Sherwyn Thorson always took his athletic accomplishments in stride.

He’s now treating the biggest challenge of his life with the same sense of perspective.

The 75-year-old Thorson, a true titan in both the Fort Dodge Senior High and University of Iowa athletic history books, has cancer. It started as a ”very rare and aggressive” form of prostate cancer two years ago. The disease has now reached his bones and liver.

”You just handle it day by day,” Thorson said from his home on Scenic Drive, nestled quietly along the banks of the Des Moines River. ”I’m thankful for the time I have, and the opportunities I still get to spend with friends and family. You tend to appreciate that more.

”I feel good sometimes. I feel bad sometimes. It comes and goes. I don’t quite have the strength and stamina I did not that long ago, but I’m finished with (chemotherapy). Doing what I can, when I can.”

Thorson spends a lot more time at home now, resting and reading with his wife, Linda, by his side. He still makes it to as many of his grandchildren’s events as possible, watching Dodger games and meets the way he did when his children, Tjeran and Joryn, followed in his large FDSH footsteps a generation ago.

”It’s fun being close to everyone here in Fort Dodge,” Thorson said. ”Always has been. Getting to see the grandkids (on a regular basis) is enjoyable and means a lot to me.”

The low-key approach has always worked for Thorson, even though the honors of yesteryear tell the tale of a true superstar.

At the University of Iowa, the man aptly nicknamed ”Thumper” and ”Thor” was a two-way starter for Forest Evashevski’s 1960 Big Ten championship squad, which closed the season ranked second nationally. Thorson started in 25 of 27 games during his three-year career with the Hawkeyes on the gridiron, and was eventually named a third team All-American.

”I remember being recruited by Iowa State, Nebraska, Indiana and some other schools, and I had originally (verbally committed) to Iowa State,” Thorson said. ”Iowa was where I wanted to go, though. I almost had to walk on, but I got a call at the last minute saying they had a spot open up for me on scholarship (with the Hawkeyes), so I jumped at the opportunity.”

Thorson turned himself into a two-sport standout at Iowa, joining the wrestling program to first settle some unfinished business from his senior season on the mat with the Dodgers.

”The kid who beat me in the (prep) state finals (at heavyweight in 1958) was on the team, and I wanted to take his spot,” Thorson said. ”I was only about 225 pounds at the time, which was somewhat undersized for a heavyweight, but I worked my way into the lineup and it wound up being a good fit for me.”

Thorson finished second nationally in 1960 at College Park, Md., then captured an NCAA championship in 1962 at Stillwater, Okla. as a senior under head coach Dave McCuskey. Iowa placed third as a team that year.

”Of course, you have to be in a different kind of shape for wrestling compared to football,” Thorson said. ”(The transition) took me a while after I joined the team (for the winter season), and football was always my top priority, but both were great experiences.

”It wasn’t easy. I wanted to give it a shot because you only have that one window of opportunity (in college). I made sure I devoted myself to training and lifting to be strong enough for both sports.”

Despite being drafted by both the National Football League’s Los Angeles Rams and the American Football League’s Boston Patriots, Thorson chose to sign with legendary Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 1962.

”There were a lot of guys from Iowa and Minnesota going up to play for Coach Grant (in Canada), and the pay was enough better (at the time) that it made sense,” Thorson said. ”I had eight great seasons (with the Bombers). It was a neat opportunity.”

Thorson became an all-star player in Winnipeg, where he was a regular at both linebacker and offensive guard. The Bombers won the Grey Cup in 1962, and were finalists in 1965.

Thorson did say that while in Canada, he was recruited to join the professional wrestling circuit by one of the sport’s icons, Vern Gagne.

”He wanted me to be a part of the troop,” Thorson said. ”It was tempting. Vern had a beautiful house on Lake Minnetonka and had quite the sales pitch for me. Pro wrestling wasn’t nearly as popular in those days, but I almost did it.”

In 2001, Thorson was placed in the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame. A 2007 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame call followed, and in 2011, the University of Iowa added Thorson to its elite athletic rafters.

”It was always flattering and meant a great deal (to be recognized), but I was never that worried about it either way,” Thorson said. ”Those (Hall of Fame) experiences were more about getting to enjoy time with old friends and my family, sharing stories and reminiscing. The bonds and memories I have from those teams are what last more than (any individual accomplishments).”

Before Thorson was a Hawkeye or a Blue Bomber, he found his athletic voice as a Dodger.

”I was a skinny 135-pound sophomore (on the Fort Dodge football team), but I started really getting into weight lifting and stayed dedicated to it all the way through college – even though it wasn’t nearly as encouraged then as it is today,” said Thorson, the school’s Henry W. Schultz Award winner as the top male athlete of his 1958 class. ”By my senior year, I was right around 195 pounds and made the all-state team (as a linebacker and fullback).

”We always had great coaches at Fort Dodge. I remember from junior high on up, in both wrestling and football, there were high expectations and a tradition (from some of the great teams and individuals of the 1930’s and 40’s) that we were trying (to uphold).

”We did pretty well through the years with some good athletes and tough kids who were great friends of mine. We had each other’s back and wanted to make sure we carried on that Dodger pride and didn’t get our (butts) kicked out there.”

Thorson was a part of the old high school’s last graduating class in ’58 at the building that later became North Junior High and Phillips Middle School. He played football under Forrest Marquis, Bob Huff and Bob Bostwick, and wrestled for Don McMahon and Dick Formanek. Bostwick was with Thorson and his family for the University of Iowa Hall of Fame induction ceremony in the fall of 2011.

Thorson still keeps a steady eye on the local sports scene, and follows the Hawkeyes closely as well.

”I still read The Messenger every day, front to back,” Thorson smiled. ”It’s fun to not only see (coverage) of my grandkids and their friends, but everyone.

”I look at a young man like Sam Cook (Fort Dodge’s universal rushing king and defending state champion wrestler) – he’s done great things here. I hope he gives one of those sports a shot at the next level, if not both. I’m anxious to see what he can do.”

Thorson said he ”didn’t really think about” being a professional athlete after his playing days at Iowa, but after hearing from Grant and participating in a senior all-star game in Buffalo, the opportunity presented itself.

”(Looking back), it’s such a short period of time. But those friendships and relationships, they last the rest of your life.”

The trophies, plaques and pictures now fill a guest bedroom at Thorson’s home. He’s proud, of course, but won’t brag or even go into great detail about his past until he’s pushed. This, despite being arguably the best overall athlete Fort Dodge has ever produced – even to this day.

Even through his diagnosis and the physical struggles he’s been forced to deal with in recent years, ”Thumper” refuses to let cancer change his approach to life.

”I remember my family following me everywhere – games, banquets, whatever,” Thorson said. ”We were always very close. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing now than spending time around (loved ones) and seeing my grandkids grow.”