Sammy Baugh Passes Away

SKINS#1 · Post by **SKINS#1** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:17 am

Sammy Baugh - WOW A star on offense, defense and kicking.

One more point of interest - he played his entire career without a face mask.

NC43Hog · Post by **NC43Hog** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 10:14 am

Simply the BEST.

Sad day for ALL Redskins Fans - but aren't we all glad he was ours!

They don't make like that anymore.

RIP

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 10:24 am

NC43Hog wrote:Simply the BEST.

Sad day for ALL Redskins Fans - but aren't we all glad he was ours!

They don't make like that anymore.

RIP

Yes I am! The greatest player ever, played for the Washington Redskins. No one will ever take that title away from him, either.

SkinsFreak · Post by **SkinsFreak** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 10:28 am

Sad, sad news. Sammy was one of the best... ever.

On a brighter note, God's football team now has one of the best QB's ever, along with the greatest safety to ever play the game.

Sure would like to own the football "Field Of Dreams". O:)

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 10:31 am

SkinsFreak wrote:Sad, sad news. Sammy was one of the best... ever.

On a brighter note, God's football team now has one of the best QB's ever, along with the greatest safety to ever play the game.

Sure would like to own the football "Field Of Dreams".

QB/Punter

PulpExposure · Post by **PulpExposure** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:28 am

Terribly sad news for Redskins nation.

NJ-SKINS-FAN · Post by **NJ-SKINS-FAN** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:18 pm

very sad....danny better have a nice tribute on sunday.....

sure he will... that is one thing he does well....pay respects

Steve Spurrier III · Post by **Steve Spurrier III** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:34 pm

Was he the last surviving member of the 1937 or even 1942 championship teams?

To all those saying, "one of the best", it's worth noting that when Baugh retired, he was considered THE greatest player of all time. He still played when men went both ways (or in his case, three ways), yet was also the guy to revolutionize the passing game, paving the way for the modern game.

Had those early Redskins teams not cemented the franchise as a fixture in Washington, it's questionable that the team would have been able to survive the decades of losing that would follow the late 30's and 40's. Without that the early success, the Redskins wouldn't be the entity they are today, and no one was more responsible for that success than Sammy Baugh.

Baugh lived a very long life, so I don't really consider his passing a tragedy. But it does give us a chance to look back at undoubtedly the greatest Redskin of all time, and easily one of the top five football players ever.

Interesting tidbit - Baugh never returned to Washington after his playing career ended. I don't know why.

edit - ESPN.com provides the answer:

Other than driving to a golf course in nearby Sweetwater, Baugh rarely strayed from his Rotan ranch in western Texas for the next 40-odd years. He never could be lured back to Washington for post-career recognition, or even to Dallas for induction into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.

"I've got a rule that includes not going anywhere that I can't get back from by sundown," Baugh said when he was 85. "I go to the golf course and back home. That's my travel. As long as I do that, I feel good, I eat good and sleep good at night. I sure don't go to any big city.

"I don't fly. I don't drive at night. And I sure don't miss it a lot."

Bob 0119 · Post by **Bob 0119** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:16 pm

R.I.P 33

TeeterSalad · Post by **TeeterSalad** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 3:30 pm

My hats off to you Mr. Baugh, thank you for being phenomenal. May you retire forever to the big football stadium in the sky. R.I.P.

welch · Post by **welch** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:07 pm

On baseball...as I remember, from a "Sport Magazine" article from about 1960 (!), Sammy Baugh signed as a shortstop with the St. Louis Cardinals. Roughly the Dizzy Dean era Cards. They had a fine shortstop named Marty Marion, so Baugh decided to concentrate on football.

My Dad says that the Bears were roughing Sammy one game when he decided to retaliate against the defense. He threw low, and hit a rusher square in the face, so hard that the ball was imprinted across the Bears player's face. The Bears played cleaner after that. That's one thing a QB can't do when everybody wears face-masks.

Fios · Post by **Fios** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:23 pm

This link has a great history of Baugh as a player as well as an extended video clip with highlights of Sammy slinging.

This quote is priceless:

"I’ll watch it all damn day long," Baugh, who often sprinkled his conversation with mild obscenities, told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. "I like the football they play. They got bigger boys, and they’ve also got these damn speed merchants that we didn’t have in those days. I’d love to be quarterback this day and time."

John Manfreda · Post by **John Manfreda** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:40 pm

RIP Sammy, the greatest football player ever to live, lead the league in Int.'s, punting, and passing. Greatest Ever.

redskins14ru · Post by **redskins14ru** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:46 pm

John Manfreda wrote:RIP Sammy, the greatest football player ever to live, lead the league in Int.'s, punting, and passing. Greatest Ever.

dido, he was a 7point making machine man

hail skins. I would dig a picture of him for my avater RIP

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:57 am

John Manfreda wrote:RIP Sammy, the greatest football player ever to live, lead the league in Int.'s, punting, and passing. Greatest Ever.

