/05/09/0509-college-football-notes.html

 

[brodybuck21]

R.I.P. Bill

Let's get this man's thread a Buckeye Leaf


:osu:

 

[Buckskin86]

Elyria athletic icon Bill Mrukowski dies after battle with cancer
Filed by Tim Gebhardt May 11th, 2012 in Sports.

Elyria lost one of its athletic icons Monday when Bill Mrukowski lost his courageous battle with cancer.

Mrukowski, enshrined in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame in 1975, was one of the most celebrated athletes during Elyria High?s most glorious era. He played football, basketball and baseball in the late 1950s ? and stood out in all three.

He played for Bill Barton in football, Dale Reichenbach in basketball and Ray Wilson in baseball. All three are members of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame.

He went on to quarterback an undefeated Ohio State team.

?He was a gifted athlete,? said Jack Strauss, a football teammate. ?He was a gifted human being as well.?

Mrukowski, 70, graduated from Elyria in 1959, and his class is arguably the best ever in athletic achievement. The football and basketball teams were state-ranked and lost just one game each. The baseball team was district champion.

When the basketball team was enshrined in the Hall, Mrukowski had fond recollections.

?I still get goose bumps when I drive by that gym,? he told The Chronicle-Telegram in 1999 for a feature on the team.

Mrukowski scored 40 points at Berea early in the season, hitting 15 of 23 shots from the field and 10 of 14 free throws. There was no 3-point line in those days.

?He couldn?t miss,? teammate and Hall of Famer Sam Davis said in 1999.

cont...

http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/...bill-mrukowski-dies-after-battle-with-cancer/