Bill Irgens Explained

Position:Halfback, quarterback
Birth Date:26 June 1883
Birth Place:Stavanger, Norway
Death Place:Hennepin County, Minnesota
Height Ft:5
Height In:8
Weight Lbs:175
Teams:
Statlabel1:Games
Statvalue1:11
Pfr:IrgeBi20

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]

Notes and References

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