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Sammy Baugh

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Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NFL biography

Samuel Adrian Baugh (March 17, 1914 – December 17, 2008) was an American professional football quarterback who played 16 seasons with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, where he was a two time All-American prior to being selected by the Redskins in the first round of the 1937 NFL draft. With the Redskins, Baugh won NFL Championships in 1937 and 1942 and led the NFL in completion percentage eight times, passing yards four times, and passing touchdowns once.

Baugh also played as a punter and safety, leading the NFL in punting average five times and in defensive interceptions with 11 in 1943. After his playing career, he served as a college coach for the Hardin–Simmons Cowboys before coaching professionally for the New York Titans and Houston Oilers. Baugh was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and was named to the NFL's 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time teams.

Early lifeEdit

Baugh was born on March 17, 1914, in Temple, Texas,<ref name="espn">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the second son of James, a worker on the Santa Fe Railroad,<ref name=washingtonpost>Template:Cite news</ref> and Lucy Baugh. His parents later divorced and his mother raised the three children.<ref name=washingtonpost /> When he was 16, the family then moved to Sweetwater, Texas,<ref name="espn" /> and he attended Sweetwater High School.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> As the quarterback<ref name=lonestargridiron>Template:Cite news</ref> of his high school football team (Sweetwater Mustangs), he practiced for hours throwing a football through a swinging automobile tire, often on the run.<ref name="espn" /> Baugh practiced punting more than throwing.<ref name=seven>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

However, he really wanted to become a professional baseball player and almost received a scholarship to play at Washington State University.<ref name=seven /> About a month before he started at Washington State, however, Baugh hurt his knee while sliding into second base during a game, and the scholarship fell through.<ref name=seven />

College careerEdit

FootballEdit

After coach Dutch Meyer told him he could play three sports (football, baseball, and basketball),<ref name=eight>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Baugh attended Texas Christian University. While at TCU, he threw 587 passes in his three varsity seasons for 39 touchdowns.<ref name=collegefootballhof>Template:College Football HoF</ref> Baugh was named an All-American in 1935 and 1936.<ref name=collegefootballhof /> He also led the Horned Frogs to two bowl game wins, a 3–2 victory over LSU in the 1936 Sugar Bowl, and a 16–6 victory over Marquette in the first annual Cotton Bowl Classic in 1937<ref name=collegefootballhof /> after which he was named MVP.<ref name="espn" /> He finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1936.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In early 1936, Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall offered Baugh $4,000 to play for them.<ref name=eight /> Originally unsure about playing professional football, he did not agree to the contract until after the College All-Star Game, where the team beat the Green Bay Packers 6–0.<ref name=washingtonpost /><ref name=eight />

Year Passing
Cmp Att Pct Yds TD
1934 69 171 40.4 883 10
1935 97 210 46.2 1,241 18
1936 104 206 50.5 1,196 12
Career 270 587 46.0 3,320 40

BaseballEdit

Baugh was also a baseball player at TCU, where he played third base.<ref name="espn" /><ref name=coffincorner>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was during his time as a baseball player that he earned the nickname "Slinging Sammy",<ref name=coffincorner /> which he got from a Texas sportswriter.<ref name="espn" /> After college, Baugh signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and was sent to the minor leagues to play with the American Association Columbus Red Birds, after being converted to shortstop. He was then sent to the International League's Rochester, New York Red Wings, St. Louis's other top farm club.<ref name="espn" /> While there he received little playing time behind starting shortstop Marty Marion<ref name="espn" /> and was unhappy with his prospects. He then turned to professional football.<ref name=coffincorner />

Professional careerEdit

File:"Slingin Sammy" Baugh, Washington, D.C., Sept. 11. "Slinging Sammy" Baugh, new addition to the Washington Redskins, the Texas Christian U. star is rated as one of the greatest of this LCCN2016877935 (cropped).jpg
Baugh as a rookie with the Washington Redskins, 1937

As expected, Baugh was selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1937 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, the same year the team moved from Boston.<ref name=profootballhof>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He signed a one-year contract with the Redskins and received $8,000, making him the highest-paid player on the team.<ref name="espn" />

During his rookie season in 1937, Baugh played quarterback (although in Washington's formation he was officially lined up as a tailback or halfback until 1944), safety, and punter, set an NFL record for completions with 91 in 218 attempts and threw for a league-high 1,127 yards.<ref name=coffincorner /> He led the Redskins to the NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears, where he finished 17 of 33 for 335 yards and his second-half touchdown passes of 55, 78 and 33 yards gave Washington a 28–21 victory.<ref name="espn" /> His 335 passing yards remained the most ever in a playoff game by any rookie quarterback in NFL history until Russell Wilson broke the record in 2012. The Redskins and Bears met three times in championship games between 1940 and 1943. In the 1940 Championship game, the Bears recorded the most one-sided victory in NFL history, beating Washington 73–0.<ref name="espn" /> After the game, Baugh was asked what would have happened if the Redskins' first drive had resulted in a touchdown. He shrugged and replied: "What? The score would have been 73–7".

