Norm Purucker

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Purucker was the son of Frederick Purucker, a pipe fitter at a steel mill,[3] who later worked as a meat cutter at a market.[4] The family moved to Boardman, Ohio, while Purucker was a child. He attended Boardman High School where he was a star in football, basketball and track and field. The Vindicator called him "the greatest all-around athlete in Boardman history."[2] In 1980, he became the first person inducted into the Boardman High School Hall of Fame.[2]

Purucker enrolled at the University of Michigan and played at the halfback and punter positions for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1936 to 1938. He was also a sprinter on the Michigan track team in 1938 and 1939.[2]

Purucker signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1939,[5] but was released in September 1939 after reporting late due to his attendance at summer classes at Michigan.[6] 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.[7]

In January 1942, Purucker was accepted as a physical instructor with the United States Navy.[8] He later worked as a real estate broker and income tax consultant. He died in Boardman, Ohio, in 2014 at age 97.[2]