Nobby Wirkowski
| Date of birth | August 20, 1926 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Date of death | October 15, 2014 (aged 88) |
| Place of death | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | International |
| Position(s) | QB |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| University | Miami (Ohio) |
| Career history | |
| As administrator | |
| 1965–1967 | Toronto Argonauts (DPP) |
| 1968–1992 | York University (AD) |
| As coach | |
| 1952–1957 | De La Salle College (HC) |
| 1960–1962 | Toronto Argonauts (AC) |
| 1962–1964 | Toronto Argonauts (HC) |
| 1968–1975 | York University (HC) |
| 1984 | York University (AC) |
| 1987 | York University (AC) |
| 1988–1989 | York University (HC) |
| As player | |
| 1951–1954 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 1955–1956 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 1956–1959 | Calgary Stampeders |
| 1960 | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Norbert "Nobby" Wirkowski (August 20, 1926 – October 15, 2014) was an American and Canadian football player and coach. He is best known as quarterback of the Toronto Argonauts. The touchdown he engineered in the 1952 Grey Cup turned out to be the last offensive touchdown by the Argonauts in a Grey Cup for 30 years.
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he excelled in athletics and became the first athlete at Crane Technical High School to letter in 3 sports (football, basketball, and baseball) since George Halas accomplished the feat at the turn of the century.
Wirkowski played for two exceptional football coaches while attending Miami University. He started under Sid Gillman, whose ideas revolutionized the passing game in American football, and when Gillman left, Woody Hayes replaced him. Wirkowski led Miami to a 13-12 victory over Texas Tech in the 1948 Sun Bowl and then 3 years later put on a spectacular performance in the Salad Bowl. In that game Nobby completed 18 of 21 pass attempts, leading Miami past Arizona State. While at Miami, Wirkowski became a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.
After college, he joined the Toronto Argonauts and took over the quarterbacking spot for Toronto, leading the Argonauts to a 7-5 record in the 1951 season. In 1952, Wirkowski led Toronto to a Grey Cup championship over the Edmonton Eskimos.
From 1952 to 1957, Wirkowski coached the senior football team at De La Salle College (Toronto) which won consecutive league championships in 1955, 1956 and 1957.
He was traded to Hamilton in 1955 where he played for two years and was then traded to Calgary. At the end of the 1959 season he returned to Toronto as back-up quarterback and assistant coach. The following year Nobby saw his final action as a professional player when he injured his knee in a preseason exhibition game with the NFL St. Louis Cardinals.
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