Baugh's heyday came during World War II. In 1942, Baugh and the Redskins won the East Conference with a 10–1 record.<ref name="espn" /> In the 1942 Championship game, Baugh threw a touchdown pass and kept the Bears in their own territory with some strong punts, including an 85-yard quick kick, and Washington won 14–6.<ref name="espn" /> Template:Quote box Baugh had what many consider to be the greatest single-season performance by a pro football player during 1943 in which he led the league in pass completions, punting (45.9-yard average) and interceptions (11).<ref name="espn" /><ref name=profootballhof /> One of Baugh's more memorable single-game performances during the season was when he threw four touchdown passes and intercepted four passes in a 42–20 victory over the Lions.<ref name="espn" /> He was selected as an All-Pro tailback that year. The Redskins again made it to the championship game, but lost to the Bears 41–21. During the game, Baugh suffered a concussion while tackling Bears quarterback Sid Luckman and had to leave.<ref name="espn" />

During the 1945 season, Baugh completed 128 of 182 passes for a 70.33 completion percentage, which was an NFL record that lasted until being broken by Ken Anderson in 1982.<ref name="espn" /> He threw 11 touchdown passes and only four interceptions. The Redskins again won the East Conference but lost 15–14 in the 1945 Championship game against the Cleveland Rams. The one-point margin of victory came under scrutiny because of a safety that occurred early in the game. In the first quarter, the Redskins had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Dropping back into the end zone, Baugh threw to an open receiver, but the ball hit the goal post (which at the time was on the goal line instead of at the back of the end zone) and bounced back to the ground in the end zone. Under the rules at the time, this was ruled as a safety and thus gave the Rams a 2–0 lead. It was that safety that proved to be the margin of victory. Owner Marshall was so angry at the outcome that he became a major force in passing the following major rule change after the season: A forward pass that strikes the goal posts is automatically ruled incomplete. This later became known as the "Baugh/Marshall Rule".<ref>Nash, Bruce, and Allen Zullo (1986). The Football Hall of Shame, 68–69, Pocket Books. Template:ISBN.</ref> Template:Quote box One of Baugh's more memorable single performances came on "Sammy Baugh Day" on November 23, 1947. That day, the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club honored him at Griffith Stadium and gave him a station wagon.<ref name="espn" /> Against the Chicago Cardinals he passed for 355 yards and six touchdowns.<ref name="espn" /><ref name=profootballhof /> That season, the Redskins finished 4–8, but Baugh had career highs in completions (210), attempts (354), yards (2,938) and touchdown passes (25), leading the league in all four categories.<ref name="espn" />

Baugh played for five more years—leading the league in completion percentage for the sixth and seventh times in 1948 and 1949. He then retired after the 1952 season.<ref name="espn" /> In his final game, a 27–21 win over Philadelphia at Griffith Stadium, he played for several minutes before retiring to a prolonged standing ovation from the crowd.<ref name=washingtonpost /> Baugh won numerous NFL passing titles and earned first-team All-NFL honors four times in his career. He completed 1,693 of 2,995 passes for 21,886 yards.<ref name="espn" /><ref name=profootballhof />

RecordsEdit

File:1955 topps sammy baugh.jpg
1955 Topps trading card of Baugh

By the time he retired, Baugh set 13 NFL records in three player positions: quarterback, punter, and safety. He is considered one of the all-time great football players.<ref name=wilbon>Template:Cite news</ref> He gave birth to the fanaticism of Redskins fans. As Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post says: "He brought not just victories but thrills and ignited Washington with a passion even the worst Redskins periods can barely diminish".<ref name=wilbon /> He was the first to play the position of quarterback as it is played today, the first to make of the forward pass an effective weapon rather than an "act of desperation".<ref name=wilbon />

Two of his records as quarterback still stand: most seasons leading the league in passing (six; tied with Steve Young) and most seasons leading the league with the lowest interception percentage (five).<ref name=coffincorner /> He is also top 20 all-time in highest single-season completion percentage (70.33), he has the most seasons leading the league in yards gained (four) and most seasons leading the league in completion percentage (seven).<ref name=coffincorner />

As a punter, Baugh retired with the NFL record for highest punting average in a career (45.1 yards), and is still second all-time (only Shane Lechler has passed him with 46.5 yards), and has the second-best (51.4 in 1940) and fifth-best (48.7 in 1941) season marks.<ref name="espn" /><ref name=coffincorner /> He led the league in punting from 1940 through 1943.<ref name=profootballhof/> His single-season record of 51.4 average yards per punt during the 1940 season was held for 82 seasons until Titans rookie punter Ryan Stonehouse broke it with a 53.1 average in the 2022 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

