Sammy Baugh, Sweetwater Native

By Lew
September 7, 2005

I thought it would be nice to re-discover Sammy Baugh. My congratulations to Sammy Baugh for being a hero to many people. You have done Sweetwtaer very proud!


Sammy Baugh, QB/DB/punter

TCU, 1934-1936

All the great passing attacks in today's version of college football are functions of quarterbacks who've been groomed since a young age to be able to throw, coaches who are able to construct great formations and patterns and faster, better receivers. Back in 1934, the passing game in college football wasn't just in it's infancy, it was almost non-existent. Quarterbacks were merely advanced running backs and while many threw the ball, no one had ever done it with much skill and accuracy as Sammy Baugh.

Coming out of high school, Baugh was recruited by Leo "Dutch" Meyer to come to TCU to play baseball. After becoming the football coach in 1934, Meyer got Baugh to play for him and the rest is history.

Baugh advanced college football by becoming the first real superstar passing quarterback and is widely considered the greatest passer in Southwest Conference history. As great a quarterback as Baugh was, he was equally skilled as a defensive back and is also considered one of the great punters in college football history.

In 1937 and 1938, Davey O'Brien continued the legend of great TCU quarterbacks, but Baugh is the one who changed the way college football was played carrying TCU into the elite level of college football programs.

The team: Under Baugh and head coach Dutch Meyer, TCU went 8-4. In 1935, TCU won the national title going 12-1 with the only loss coming to SMU losing 20-14 when Baugh was out with an injury. The Horned Frogs went 9-2-2 in 1936 highlighted by a stunning 9-0 win at undefeated and untied Santa Clara as Baugh averaged 43 yards on 17 punts and outpassed and outplayed Santa Clara star QB Nello Falaschi.

The passing stats: Remembering what time period he did this in, Baugh was amazing going 285 of 597 for 3,471 yards and 39 touchdowns for his career. As a punter, he averaged 40.9 yards per kick on 198 punts once kicking one 85 yards.

The bowl games: Decades before the Sugar Bowl was to be moved indoors, it was played on a windy, rainy day in 1936 when TCU faced off against LSU. Baugh was everywhere picking off two passes, averaging 48 yards per kick on 14 kicks and tearing off a 44-yard run on the slippery field in the 3-2 win. In the 1937 Cotton Bowl, it was a battle between two of the nation's best passers when Baugh and TCU faced Buzz Buivid and Marquette. The Frogs won 16-6 as L.B. Meyer scored all 16 points and Baugh played so well that head coach Dutch Meyer sat Baugh for most of the fourth quarter not wanting to rub it in. In his last game, the crowd wanted to see Baugh one last time cheering for him until he came back into the game in the final minutes.

The pro: Baugh began his post-TCU career as third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals and after getting sent to the minors, he decided to play pro football. After practicing for a week with the Washington Redskins, he beat the New York Giants 13-3 going 11 of 16 for 116 yards going on to beat the Chicago Bears for the NFL title that season throwing for three scores in the championship. He'd be a part of several championships including the famous 73-0 loss to Chicago in 1940 and a 14-6 win over the Bears in 1942. In the 1943 title game against Chicago and 1946 games against the Cleveland Rams, Baugh was knocked out and the Redskins lost both games.

In 1943, Baugh was the only player (and will be the only player ever) to lead the league in passing, interceptions and punting. He held every NFL passing record when he retired with 21.886 yards and 187 touchdown passes and is still in the record books with a completion percentage of 70.3 in 1945 and 51.4 yard punting average in 1940.

Honors:

College Football Hall of Fame - 1951
Pro Football Hall of Fame - 1963
All-American - 1936
All-SWC - 1935, 1936
Nine-time NFL All-Pro
No. 45 TCU jersey retired - 1993
Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame - 1999

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