A Remembrance of Slinging Sammy Baugh of The Washington Redskins

Sammy Baugh, a native of Temple, Texas, died on 17 December in Rotan, Texas. Mr. Baugh was 94 years of age. In his later years, Mr. Baugh suffered from Alzheimer's Disease.

Entire Career with the Washington Redskins

After attending Texas Christian University and a stint in minor league baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals, Mr. Baugh played quarterback, defensive back, and punter from 1937 through 1952. He lead the Redskins to two championships in 1937 and 1942, respectively. He was also on the losing end of the 1940 championship game, 73 to 0, to the Chicago Bears, which remains a record to this day.

Pioneer of the Forward Pass

He revolutionized the use of the forward pass in American football. Before his arrival in the NFL, throwing was not a common part of the game. "When Baugh entered the NFL, the forward pass was so rare that it was unveiled mostly in desperate situations. But Baugh turned the pass into a regular feature of the offensive game plan.

As a rookie in 1937, he completed a record 81 passes (about seven a game) and led the league with 1,127 yards. By contrast, only six quarterbacks averaged three completions a game that year. He went on to lead the league in passing six times. Baugh still holds Redskins records for career touchdown passes (187) and completion percentage in a season (70.3). His 31 interceptions on defense are third on the team's career list."

Source: International Herald Tribune, 18 December 2008.

NFL Records

• When he retired in 1952, he held 13 records over the three positions that he played. Four remain:



• Most seasons leading the league in passing: 6 (tied with Steve Young)



• Most seasons with the lowest interception percentage: 5



• Highest punting average of 51.4 yards in 1940



• Only player to lead the league in passing, punting, and interceptions in
  
  1943



• Second best pass completion record of 70.33% in 1945 (Record held by Ken Anderson with 70.55% in 1982).

Only Redskin Number Retired

Mr. Baugh was an inaugural member, and the last surviving player, of the 1963 Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

He remains the only Redskin to have his number, 33, retired by the organization.

He threw for almost 22,000 yards, had 187 touchdown passes, along with 213 interceptions. His quarterback rating, in modern terms, was 72.2. To view his entire career stats at NFL.com, please click here.

Childhood Remembrance

My father, Michael Amoia, was a clubhouse attendant for the Redskins during the mid 1940s. He witnessed Mr. Baugh play on several occasions.

"He was the best all-around player in the game. He could punt, throw, run, and play defense. He used to wear a Texas cowboy hat, and was very popular with the other players. He was always nice to me. I was there one day when he punted the ball 70 yards in the air. He used to kick a very low spiral that was hard to return. What an athlete and great man."