True.

This man would have made the HOF as "just" a QB, as "just" a Safety, and (most likely) as "just" a punter. He was the standard for all three positions. He was the prototype Safety until Ritchie Pettibon came along. He was the prototype Quarterback until Otto Graham. He was the prototype Punter until Ray Guy.

He was a monster in all facets of the game.

Best NFL FOOTBALL PLAYER... ever.

Redskin in Canada · Post by **Redskin in Canada** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:02 pm

Redskins Fans are having to become historians to enjoy their franchise. All great times appear to be in the past.

Sorry. The Holidays get me a bit of blue before the big days arrive and I get happy again.

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:25 pm

Redskin in Canada wrote:Redskins Fans are having to become historians to enjoy their franchise. All great times appear to be in the past.

Sorry. The Holidays get me a bit of blue before the big days arrive and I get happy again.

Which is worse... Being a fan of a currently weak team with a deep and rich history? Or a decent team with no history at all? Compare, for example, the grounded reality of MOST of the fans of the Redskins, or even (forgive me) the Cowboys, versus the frantic despiration of fans of the Ravens (trying to make every game a rivalry game, because they have no other way to define themselves).

welch · Post by **welch** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:03 pm

Redskins Fans are having to become historians to enjoy their franchise. All great times appear to be in the past.

That's how it was when I started...1953 or so. The Little General (Eddie Lebaron) had just replaced Sammy Baugh. People talked about the old days and those great teams.

So it was for almost 20 years.

Then weird George Allen took the team to the playoffs, and then came SB 17.

The team will get back. Snyder will learn, egomaniac that he is, to hire the best and let them work. Jack Kent Cooke was even more egomaniacal, but Cooke loved holding that Lombardi Trophy.

redskins14ru · Post by **redskins14ru** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:33 pm

welch wrote:
Redskins Fans are having to become historians to enjoy their franchise. All great times appear to be in the past.

That's how it was when I started...1953 or so. The Little General (Eddie Lebaron) had just replaced Sammy Baugh. People talked about the old days and those great teams.

So it was for almost 20 years.

Then weird George Allen took the team to the playoffs, and then came SB 17.

The team will get back. Snyder will learn, egomaniac that he is, to hire the best and let them work. Jack Kent Cooke was even more egomaniacal, but Cooke loved holding that Lombardi Trophy.

I feel the chills the gridiron kings.... may the lord be with the family of and friends of the great baugh.

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:51 pm

the great bough

Yes... 'tis the season...

redskins14ru · Post by **redskins14ru** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:50 pm

Redskin in Canada wrote:Redskins Fans are having to become historians to enjoy their franchise. All great times appear to be in the past.

Sorry. The Holidays get me a bit of blue before the big days arrive and I get happy again.

Redskins fans are blessed with a rich history, one of my "defining moments" of the 2008 season was against the Ravens on the last drive when montgomery got stood up on the Dline he was a warrior and that takes heart, even though they got there butts kicked on the last drive they also played there best, ,,, I have not watched the film and may never get to, however as I see it 4 quarters of Washington Redskins playing football is worth every minute.

welch · Post by **welch** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 8:59 pm

Somehow, it is hard to put much interest into the latest "trash Jason Campbell and get a QB" thread when we can see clips (above) of Sammy Baugh.

redskins14ru · Post by **redskins14ru** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 3:53 am

thanks I will watch the clips I bet old sammy had his days when not much went right even if they still won or went to the playoffs, it was still nice to watch. I can't wait to see the look on my friends face when I show the best iron man ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

welch · Post by **welch** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 4:14 pm

I bet old sammy had his days when not much went right

I've posted a link to the nearly immortal Shirley Povich story from the Post after the Bears beat the Redskins 73 - 0 in the NFL championship game.

Sammy had a clear throw for a TD that hit the goal post -- used to be on the goal like, which is where the "post pattern" got its name. Rules in those days said a turnover and touch-back.

A reporter asked Sammy if that TD would have made a difference. He said, "Yeah. It would have been 73 - 7".

If you can't find our link, check the Post, search for Shirley, and read his stories.

For the young folks, Shirley Povich, Hall of Fame journalist, covered sports for the Post from 1924 (23?) until he died about 1999. His last essay discussed Mark MacGwire, and explained why McGwire could never be compared to Babe Ruth. Povich quoted Walter Johnson on pitching to The Babe. "I can't say he hit the bal harder than anyone else, but I'm sure that his hits got smaller faster!".

Think of that: casually quotes a talk with Walter Johnson about Babe Ruth when discussing Mark Macgwire!!!

redskins14ru · Post by **redskins14ru** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:38 pm

is that the same era that the fight song got changed up?