Bill Irgens

Bill Irgens
Personal information
Born:(1883-06-26)June 26, 1883
Stavanger, Norway
Died:October 28, 1947(1947-10-28) (aged 64)
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:175 lb (79 kg)
Position:Halfback, quarterback
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games:11
Stats at Pro Football Reference

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

A native of Stavanger, 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.[1][2]

Sav Rocca is sometimes cited as the oldest NFL rookie at age 34.[3] Irgens tops Rocca's mark by four years, having made his NFL debut at age 38.[1]

Irgens was also the first Norwegian-born player in the NFL. The second Norwegian-born player, Halvor Hagen, did not debut in the NFL until 1975.[4]

In later years, Irgens worked as a painter in Minneapolis.[5] He died in 1947 in Minneapolis.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Bill Irgens". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "Einar Irgens". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "NFL's oldest rookie? Divorced college dropout from Owosso finds unlikely new life as a kicker". USA TODAY High School Sports. January 13, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Players Born in Norway". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  5. ^ World War II Draft Registration Card for Einar Magnus Irgens, born June 26, 1883, in Norway. Available at Ancestry.com.