As a safety, he was the first player in league history to intercept four passes in a game (in 1943; a record that has since been tied but not surpassed), and he is the only player to lead the league in passing, punting, and interceptions in the same season (also 1943).<ref name="espn" /><ref name=coffincorner />

As one of the best-known of the early NFL quarterbacks, Baugh is likely to be compared to more recent great players. As noted by Michael Wilbon in The Washington Post, the football of Baugh's era was rounder at the ends and fatter in the middle than the one used today, making it far more difficult to pass well (or even to create a proper spiral).<ref name=wilbon /> Additionally, it is important to point out that the rules for both pass-interference and for protecting quarterbacks have intensified dramatically, resulting in inflating modern quarterbacks' statistics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Coaching careerEdit

While playing for the Redskins, Baugh and teammate Wayne Millner were assistant coaches for the Catholic University Cardinals, and went with them to the 1940 Sun Bowl.<ref name=Baugh /> Baugh left Washington, D.C. in 1952. He chose not to return for Redskins team functions, despite repeated organization invitations.<ref name=washingtonpost /> After his playing career, he became head football coach for the Hardin–Simmons Cowboys, where he compiled a 23–28 record between 1955 and 1959.<ref name="espn" /><ref name=washingtonpost />

Baugh was the first coach of the New York Titans of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 and 1961 compiling a record of 14–14. He was an assistant for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in 1963 under head coach Glenn Dobbs. At Tulsa, he coached All-American quarterback Jerry Rhome.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1964, Baugh coached the Houston Oilers and went 4–10.<ref name="espn" /><ref name=washingtonpost />

ActingEdit

Baugh also took up acting. In 1941, he made $6,400 for starring in a 12-week serial as a dark-haired Texas Ranger named Tom King. The serial, called King of the Texas Rangers, was released by Republic Studios. The episodes ran in theaters as Saturday matinees; it also starred Duncan Renaldo, later famous as TV's Cisco Kid.<ref name=washingtonpost /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Robert Duvall patterned the role of Gus McCrae in the television series Lonesome Dove after Baugh, particularly his arm movements, after visiting him at his home in Texas in 1988.<ref name=wilbon />

Personal and later lifeEdit

After retiring from football, Baugh and his wife Edmonia Smith Baugh moved to his Double Mountain ranch west of Aspermont, Texas, where they had four boys and a girl.<ref name=washingtonpost /> Edmonia died in 1990, after 52 years of marriage to Baugh, who was her high school sweetheart.<ref name=washingtonpost /> According to his son, Baugh derived far more pleasure from ranching than he ever had from football, saying that he enjoyed the game, but if he could live his life over again, he probably wouldn't play sports at all.

Similar to the nicknaming of fellow football great Byron "Whizzer" White of Colorado, sportswriters had tagged "Slinging Sammy". However, Sam was his preferred name for most of his life. He always introduced himself as Sam Baugh and signed his papers and autographs that way. TCU named its football practice facility the Sam Baugh Football Center with that perspective in mind.

Baugh's health began to decline after the death of his wife. During his last years, he lived in a nursing home in a little West Texas town called Jayton, not far from Double Mountain Ranch. The ranch is now in the hands of Baugh's son David and is still a cow-calf operation, on Template:Convert.<ref name=washingtonpost />

DeathEdit

The Associated Press quoted Baugh's son on December 17, 2008, saying Baugh had died after numerous health issues, including Alzheimer's disease, at Fisher County Hospital in Rotan, Texas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is interred at Belvieu Cemetery in Rotan.

Honors and careerEdit

File:Sammy Baugh & Douglas Corrigan LCCN2016873879 (cropped).jpg
Baugh in 1938

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  • 3rd greatest NFL player and 43rd greatest athlete of the 20th century by the Associated Press (1999)<ref name=hogsnet/>
  • 4th greatest college football player by SPORT magazine (1999)<ref name=hogsnet/>
  • 11th greatest NFL player of the 20th century by The Sporting News (1999)<ref name=hogsnet/> (highest-ranking player for the Redskins)
  • 14th greatest NFL player of all time by NFL Network/NFL Films (2010)<ref name=films14>Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
  • 64th greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN (1999)<ref name=hogsnet/>
  • #21 retired at Sweetwater High School.<ref name=sweetwater>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • #33 retired by the Washington Commanders (1953)
  • A street in his hometown of Rotan, Texas<ref name=hogsnet/>
  • Had a children's home in Jayton, Kent County, Texas named in his honor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • TCU's indoor practice facility is named after him.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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NFL career statisticsEdit

Legend
NFL Player of the Year
Won the NFL championship
Led the league
Bold Career high
Underline Incomplete data

Regular seasonEdit

Year Team Games Passing Punting Interceptions
Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
1937 WAS 11 5 81 171 47.4 1,127 6.6 59 8 14 4.7 8.2 50.5 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
1938 WAS 9 3 63 128 49.2 853 6.7 60 5 11 3.9 8.6 48.1 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
1939 WAS 9 1 53 96 55.2 518 5.4 44 6 9 6.3 9.4 52.3 26 998 38.4 69 1 0 0 — 0 0
1940 WAS 11 11 111 177 62.7 1,367 7.7 81 12 10 6.8 5.6 85.6 35 1,799 51.4 85 1 3 84 28.0 44 0
1941 WAS 11 1 106 193 54.9 1,236 6.4 55 10 19 5.2 9.8 52.2 30 1,462 48.7 75 0 4 83 20.8 35 0
1942 WAS 11 8 132 225 58.7 1,524 6.8 53 16 11 7.1 4.9 82.5 37 1,785 48.2 74 0 5 77 15.4 29 0
1943 WAS 10 7 133 239 55.6 1,754 7.3 72 23 19 9.6 7.9 78.0 50 2,295 45.9 81 3 11 112 10.2 23 0
1944 WAS 8 4 82 146 56.2 849 5.8 71 4 8 2.7 5.5 59.4 44 1,787 40.6 76 1 4 21 5.3 18 0
1945 WAS 8 8 128 182 70.3 1,669 9.2 70 11 4 6.0 2.2 109.9 33 1,429 43.3 57 0 4 114 28.5 74 0
1946 WAS 11 2 87 161 54.0 1,163 7.2 51 8 17 5.0 10.6 54.2 33 1,488 45.1 60 0 0 0 — 0 0
1947 WAS 12 1 210 354 59.3 2,938 8.3 74 25 15 7.1 4.2 92.0 35 1,528 43.7 67 2 0 0 — 0 0
1948 WAS 12 3 185 315 58.7 2,599 8.3 86 22 23 7.0 7.3 78.3 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
1949 WAS 12 9 145 255 56.9 1,903 7.5 76 18 14 7.1 5.5 81.2 1 53 53.0 53 0 0 0 — 0 0
1950 WAS 11 7 90 166 54.2 1,130 6.8 56 10 11 6.0 6.6 68.1 9 352 39.1 58 1 0 0 — 0 0
1951 WAS 12 9 67 154 43.5 1,104 7.2 53 7 17 4.5 11.0 43.8 4 221 55.3 53 0 0 0 — 0 0
1952 WAS 7 5 20 33 60.6 152 4.6 20 2 1 6.1 3.0 79.4 1 48 48.0 48 0 0 0 — 0 0
Career 165 84 1,693 2,995 56.5 21,886 7.3 86 187 203 6.2 6.8 72.2 338 15,245 45.1 85 9 31 491 15.8 74 0

PostseasonEdit

Year Team Games Passing Punting Interceptions
Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
1937 WAS 1 1 18 33 54.5 335 10.2 78 3 1 9.1 3.0 107.5 5 132 26.4 43 0 0 0 — 0 0
1940 WAS 1 1 10 17 58.8 102 6.0 50 0 2 0.0 11.8 36.5 1 29 29.0 29 0 0 0 — 0 0
1942 WAS 1 1 5 13 38.5 65 5.0 38 1 2 7.7 15.4 41.0 6 315 52.5 61 0 1 0 0.0 0 0
1943 WAS 2 0 24 33 72.7 322 9.8 31 3 3 9.1 9.1 95.8 6 243 40.5 66 0 2 48 24.0 28 0
1945 WAS 1 0 1 6 16.7 7 1.2 7 0 0 0.0 0.0 39.6 2 65 32.5 — 0 0 0 — 0 0
Career 6 3 58 102 56.9 831 8.1 78 7 8 6.9 7.8 73.6 20 784 39.2 66 0 3 48 16.0 28 0

Head coaching recordEdit

CollegeEdit

Template:CFB Yearly Record Start Template:CFB Yearly Record Subhead Template:CFB Yearly Record Entry Template:CFB Yearly Record Entry Template:CFB Yearly Record Entry Template:CFB Yearly Record Entry Template:CFB Yearly Record Entry Template:CFB Yearly Record Subtotal Template:CFB Yearly Record End

AFLEdit

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
NYT 1960 7 7 0 .500 2nd in AFL East - - -
NYT 1961 7 7 0 .500 3rd in AFL East - - -
HOU 1964 4 10 0 .286 4th in AFL East - - -
NY Total 14 14 0 Template:Winpct
HOU Total 4 10 0 Template:Winpct
Total 18 24 0 Template:Winpct

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

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