Slingin' Sam : The Life and Times of the Greatest Quarterback Ever to Play the Game

Dan Jenkins calls him 'the greatest quarterback who ever lived, college or pro.' Slingin’ Sammy Baugh, who played for TCU and the Washington Redskins, single-handedly revolutionized the game of football. While the pros still wore leather helmets and played the game more like rugby, Baugh’s ability to throw the ball with rifle-like accuracy made the forward pass a strategic weapon, not a desperation heave. Like Babe Ruth, who changed the very perception of how baseball is played, Slingin’ Sam transformed the notion of offense in football and how much yardage can be gained through the air. As the first modern quarterback, Baugh led the Redskins to five title games and two NFL championships, while leading the league in passing six times-a record that endures to this day-and in punting four times. In 1943, the triple-threat Baugh also scored a triple crown when he led the league in passing, punting, and interceptions. Slingin’ Sam is the first major biography of this legendary quarterback, one of the first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe Holley traces the whole arc of Baugh’s life (1914–2008), from his small-town Texas roots to his college ball success as an All-American at TCU, his brief flirtation with professional baseball, and his stellar career with the Washington Redskins (1937–1952), as well as his later career coaching the New York Titans and Houston Oilers and ranching in West Texas. Through Holley’s vivid descriptions of close-fought games, Baugh comes alive both as the consummate all-around athlete who could play every minute of every game, on both offense and defense, and as an all-around good guy. Dan Jenkins Calls Baugh The Greatest Quarterback Who Ever Lived, College Or Pro. Even Though He Played For The Washington Redskins Mostly In The Pre-tv Era (1937-1952), He Is Still Remembered And Revered By Fans, Who Consistently Name Him As The Former Player They Would Most Like To See Back In The Game. Baugh Was One Of The First Inductees Into The Pro Football Hall Of Fame. A Living Link Between The Leather-helmet Era And The Modern, Baugh Spread The Field, Opened Up The Game, And Made The Forward Pass A Strategic Weapon, Not A Desperation Heave. He Made Quarterback The Glamour Position, Which Means That Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Tom Brady, And All The Other Football Field Generals Since Baugh Are In His Debt-- Machine Generated Contents Note: Foreword By Peyton Manning -- Acknowledgments -- Prologue -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. Sam Baugh: The Beginning -- Chapter 2. Dutch Meyer: Short, Safe, Sure -- Chapter 3. 1934: The Baugh Era At Tcu Begins -- Chapter 4. 1935: That Championship Season -- Chapter 5. George Preston Marshall: Football Impresario -- Chapter 6. Marshall's Redskins: Boston Born But D.c. Bound -- Chapter 7. 1936: Baugh's Senior Year At Tcu -- Chapter 8. 1937: Slingin' Sam Chooses A Career -- Chapter 9. The 1937 Season: Baugh And The Redskins Debut In Washington -- Chapter 10. The 1937 Nfl Championship: Slaying The Monsters Of The Midway -- Chapter 11. Cardinal Sam? Baugh Tries The Major Leagues -- Chapter 12. The 1938 And 1939 Redskins: Giant Victims -- Chapter 13. The 1940 Nfl Championship: The Monsters' Revenge000 -- Chapter 14. Go West, Young Sam: Hollywood Calling -- Chapter 15. The Newest Thing Under Heaven: The Double Mountain Ranch -- Chapter 16. 1941: A Lackluster Season And A Day Of Infamy -- Chapter 17. The 1942 Season: Avenging 73-0 -- Chapter 18. 1943: A Baugh Trifecta And Another Championship Lost -- Chapter 19. 1944 And 1945: Yet Another Missed Championship And The End Of An Era -- Chapter 20. The 1946 And 1947 Seasons: The Dismal Years Begin000 -- Chapter 21. 1948-1952: Last Years With The Redskins -- Chapter 22. A Rancher Coaching Cowboys: Baugh At Hardin-simmons University -- Chapter 23. Back To The Pros: Coaching The Titans And The Oilers -- Chapter 24. Ranching, Rodeoing, And Golfing: Sam In Retirement -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index. By Joe Holley ; Foreword By Peyton Manning. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 285-310) And Index.