All-Time Great Sammy Baugh Passes Away

Posted Dec 17, 2008 9:43PM By JJ Cooper (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Redskins

They don't make 'em like Sammy Baugh any more, but then, they never made 'em like Sammy Baugh.

The final living member of the inaugural class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame passed away Wednesday at the age of 94. Baugh played for the Redskins from 1937 to 1952.

In his prime, Baugh was the best quarterback, defensive back and punter in the NFL. At a time when the average NFL quarterback was better at running the ball then dropping back to pass, Baugh helped lead the way to the more passing-oriented game of the 1950s. When Baugh came into the league, the average quarterback was a blocking back on a team that relied on multiple ball carriers and had halfbacks who threw as many passes as the quarterback. By the time Baugh retired, the Wing T had been junked for the T-formation and the quarterback was serving in the role that the average modern-day fan would recognize.

As a punter, his 51.4 yard per punt average in 1940 is still the best in NFL history and his 45.1 yard career average is still the second best mark in NFL history. And as a defensive back, he led the league with 11 interceptions in 1943. He was such an amazing athlete that wherever the Redskins put him, he excelled.

Baugh had battled Alzheimer's in recent years, but thanks to NFL Films, Baugh's memories and thoughts on the early days of the NFL have been recorded for posterity.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-17-2008 @ 11:23PM

Daniel said...

A lot of Redskins fans have no idea who Sammy Baugh was, but they really, really should. He was without a doubt the greatest player the franchise ever had and he is arguably the player most responsible for the evolution of the forward pass in all of football. Sometimes young players are compared to the greats of old but there will NEVER be another "Slingin" Sammy Baugh

12-17-2008 @ 11:16PM

Peter O said...

9 will get you 10 he also didn't get into a hissy fit if he didnt get the ball more than others on the team or if an opposing lineman's block knocked him back 5 or 10 yards. No tattoos, no phony last names ... "just" a football player!

12-17-2008 @ 11:49PM

Joe Honick said...

No question about Baugh as a pioneer great, but don't ignore Sid Luckman who set plenty of records on his own. Both deserve credit for enhancing the passing game in the pro's.

12-17-2008 @ 11:58PM

Mike R said...

omg thats so sad, i remember i did a report of him when I was in elementary school. What a hero.

12-18-2008 @ 12:14AM

ED said...

A great legend in washington football . he was sonny jurgensons hero . the man had a talent to throw that pigskin. look for the movie called king of the texas rangers and you will see him playing a texas ranger in a movie . he was great may god welcome him to heaven . rest in peace sammy baugh

12-18-2008 @ 11:10AM

FMTE Mike said...

Please get it right. Yes, in the single wing the quarterback was a blocker, but Baugh started as a single wing tailback, not a quarterback, as did most of the early passers referred to in modern parlance as quarterbacks.

And no one ever changed from the 'wing T' to the 'T formation' because the wing T IS a T-formation, with a tight-in wingback, that's why the 'T' is in its name. Delaware was using it under Tubby Raymond well into our era.

12-18-2008 @ 3:12PM

Cory said...

Sammy's granddaughter was in my class when I was a kid. She took me with her one time to see her Grandpa, and it was a great experince. He was nothing but classy, and I talked to him for a few hours. He signed a few authographs, but just talking to him was all I really needed. We talked about football, and his love for the game. He told me that when he played and it was fourth down, he would go out and act like he was punting, but if he saw a defense he could shred he would just throw the ball on fourth down. He said his favorite game he played in was when he picked off 4 passes and threw 4 touchdowns. You will never see another like him. He was the greatest player to ever play the game, and a great person on top of that.