Professional Football Player. For fourteen seasons (1953 and 1956 to 1968), he played at the quarterback position in the National Football League with the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins. Born Rudolph Andrew Bukich, he attended Roosevelt High School in St. Louis, where he made his initial mark on the football field. After serving with the United States Army during the Korean War, he continued his athletics on the collegiate level at the University of Iowa and later transferred to the University of Southern California. He distinguished himself, as he led the Trojans to a 9 win, 1 loss season in 1952 and earned MVP honors, when USC capture the Rose Bowl Game title against Wisconsin played on January 1, 1953. Selected by Los Angeles during the 2nd round of the 1953 NFL Draft, he had the difficult task of following the likes of Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin as the Rams' quarterbacks. However, he made an immediate impact on the league and was considered one of the strongest throwing quarterbacks to play during his era. He had stints with Washington and Pittsburgh, before serving as a backup to Bill Wade and experiencing a world championship with the Chicago Bears in 1963. He totaled 103 career regular season games. After retiring from football, worked in the real estate industry in California.
Professional Football Player. For fourteen seasons (1953 and 1956 to 1968), he played at the quarterback position in the National Football League with the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins. Born Rudolph Andrew Bukich, he attended Roosevelt High School in St. Louis, where he made his initial mark on the football field. After serving with the United States Army during the Korean War, he continued his athletics on the collegiate level at the University of Iowa and later transferred to the University of Southern California. He distinguished himself, as he led the Trojans to a 9 win, 1 loss season in 1952 and earned MVP honors, when USC capture the Rose Bowl Game title against Wisconsin played on January 1, 1953. Selected by Los Angeles during the 2nd round of the 1953 NFL Draft, he had the difficult task of following the likes of Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin as the Rams' quarterbacks. However, he made an immediate impact on the league and was considered one of the strongest throwing quarterbacks to play during his era. He had stints with Washington and Pittsburgh, before serving as a backup to Bill Wade and experiencing a world championship with the Chicago Bears in 1963. He totaled 103 career regular season games. After retiring from football, worked in the real estate industry in California.
Bio by: C.S.
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Bukich memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
