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1. Sammy Baugh

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1. Sammy Baugh

At TCU, Sammy Baugh played basketball, baseball, and football, and he was excellent at all of them.  Baugh was more passionate about baseball, but football was his true calling, and he signed with the Washington Redskins, who made him the Sixth Overall Pick in the 1937 Draft.

The selection of Baugh paid instant dividends for Washington, as Baugh played at Quarterback, Tailback, Punter, and Defensive Back, and as a rookie, he led the league in Passing Yards (1,127), was a First Team All-Pro, and led the Redskins to the Championship.  Baugh was a Pro Bowler at Tailback annually from 1938 to 1942, and again in '42, he took them to a Championship win.  In the year after, Baugh had a game where he threw four Touchdowns and defensively had four Interceptions.  This was the season where he led the NFL in picks with 11, and he would accumulate 31 in total in his career.

As the Quarterback’s position evolved, Baugh evolved with it.  "Slinging" Sammy became one of the first stars at QB.  He led the league in Pass Completion Percentage eight times, including five years in a row from 1945 to 1949.  In 1947 and 1948, he was first in Passing Yards again, this time with more significant numbers of 2,938 and 2,599 respectively, and in both campaigns the Washington D.C. Football Club named him the league MVP.

Baugh played until 1951, retiring in a career spent entirely with Washington.  

Notably, Baugh was one of the best Punters of the 1940s, as shown by leading the NFL in Yards per Punt five times.

Baugh is a member of both the NFL 75thand 100Anniversary Team, and his number 33 was the first to be retired in franchise history.   He left football with 21,886 Passing Yards, an outstanding number for a QB.  

Other lists might not place Baugh on the top of the greatest Redskins, but he should be.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Quarterback
  • Acquired: Selected in the 1st Round, 6th Overall in the NFL Draft 12/12/36.
  • Departed: Retired after the 1952 Season.
  • Games Played: 167
  • Notable Statistics:

    84 Games Started
    1,693 Pass Completions
    2,995 Pass Attempts
    21,886 Passing Yards
    187 Touchdown Passes
    203 Interceptions
    72.2 Passer Rating
    324 Rushing Attempts
    325 Rushing Yards
    9 Rushing Touchdowns
    1 Reception
    0 Receiving Yards
    1 Extra Point Attempt
    1 Extra Point Made
    338 Punts
    15,245 Punting Yards
    31 Interceptions
    491 Interception Return Yards
    21 Fumble Recoveries*
    -18 Fumble Recovery Yards*
    11 Punt Returns
    99 Punt Return Yards

    6 Playoff Games
    58 Pass Completions
    102 Pass Attempts
    56.9 Pass Completion Percentage
    831 Passing Yards
    7 Touchdown Passes
    8 Interceptions
    73.6 Passer Rating
    6 Rushing Attempts
    12 Rushing Yards
    20 Punts
    784 Punting Yards

    *Fumble Recoveries and Fumble Recovery Yards were not stats until the 1945 Season.

  • Played For: Washington Redskins
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    NFL Champion (1937 & 1942)
    NFL Player of the Year (1947 & 1948)
    First Team All-Pro (1937, 1940, 1942 & 1943)
    Second Team All-Pro (1947 & 1948)
    Pro Bowl (1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 & 1951)
    Most Pass Completions (1937, 1943, 1945, 1947 & 1948)
    Most Pass Attempts (1937, 1943, 1947 & 1948)
    Most Passing Yards (1937, 1940, 1947 & 1948)
    Most Passing Touchdowns (1940 & 1947)
    Highest Passer Rating (1940, 1945 & 1947)
    Most Passing Yards per Game (1937, 1938, 1940, 1947 & 1948)
    Most Yards per Pass Attempt (1937, 1940 & 1948)
    Most Yards per Pass Completion (1937)
    Most Pass Attempts per Game (1937, 1938, 1943, 1947 & 1948)
    Most Pass Completions per Game (1937, 1938, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947 & 1948)
    Most Pass Completion Percentage (1940, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948 & 1949)
    Most Punts (1943)
    Most Punting Yards (1943)
    Most Yards per Punt (1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 & 1945)
    Most Interceptions (1943)

Last modified on Tuesday, 06 September 2022 16:07

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