Sherwyn Thorson the athlete had a striking physical presence and an unparalleled career that made him seem larger than life.

Sherwyn Thorson the man was patient, modest and loyal, leaving his iconic persona behind once the games and meets came to an end.

The Fort Dodge community is honoring the former and grieving the loss of the latter today. Thorson died Wednesday morning after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.

The man they called ”Thumper” and ”Thor” was remembered as a gentle giant of sorts by other famed Dodger personalities reacting to the news of his passing. The decorated two-sport standout never spent too much time or energy reliving the glory days, despite having an almost-unprecedented list of memorable moments at his disposal.

”You never heard a word from him about (his accomplishments),” former FDSH wrestling coach and athletic director Don Miller said. ”Here’s a guy who is in every Hall of Fame imaginable and a former professional football player. Yet even if you pressed him about all of it, he’d just respond by saying, ‘I had fun,’ or ‘I did all right.’

”He was a class act who had a heart of gold. I wish we had more of that (attitude) in this world. If you didn’t know Sherwyn, it was your loss.”

Thorson was a state runner-up wrestler and all-state football player with the Dodgers in the late-1950s. He signed with Forest Evashevski and the Iowa Hawkeye football program upon graduation in 1958, and started 25 of 27 games during his collegiate gridiron career.

Thorson eventually reached third team All-American status with the Big Ten champion Hawkeyes.

Driven to overtake the Iowa athlete who had defeated him in the prep state championships during his senior year at FDSH, Thorson decided to wrestle during the winter months on campus. He was a national runner-up at heavyweight in 1960, and an NCAA champion two years later.

Thorson was drafted by the National Football League’s Los Angeles Rams and American Football League’s Boston Patriots, but opted to sign with legendary head coach Bud Grant and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 1962. He became an all-star lineman and linebacker in the CFL over the course of his eight-year career there.

”Sherwyn’s accomplishments were nothing short of inspiring. They’ve really withstood the test of time. I’d say he’s on a very short list of the best we’ve had (at FDSH),” current athletic and activities director Matt Elsbecker said. ”We were all extremely saddened to hear of his passing.

”No doubt Sherwyn left an indelible mark athletically, but where he’ll be missed most is in everyday life by his wonderful family and our entire Dodger community.”

Sam Moser’s bond with Thorson transformed from friend to family member when the Hall of Fame Fort Dodge football coach’s daughter, Julie, married Sherwyn’s son, Tjeran, in 1998. Sherwyn was Tjeran’s best man in the wedding.

”Thump was just a genuine person – about as sincere as it gets,” Moser said. ”Not only did he never boast or brag about himself, but he also didn’t say a negative word about any athletic program or Fort Dodge in general.

”I will miss him dearly. A lot of us will. If there was ever a perfectly-lived Iowa success story – from being a Dodger all the way to the pros with every stop in between – it was Thump’s. That’s home-grown.”

Thorson was a member of FDSH’s inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1967. He was later inducted into the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame in 2001, the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007, and the University of Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

”It’s just tragic, having to say goodbye to dear friends like Thumper,” Miller said. ”It’s really hard to comprehend at times why we have to lose our loved ones to cancer, but the Good Lord has a plan for all of us.”

Funeral services are Saturday at 1 p.m. at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge. A celebration of life will be from 3 to 6 p.m. at Willow Ridge Golf Course.

Thorson is survived by his wife, Linda, of Fort Dodge; son, Tjeran, and daughter-in-law, Julie, and their children, Lehr, 17, and Asle, 14; his daughter, Joryn, and her children, Amelia, 15, and Ayden, 13.