ROTAN, Texas – Sammy Baugh, who set numerous passing records with the Washington Redskins in an era when NFL teams were running most every down, died Wednesday night, his son said. Baugh, who was 94 and had numerous health issues, died at Fisher County Hospital, David Baugh said.
He was the last surviving member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's inaugural class.
After starring at TCU, "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh played with the Redskins from 1937 to 1952.
While he was noted for his passing, Baugh was one of the best all-around players of his day. One season he led the league in passing, defensive interceptions and punting. In one game, he threw four touchdown passes and intercepted four passes.
Bruce has the authority. When Bruce makes the decision, it's a Redskins decision.
RedskinsFreak wrote:Still, arguably -- and it is my belief:
Greatest.
Redskin.
Ever.
Close... IMO, arguably, not just the greatest Redskin ever, but the best ever, PERIOD.
He was, indeed, one tough son of a gun. And, he was a Redskin to the end. This is truly a sad moment for all fans of football.
"That's a clown question, bro" - - - - - - - - - - Bryce Harper, DC Statesman "But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man That he didn't, didn't already have" - - - - - - - - - - Dewey Bunnell, America
RedskinsFreak wrote:Still, arguably -- and it is my belief:
Greatest.
Redskin.
Ever.
No doubt. You could even make a case for Sammy being the greatest football player ever, if you take into account how dominant he was in his era. One year, Sammy led the league in passing, punting and interceptions. Incredible.
While he was noted for his passing, Baugh was one of the best all-around players of his day. One season he led the league in passing, defensive interceptions and punting. In one game, he threw four touchdown passes and intercepted four passes. He threw six touchdowns in a game _ twice _ and kicked an 85-yard punt.
"There's nobody any better than Sam Baugh was in pro football," Don Maynard, a fellow West Texas Hall of Famer who played for Baugh, said in a 2002 interview. "When I see somebody picking the greatest player around, to me, if they didn't go both ways, they don't really deserve to be nominated. I always ask, 'Well, how'd he do on defense? How was his punting?'"
"It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom," he said. "And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that."
Sean Taylor
RedskinsFreak wrote:Still, arguably -- and it is my belief:
Greatest.
Redskin.
Ever.
Amen. RIP.
Daniel Snyder has defined incompetence, failure and greed to true Washington Redskins fans for over a decade and a half. Stay away from football operations !!!
RIP Slingin' Sam - the man who made the forward pass an integral part of this game we love, and who brought two NFL titles to our Redskins. You just know that God has rigged up some tyres (English spelling!) in Heaven and Sammy is chucking that pigskin through them!
Aside from being the player most responsible for creating the NFL way of playing -- as we know it today -- Sammy Baugh has the second best career coaching record for the Titans/Jets. Until Parcells, he was the only Titans/Jets coach with a career win/loss record of .500 or better.
Baugh’s reputation blossomed as a star high school football, baseball and basketball player in Sweetwater. It began to grow during his college days at TCU.
It was there that he picked up the nickname "Slingin’ Sammy"--but it wasn’t for his passing. It was for the rockets he fired to first base as a shortstop and third baseman.
"Everybody thought I was a better baseball player growing up," he said in 2002. "I thought I was going to be a big league baseball player."
I have to be honest, I've not seen much of his actual play, but I never doubted his reputation. The bolded part, though, I found interesting since he was a pioneer of the forward pass.
My condolences to his surviving family. Truly a sad day in Redskins nation, but he's no longer suffering and in a better place.
...any given Sunday....
RIP #21 Sean Taylor. You will be loved and adored by Redskins fans forever!!!!!
GSPODS:
The National Anthem sucks.
What a useless piece of propagandist rhetoric that is.
"Nah, I trust the laws of nature to stay constant. I don't pray that the sun will rise tomorrow, and I don't need to pray that someone will beat the Cowboys in the playoffs." - Irn-Bru