Sammy Baugh - the Pioneer of the NFL's Modern Passing Game

Sammy Baugh was one of the best players in the NFL during the 1930s and 1940s for the Washington Redskins. His passing statistics for the era were extraordinary in a run-first driven league. "Slinging Sammy" won six passing titles, five division titles and two NFL titles including one his rookie season in 1937 with Washington.

With so many teams running single-wing and other multiple-backs offensive formations, the Redskins used Baugh as a passing option and eventually made the switch to the T-formation in 1944 because of their success in the passing game. One of Baugh's most notable games is the famous 73-0 blowout against the Chicago Bears in 1940, the largest margin of victory in NFL history. Baugh also led one of the biggest upsets in NFL history against the same Chicago Bears two years later in the NFL championship game. The Bears came into the 1942 championship game undefeated at 11-0 and had outscored their opponents 376-84 during the season. They were coming off of two consecutive titles and very favored over the Redskins by 20 points in the game and paid betting odds of 8 to 1. Baugh led a smart attack that day, leaving the Bears in poor field position and intercepting a pass at the end of the game with the Bears driving to secure a 14-6 upset win.