Sammy Baugh was one of the most dominant and versatile players in the early era of the NFL, excelling as a quarterback, safety, as well as a punter. Baugh was a pioneer of today’s modern NFL, regularly passing the ball in an era where it was just a few yards and a cloud of dust. Even though he played more than eighty years ago, he is still one of the most respected and revered legends in the 100 year history of the NFL. Here’s a look at the life and legacy of Texas’ first true football star, ‘Slingin’ Sammy Baugh.
Early Life, College Football & Baseball
Baugh was born on a farm near Temple, Texas on March 17, 1914. His parents divorced while he was growing up, and he moved to Sweetwater, Texas at the age of 16. While playing for the Sweetwater Mustangs, he famously practiced throwing a football through a tire, often on the run, and he’d allegedly practice punting more than throwing. In High School, Baugh actually wanted to play baseball, and almost went to Washington State on a scholarship, but it fell through after he hurt his knee sliding into second base. TCU Coach Dutch Meyer told Baugh that he could play football, baseball, and basketball. That was enough to convince Baugh to enroll at TCU. At TCU, Baugh was a 2x All American, and led TCU to two bowl game victories, a 3-2 win over LSU in the Sugar Bowl, and a 16-6 win over Marquette in the first ever Cotton Bowl Classic, and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. His career statistics at TCU over the course of three seasons are 270-587, 3,320 yards, and 40 TDs. As a baseball player, he played as a third baseman. While he was playing baseball, he got his nickname ‘Slingin’ Sammy from a Texas sports writer. He was even drafted to the MLB by the St. Louis Cardinals and played for the AA team Columbus Red Birds while being converted to shortstop. He was sent to the Rochester Red Wings, then quit due to unhappiness.
Washington Redskins
Baugh was drafted sixth overall by the Washington Redskins in the 1937 NFL Draft, the same year they relocated from Boston. He signed a one year, $8,000 contract with the team, which is equivalent to $143,561.71 in today’s money. In his rookie year, he played quarterback, defensive back, and punter. Baugh made an immediate impact, setting an NFL completions record with 91 completions from 218 attempts, and threw for a league high 1,127 yards (I know that doesn’t sound like a world beater, but still). He led the Redskins to the NFL Championship game against George Halas’ Chicago Bears, where Baugh was 17 of 33, 335 yards and 3 TDs. His 335 passing yards were the most ever from a rookie quarterback in a playoff game until Russell Wilson broke it in 2012. In 1940, Baugh’s Redskins went back to the NFL Championship and were dominated 73-0 by the Chicago Bears thanks to their overwhelming T-Formation offense. That same year, Baugh & fellow teammate Wayne Millner were assistant coaches for the Catholic University of America’s Cardinals, and helped them go to the 1940 Sun Bowl, which ended in a 0-0 tie. In 1941, Baugh made $6,000, which is around $106,977.66 in today’s money, when he starred in a 12 episode serial. He played a Texas Ranger named Tom King, and the serial was called King of the Texas Rangers. In 1942, Baugh had a run of dominance, leading Washington to a 10-1 record, throwing for 1,524 yards and 16 touchdowns, 5 picks as a safety, and led the NFL in punting average. In the NFL Championship, Baugh threw a touchdown pass and helped pin the undefeated Bears in their own territory for a 10-6 win. The next year in 1943, Baugh had arguably the greatest performance any player had ever. He threw for 1,754 yards, 23 touchdowns, had a career high 50 punts, averaging 45.9 yards per punt, and had an astonishing 11 interceptions as a safety. One game against the Detroit Lions stands out, as he threw four touchdown passes, and intercepted four passes, being the first player to do so. The Redskins went back to the NFL Championship against The Bears, but Baugh suffered a concussion and got knocked out of the game. His Redskins lost 42-21. In the 1945 season, Baugh was the first quarterback to complete 70% of his passes, and threw only 11 TDs to 4 INTs. The Redskins came up short once again in the NFL Championship, losing to the Cleveland Rams 15-14. There was some controversy, as Baugh threw a pass that hit the goal post (the goal posts back then were at the front of the endzone, rather than the back). Owner George Preston Marshall was adamant on a rule change that made passes hitting the goal post automatically incomplete. Baugh had his best season as a passer in 1947, throwing for a career high 2,938 yards and 25 TDs. One performance of note that year was on “Sammy Baugh Day,” which took place on November 23, 1947. The Washington DC Touchdown Club gave Baugh a station wagon and was honored at Griffith Stadium. That game was against the Chicago Cardinals, and Baugh threw for 355 yards and 6 TDs, his finest game as a passer. Baugh continued playing until 1952. In his final game, Baugh played for several minutes before retiring to a standing ovation in Griffith Stadium. Baugh’s career statistics as a passer are 1692-2995, 21,886 yards, 187 touchdowns, and 203 interceptions. As a punter, he had 338 punts, 15,245 punt yards, and an average of 45.1. He stopped playing DB in 1944, and had 31 picks, forced 47 fumbles, and recovered 21 of them.
Coaching and Final Years
After declining to take part in Redskins team activities, he became the head coach for the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys in Abilene, Texas from 1955-1959. He compiled a 23-28 record, and had one bowl game, a 14-7 loss against Wyoming at the Sun Bowl. Baugh was also the first coach of the New York Titans, the modern day New York Jets in 1960 and 1961, getting a 14-14 record. He was also an assistant coach for the University of Tulsa in 1963, the same year he was one of the 17 charter inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1964, he coached the Houston Oilers for a year, going 4-10. After that, Baugh moved to a ranch in Rotan, Texas. His wife, Edmonia Smith died in 1990 after 52 years of marriage, and together they had four boys and a girl. According to Baugh’s son, his father had a lot more fun on the ranch than he ever did playing football, and that if he could live life over again, he probably wouldn’t play football. He spent his final years in a nursing home in Jayton, Texas. On December 17, 2008 Baugh died after complications to his health including Alzheimer’s at the age of 94. He was the last surviving member of the charter inductee class.
Legacy
Sammy Baugh was a player ahead of his time, being one of the very first quarterbacks to use the forward pass regularly rather than a last resort. Baugh’s #33 jersey is the only jersey number that has been officially retired by the Washington Redskins. His #45 jersey was also one of two officially retired by TCU. On the NFL’s Top 100 Greatest Players, Bill Belichick said that Baugh’s versatility was the equivalent of Tom Brady, Brian Moorman, and Ed Reed rolled into one. If you get high praise from Bill Belichick, that means you must have been legendary. Baugh set 13 NFL Records when he retired. As a passer, two of his records stand. Most times leading the NFL in passing with six (tied with Steve Young), and most seasons leading the NFL in the lowest interception percentage. As a punter, Baugh has the second best career average behind Shane Lechler, and has the best single season average for a punter with 51.4 yards per punt. As a safety, he was the first player to have 4 interceptions in a single game, a feat that has been repeated many times, but never broken. I know he threw a ton of picks, but keep in mind that the footballs used back then were a lot bigger than the ones used today, and passing wasn’t really at the forefront like it is today. A true gunslinger, Baugh’s name is at the beginning of a long list of big arm quarterbacks, and was a true pioneer of the modern game.
Breaking It Down With DKown 