Sam Baugh, considered by many as TCU’s all-time greatest football player and as one of the best in NFL history, died Wednesday evening after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in recent years. He was 94.
His son, David, said Baugh died at Fisher County Hospital in Rotan, where he had been since falling ill around Thanksgiving with a variety of ailments that included kidney failure. Funeral services are Monday.
He was known simply as "Slingin' Sam," a nickname he didn't like and earned from his days in baseball, not the gridiron. Six-foot-two, lanky and athletic, he threw pinpoint spirals and booted booming punts that dazzled jam-packed stadiums across the country. A two-time All-American at quarterback, punter and defensive back, Baugh was the hero of the Horned Frogs' 1935 team that finished 12-1, won the Sugar Bowl and captured TCU's first national championship.Read The TCU Magazine story. The Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, Washington Post, The New York Times, ESPN and others have good accounts of Baugh's life. And for a real treat, watch "King of the Texas Rangers" (1941) serial trailer on YouTube. Here's another of him as a member of the Washington Redskins. Finally, here is former chancellor William Tucker talking about Baugh's importance to TCU.
- Rick
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