Bjørn Ironside

Bjørn Ironside

No. 75 – New Orleans Second Line
Position:	Defensive Tackle
Personal information
Born:	(2010-06-25)June 25, 2010 (aged 50) Detroit, Michigan
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
College:	Michigan
ISFL Draft:	2033  / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
DSFL Draft:	2032  / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Career history
Norfolk Seawolves (2032 (S17)) New Orleans Second Line (2033 (S18)-present)
Roster status:	Active

Bjørn "The Viking" Ironside (born January 25, 2010) is an American football defensive tackle who is currently unsigned by a professional team. He played college football for University of Michigan (UM) and has declared his intent to enter the professional ranks next season.

Early years

Bjørn Ironside was born to Danish immigrants Sven Ironside and Ana Ironside. Sven had a prolific career as a professional rugby player in Europe, making the Danish national team 7 of the 9 years he was a professional. He always made a big deal about his Viking heritage and often joked that it was the reason he was so large. After retiring, Ana managed to find a decent job as the primary proprietor of an art museum in Detroit. They immigrated to the US and Bjørn was born shortly after.

Bjørn ended up being a large child who was full of energy and always finding ways to get in trouble. It wasn't long before Sven realized that he needed to get this live wire pointed towards something more productive, so he encouraged Bjørn to play football. He took to it like a fish to water. He originally played center previous to high school due to his sheer size. He was decent at the role, but upon entering high school he was made aware of a shortage at defensive tackle. He figured that it wouldn't hurt to try a new position and if things went south, he could always make a return to center. He acclimated to his new position quickly and became a leader of the defense by the time his sophomore season rolled around. He was a rock in the center of the line and he often demanded double teams in the middle, disrupting the center and making it a nightmare to run between the tackles. He embraced his father's personality from when he was a professional rugby player, adopting the nickname "The Viking".

His senior year resulted in a state championship, garnering the young defensive tackle national attention heading into college recruitment.

College career

Bjørn ended up attending the University of Michigan where he played for the Michigan Wolverines football team. As a true freshman, Bjørn didn't start a game but he played in all 13 games. He recorded 36 tackles, 6 for a loss, two sacks, and forced two fumbles. He broke out his sophomore season as the team's starting defensive tackle, recording 43 tackles, 13 for a loss, 8 sacks, and a forced fumble. His junior season saw him rack up 52 tackles, 14 for a loss, and 6 sacks. He carried this success into a senior campaign that showed he was made for the pros. He racked up an impressive 63 tackles, 22 for a loss, 11 sacks, and three forced fumbles. He became an All-American and was named to the All-Big Ten Defense team.

S17 DSFL Season

Ironside came onto the scene hard and fast. He quickly got onto the radar of every single GM in the Developmental League and had all eyes on him come draft. With their first overall pick, the Norfolk Seawolves grabbed one of the most dedicated members of the draft. Unfortunately, it was a forgettable season where despite having an overall solid stat line and having some massive plays through the season, it was not enough to make a new expansion team competitive. It wasn't all bad though as this was where Bjørn and Marcella Tōriki allowed the friendship they started in the prospect bowl expand and soon they became an inseparable pair. They grew resilient on a team down on its luck and through the power of team events such as Taco Tuesdays pushed through what would have otherwise been a tough season.

S18 NSFL Beginnings and Joining NOLA

In the S18 draft, Ironside was drafted to the New Orleans Second Line with the first overall pick. He had long been considered the top prospect in the draft and it surprised no one when his name was first to come off the board. Being a big, loveable guy he fell right into the culture of New Orleans and was quick to dive into the city life. He decided pretty quickly that NOLA was the place for him and he could feel himself getting lost here. The music, the people, the stadium, even the colors fit him so well. This doesn't even include the fact that he got to now play side by side with a polar bear! Given that he grew up with a family of bears, it was no surprise the two hit it off well. Mix this in with a budding friendship with a man who looks suspiciously like a sloth and Bjørn had a feeling he'd found his home. His first season in New Orleans didn't go as well as he could have hoped as the team managed to string together five wins, but thanks to some sly trading by the New Orleans front office they were able to put together one heck of a draft to head into S19. With such a strong draft class and long time friend Marcella Tōriki joining the team through free agency, they had a lot of reason to have hope going forward.

S19 Turning the Tables

With Ironside anchoring the center of their defense and being a steady rock and a leader on the field as he expanded his roles in his second season, NOLA turned their fortunes around and made the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. All they needed on this team was a little help from an excited draft class consisting of studs like Mack Arianlacher and Austin McCormick and a jump start from Tōriki to put themselves in the conversation. They won their first playoff game but fell short against a very strong Orange County team. Still, he achieved more than he thought possible with this team. This feeling of victory was enough to further cement Ironside's love for the team and he has since signed a mega extension to keep himself on the team for a foreseeable future. So far he hasn't had any huge breakout games or even an above average season, but what he has been able to provide on the field is so much more than mere numbers. Its shown by the way New Orleans rallies around the young star and hopefully, they'll continue surging forward and improving as S20 prepares for kickoff.

S20 Lost Faith and Breaking Out

Heading into S20, Bjørn lost a bit of himself. He had lost confidence in his abilities as he remained a bit of a mediocre player. He decided the focus inwards on himself and focus solely on getting better. He wanted to prove the league that he was worth all the hype that had been driven around him. Ironside withdrew himself from the world. He avoided media, he avoided media, he avoided socializing. He focused on himself and only himself as he trained built himself up to prepare for S20. He kept his head down and went to work and finally after three seasons of not meeting expectations, Ironside broke out. He had a massive season in which he spent much of the season tied for the sack lead and ultimately ended in second. 59 tackles and 12 sacks marked a massive season for Ironside. His hard work and determination had finally paid off. He had finally proved that he was worth the first round pick that had been invested in him. He finally proved he could take that extra step. He had multiple breakout games and plays that completely defined the outcome of a couple of games. He had finally become the impact player that most believed that he would become. Now he’s headed into S21 with renewed faith in both himself and the Second Line. It remains to be seen if his success will continue, but he proved something to himself. He proved something to the league. Now perhaps he can allow himself to once more return to the limelight.

College career statistics

Come back to this bit. Not sure how to generate the table yet

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	4.78 s	4.52 s	7.22 s	30 in (0.76 m)		36 reps

DSFL career statistics

Career statistics			Defense
Season	Team	Games	Tackles	TFL	FF/FR	Sacks	Interceptions	PD
2032 (S17)	NOR	14	45	3	1/0	5	0	0

Professional career statistics

Career statistics			Defense
Season	Team	Games	Tackles	TFL	FF/FR	Sacks	Interceptions	PD
2033 (S18)	NOLA	13	28	0	0/0	5	0	0
2034 (S19)	NOLA	13	37	0	0/0	7	0	0
2035 (S20)	NOLA	13	59	0	0/1	12	0	0

Achievements and records

Come back to this later