Sure gonna miss the old red-headed cigar smoking quarterback from Wilmington New Hanover High School, and he played at Duke University for the Blue Devils, and for the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles, in the NFL…Loved him as the slow-moving, but highly efficient Redskins’ QB for Bill Austin, Vince Lombardi, and George Allen, but really thought his best days may have been while he was in the broadcast booth calling/announcing the games for the Redskins….
That team of Sonny, Sam, and Frank, will go down as one of the best radio broadcast teams of all-time…Loved listening to those old Redskins games back in the day on the old WBIG, WKEW, WGBG, WSJS, and other outlets from back in those old days…Sonny Jurgensen, Sam Huff, and Frank Herzog, were maybe the best sports broadcast team that I ever heard call the games…Sonny, Sam, and Frank…That is how you knew them…That simple, that easy…Sonny, Sam, and Frank…And it was NEVER the same, after they left…Sort of like the old Atlanta Braves radio guys, such as Skip, Pete, and John….
But, I do not think any can compare to Sonny, Sam, and Frank…
We are going to miss you Sonny…..
RIP:Sonny Jurgensen…Gone, but never forgotten…..
Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen passes away at 91
from Hannah Lichtenstein, Senior Brand & Content Writer for the Washington Commanders website….
CLICK HERE to go to the website….
Former Washington quarterback Sonny Jurgensen, a four-time All-Pro, NFL champion and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has passed away. He was 91.
“Sonny Jurgensen is, and always will be, one of the defining legends of Washington football,” the team said in a statement. “He was a giant of the game, and a beloved part of our team’s identity. Our hearts and prayers are with Sonny’s family, friends and everyone who loved him.”
Regarded as one of the finest pure passers in NFL history, Jurgensen ushered in a new era in Washington, delighting fans and decimating defenses with clinical throws and his uniquely entertaining style of play. During his 11 seasons with the Burgundy & Gold, Jurgensen led the league in passing yards (1966, 1967, 1969), passing touchdowns (1967), completion percentage (1970) and was named a member of the NFL’s 1960s All-Decade Team. By the time he retired in 1974, Jurgensen totaled 2,433 completions, 32,224 passing yards, 255 touchdowns and five 3,000-yard seasons.
A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, who showed athletic prowess from a young age, Jurgensen opted to stay close to home for college and attended Duke University. He excelled as a defensive back, quarterback and punter for the Blue Devils, earning first-team All-ACC honors twice on his way to helping Duke win multiple conference titles and the 1955 Orange Bowl.
Jurgensen was selected in the fourth round (43rd overall) in the 1957 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he served mostly as a backup during his first four seasons. He was a member of the Eagles team that beat Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers in the 1960 NFL Championship game. In 1961, Jurgensen took over as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback, passing for an NFL-record 3,723 yards and tying Johnny Unitas’ single-season NFL record with 32 touchdown passes — a mark that stood as the Eagles’ team record until 2017. He finished that season with First-Team All-Pro honors and the first of his five Pro Bowl nods. The following year, he led the league once again with 3,261 passing yards.
In what was one of the most important trades in league history, Jurgensen was traded to Washington in 1964 in exchange for Norm Snead and Claude Crabb.
“When I looked back on it, being shocked initially, it was an opportunity to start fresh and to start anew,” Jurgensen later said of the trade. “It was a team I had followed because the Redskins were part of the South. I had come up to see them play as a high school team. My family could come up and see me play. I enjoyed that.”
It didn’t take long for Jurgensen to make an impact once he arrived in the nation’s capital. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and named a Second Team All-Pro in his first season with Washington. His talents shined and his dominance grew while wearing the burgundy and gold. Jurgensen’s “golden arm” was no secret, yet opponents struggled to find answers for it.
“All I ask of my blockers is four seconds,” he once explained. “I try to stay on my feet and not be forced out of the pocket … I beat people by throwing, not running. I won’t let them intimidate me into doing something which is not the best thing I can do.”