MSU Athletics Hall of Famer Carl “Buck” Nystrom Passes Away
9/30/2021 5:27:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Former Michigan State All-American Carl "Buck" Nystrom passed away at the age of 88 in his hometown of Marquette, Michigan, on Sept. 25.
A three-year letterwinner from 1953-55, Nystrom was the first MSU football player to earn All-America recognition as both a player and a scholar, garnering first-team Academic All-America honors as a senior in 1955. He helped MSU to a combined record of 21-8 (.724) from 1953-55, including a share of the 1953 Big Ten title, 1955 National Championship and two Rose Bowl victories (1954 and 1956).
Nystrom was a first-team All-American as a guard in 1955 as picked by Radio-TV Guide and Frank Leahy. He was a captain on the 1955 team that finished 9-1, won the Rose Bowl, and claimed a share of the National Championship. The native of Marquette, Michigan, was named the team's MVP that season and head coach Duffy Daugherty called Nystrom the greatest guard he had ever coached. A middle guard on defense, Nystrom played all 60 minutes in a 21-7 win over the No. 4 Irish on Oct. 15 in Spartan Stadium. He also garnered first-team All-Big Ten accolades as a guard by The Associated Press and earned the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor.
Nystrom played in the Senior Bowl and was chosen in the 30th round of the 1956 NFL Draft by Washington.
Following his playing career, Nystrom went on to coach 38 years in the collegiate ranks, including a total of six seasons at Michigan State (1958 and 1971 under Daugherty, 1983-86 under George Perles). He was on National Championship staffs at North Dakota State in 1965, Oklahoma in 1967, and Northern Michigan in 1975.
A member of the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame, the North Dakota State Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Northern Michigan Athletics Hall of Fame, Nystrom was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
A funeral for Nystrom will be held in November.
A three-year letterwinner from 1953-55, Nystrom was the first MSU football player to earn All-America recognition as both a player and a scholar, garnering first-team Academic All-America honors as a senior in 1955. He helped MSU to a combined record of 21-8 (.724) from 1953-55, including a share of the 1953 Big Ten title, 1955 National Championship and two Rose Bowl victories (1954 and 1956).
Nystrom was a first-team All-American as a guard in 1955 as picked by Radio-TV Guide and Frank Leahy. He was a captain on the 1955 team that finished 9-1, won the Rose Bowl, and claimed a share of the National Championship. The native of Marquette, Michigan, was named the team's MVP that season and head coach Duffy Daugherty called Nystrom the greatest guard he had ever coached. A middle guard on defense, Nystrom played all 60 minutes in a 21-7 win over the No. 4 Irish on Oct. 15 in Spartan Stadium. He also garnered first-team All-Big Ten accolades as a guard by The Associated Press and earned the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor.
Nystrom played in the Senior Bowl and was chosen in the 30th round of the 1956 NFL Draft by Washington.
Following his playing career, Nystrom went on to coach 38 years in the collegiate ranks, including a total of six seasons at Michigan State (1958 and 1971 under Daugherty, 1983-86 under George Perles). He was on National Championship staffs at North Dakota State in 1965, Oklahoma in 1967, and Northern Michigan in 1975.
A member of the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame, the North Dakota State Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Northern Michigan Athletics Hall of Fame, Nystrom was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
A funeral for Nystrom will be held in November.
A New Era | Pat Fitzgerald's First Day in East Lansing
Wednesday, December 03
Pat Fitzgerald | Football Press Conference | Dec. 2nd, 2025
Tuesday, December 02
Jonathan Smith Postgame Comments | Maryland
Saturday, November 29
Jonathan Smith | Football Press Conference | Nov. 24 2025
Monday, November 24