MVN: Most Valuable Network

"Slinging Sammy" Baugh, the first super star of the Washington Redskins, passed away away Wednesday night at a hospital near his ranch in West Texas. He was 94 years old.

You will find plenty of accolades about Baugh on Redskins.com and at the NFL Hall of Fame where Baugh was a charter member, class of 1963.

Before Baugh joined the Redskins (1937), American football was more like British rugby. When Baugh left (1952) football involved "pitch and catch" and fans who wanted more of that.

His departure started the Skins in a long skid from which the team did not stop until George Allen's Over The Hill Gang of the 1970s.

Most Redskin fans have heard of the guy, but never saw him play. So, I went to a friend who has a first hand recollection of Baugh. Here is Tom Dillon's tribute to Sammy Baugh.

I grew up in a time when everything was in a status quo. We knew only one president (FDR), one Pope (Pius XII) and one Redskin (Sammy Baugh). I saw him play many times, probably as early as 1943. After the games the fans could go on the field at Griffith Stadium and get autographs from the players.

We (my brother, sister and me) had an autograph book and got many Redskin signatures in it, including Sammy's. After the games, Sam was always surrounded by the largest crowds, sometimes 100 to 300 people. He would probably stay on the field for 30 minutes before bowing out.

I was present at the stadium for his retirement ceremony. I remember that by that time we had worked our season tickets up to the 50-yard line on the north side of the stadium, (the permanent seats). The team presented Sam with a new Packard station wagon with real wood trim. The newspapers the next day reported, with photos, that Sam apparently took the car to Baltimore to celebrate after the game and managed to roll it over in a ditch. Quite a loss for a star who had reached his maximum reported salary of $30,000 after a long career.

There were a number of quarterbacks groomed the replace Sam - Harry Gilmer, Jimmy Youel, Tommy Mont, Jack Scarbath and others, but none ever had the success of Slingin Sam the Redskin man.

I could go on for a long time with old time Redskin lore, but that is enough for now. Guess I will go and put on my authentic Sammy Baugh jersey.