R.I.P. Sam Baugh. The Best. Ever.
by Steve Smith
TCU football legend Sam Baugh went to the big fieldhouse in the sky yesterday. He was 94.
Baugh will be remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, college or pro. I was pleased to see in the Star-Telegram obit that Jeff Wilson captured one of my favorite Baugh stories.
Back in 1995 in the waning days of the Southwest Conference, there was an event featuring all of the league’s Heisman Trophy winners. Even though Baugh wasn’t a Heisman winner himself, how could you honor the greatest players in SWC history and not invite Sam Baugh?
The Startlegram sent Whit Canning to cover the event. Other than being a fantastic writer and a great reporter, Whit always had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. When Whit returned to the office, I asked him how it went, and he related the following conversation with Baugh. “So, Sam,” Whit asked, “how does it feel to be here today with the likes of Andre Ware, Doak Walker, John David Crow and Earl Campbell?”
“I feel like a bastard at a family reunion,” Baugh replied.
Brilliant.
If you’d like to read more about the greatness of Sam Baugh, let me refer you to the book that Canning wrote with another Fort Worth legend, Dan Jenkins. It’s an excellent read.
For other Baugh obituaries, here is The New York Times obit and the
Washington Post obit.
It was...
2 Comments, Comments or Pings
John MacFarlane
This hits home. My late grandfather told me that he went to TCU because of Slingin’ Sammy Baugh. My grandfather died early of prostate cancer. He had season tickets to TCU football for several decades, but never got to see what Patterson has done with the team. He sat through many losing seasons at Amon Carter Stadium. Even though I never attended TCU, its football team and stadium will always be close to my heart.
Dec 18th, 2008
Jeremy
They need to bring back his throwing style! Kidding…
Seriously though, what a great football player. Sammy played (and held records) on the offensive, defensive and special teams…all in the same season. That will most likely never happen again. He’ll be a legend in football as long as the game is played, it’s cool to think that his success began right here in Fort Worth.
Dec 19th, 2008
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