Sammy Baugh (1914 - 2008)
Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2008 by Travis Cody inSammy Baugh, Hall of Fame former quarterback and running back for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952, died yesterday. He was 94.
Mr Baugh was a Pro Bowler 6 times and a 1st team All Pro 4 times. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1963. Pro Football Reference has a complete list of Mr Baugh's stats.
Mr Baugh set 13 NFL records during his NFL career as a quarterback, punter, and defensive back. His 6 seasons leading the league in passing (tied with Steve Young) and his 5 seasons leading the league with lowest interception percentage still stand.
He threw for 21,886 total yards in the era just before the early greats like YA Tittle, Johnny Unitas, Otto Graham, and Bart Starr, who truly began the evolution of the forward pass into the weapon it is in today's game. Mr Baugh's propensity for throwing the football earned him the nickname Slingin' Sammy.
Mr Baugh was a member of the charter class of the NFL HOF in 1963, and he was the last surviving member of those 17 initial inductees. That class included Red Grange, George Halas, Don Hutston, Curly Lambeau, Jim Thorpe, and Bronko Nagurski. His jersey #33 is the only number that has officially been retired by the Redskins.
The trophy for the nation's top college passer is named after Mr Baugh. The trophy has been awarded since 1959 to such QBs as Bob Griese, Jim McMahon, John Elway, Steve Young, Kerry Collins, Daunte Culpepper, Chad Pennington, and Brady Quinn. This year's recipient is sophomore Sam Bradford, who will lead Oklahoma against Florida in the BCS title game.
Samuel Adrian Baugh
17 March 1914 - 17 December 2008
I can remember watching NFL football when Y.A., Johnny U, and Bart were the stars. It seemed like every week an announcer would make some reference to "Slingin'" Sammy Baugh.
Nice post.