Frederick Charles "Fuzzy" Thurston (December 29, 1933 – December 14, 2014) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was an

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for the Baltimore Colts and

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Valparaiso.

Early life

Born and raised in the small western

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

town of Altoona, Thurston accepted a

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scholarship to Valparaiso University in northwest

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, and didn't play collegiate football for the Crusaders until his junior season (1954). He played basketball because his high school didn't have a football team. Thurston played junior varsity basketball as a 190-pound freshman at Valparaiso before gaining 40 pounds and joining the football team his sophomore year. He led Valparaiso to an Indiana Collegiate Conference title and was twice selected

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. Thurston was also named All-Conference for the 1954 and 1955 seasons, while being named the conference's top lineman in 1955. He was selected by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

in the fifth round of the 1956 NFL draft.

Professional career

As the left guard, Thurston was a key member of the Packers' offensive line during the team's glory years under head coach Vince Lombardi, when they won five NFL championships and the first two

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

s. Paired with hall of famer Jerry Kramer at right guard, they led the vaunted Packers sweep running attack. Thurston was named to the and All-Pro teams. Prior to joining the Packers, Thurston played the 1958 season with the NFL champion Baltimore Colts. Thus, Thurston is one of only four players in pro football history to play on six NFL championship teams. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in In response to a sportswriter's question about how he prepared for the famous Ice Bowl game in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, when the gametime temperature was (with a wind chill well below that), Thurston responded that he drank "about ten

vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

s" in order to stay warm. He remained popular in

after his playing days and could often be found at ''Fuzzy's'', a bar he owned not far from Lambeau Field and at the Left Guard, a bar and restaurant he owned in Menasha, WI. Thurston was elected to the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1982, and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. He was the first athlete ever to be voted in by the people of Wisconsin, even though the Hall had been founded in 1951. The Professional Football Researchers Association named Thurston to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class

Death

After several years of declining health, Thurston died at age 80 in Green Bay,Megan Pospychala.
Packers legend 'Fuzzy' Thurston dies
", ''Fox 6 News'', December 14, 2014. battling

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

References

External links

*
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
- (inducted 1975)
Valparaiso University Athletics Hall of Fame
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thurston, Fred 1933 births 2014 deaths People from Eau Claire County, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin American football offensive guards Valparaiso Beacons football players Baltimore Colts players Green Bay Packers players Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball players Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame