Sammy Baugh Passes Away

welch · Post by **welch** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:27 pm

The fight song was changed, I suspect, around 1963. I don;t know for sure, and, like most Redskin fans, I can never remember the middle part ("beat 'em scalp 'em touchdown wantum heap more" or whatever).

I just know that whenever the Redskins score, even on a PAT, we are supposed to stand up and sing. In SB 22, the MNF announcers began to get dizzy and silly from all the times they heard Hail to the Redskins. Five TDs and five extra points in one quarter!

redskins14ru · Post by **redskins14ru** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:42 pm

I was about 11 yaers old the and loved every minute of it that was sweet I have always heard the song on TV and man does it sound good,

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:11 pm

welch wrote:I just know that whenever the Redskins score, even on a PAT, we are supposed to stand up and sing.

At the Skins bar here in Atlanta, we only sing after TDs; no FGs, PATs, or safeties elicit song. I do know that at the stadium, they sing after everything, though.

PulpExposure · Post by **PulpExposure** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:12 pm

Just read this from Peter King:

On Thursday night against the Jaguars, Peyton Manning, who knew Baugh from a photo shoot in the nineties (See page 5), wore a wristband with "SB 33'' on it -- Baugh's initials, and his number with the Washington Redskins -- and had the best game of his season. "I was slingin' it tonight,'' said the respectful Manning. "I hope Sammy got a smile out of that game.''

The more I hear about Peyton Manning, the more I think he's a really good guy.

welch · Post by **welch** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:42 pm

See Len Schapiro's column in The Post:

A Legendary Meeting

By Leonard Shapiro
Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, December 23, 2008; 4:34 PM

Sonny Jurgensen had just signed up to join the news team at Channel 4 in 1994 when sports director George Michael asked him if there was anyone he'd always wanted to sit down with and interview on camera.

"Yes there is," Jurgensen said immediately. "Sammy Baugh."

The rest is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01910.html

Sonny says they had about three hours of tape, which had to be cut to a half hour. To hear all three hours!!!

DEHog · Post by **DEHog** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:15 pm

I heard the Skins sent no one to the funeral???
Please tell me that's not true!!

welch · Post by **welch** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:15 pm

We were all there in spirit.

Steve Spurrier III · Post by **Steve Spurrier III** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:39 am

A great story, as told by Shirley Povich in the August 12, 1938 edition of the Washington Post:

They tell tall tales of the tall Texan youth, but the story we like best is the fanciful one they repeat about the day he first joined the Redskins.

Taken in hand by Coach Ray Flaherty, Baugh was being told the differences between college football and professional football by Flaherty. "It's a different kind of game up here," said Flaherty. "They play it harder and the bumps are tougher. If you loaf you're apt to get hurt."

"Uh, huh," said Baugh in complete understanding.

"And another thing," said Flaherty. "We're a little particular about our forward passes up here in the pro league. They've got to lay that ball up there for the receivers. We can't go leaping all over the lot trying to haul down bad passes. Those passes have got to be good. They've got to be accurate. You've got to lay them up there by the receiver's eye."

Said Baugh: "Which eye?"

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:41 am

Steve Spurrier III wrote:A great story, as told by Shirley Povich in the August 12, 1938 edition of the Washington Post:

They tell tall tales of the tall Texan youth, but the story we like best is the fanciful one they repeat about the day he first joined the Redskins.

Taken in hand by Coach Ray Flaherty, Baugh was being told the differences between college football and professional football by Flaherty. "It's a different kind of game up here," said Flaherty. "They play it harder and the bumps are tougher. If you loaf you're apt to get hurt."

"Uh, huh," said Baugh in complete understanding.

"And another thing," said Flaherty. "We're a little particular about our forward passes up here in the pro league. They've got to lay that ball up there for the receivers. We can't go leaping all over the lot trying to haul down bad passes. Those passes have got to be good. They've got to be accurate. You've got to lay them up there by the receiver's eye."

Said Baugh: "Which eye?"

Classic... Sammy Baugh was a Texan's Texan. I'm sure glad he was our Texan as well...

:wink:

welch · Post by **welch** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 3:56 pm

The NFL Films boxed set on the Redskins has a long section on Sammy, during which the 1940's announcer shows the "special" way that Sammy holds the ball, long fingers spread the length of the ball...giving him greater control of his passes.

Often, old-timers would mention that Sammy Baugh invented the "bullet pass", which is how QB's throw today. If we researched Benny Friedman, we might find that Friedman was throwing the pass Baugh-style a few years earlier, but perhaps not as a primary weapon, and certainly without Friedman-imitators.

That's the thing: all passers imitate Sammy Baugh. That's why I'd say he invented the forward pass.

By the way, one of the old players says that Baugh was especially devastating because he could throw all of his passes -- short, long, looped -- while running. "It drove defenses crazy".