Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff has died at the age of 87. The family’s lawyer announced the news Saturday.
Huff died at a Winchester, Virginia hospital. He suffered from dementia for the past eight years, according to the Washington Post.
Sam Huff, NFL Hall of Fame linebacker of ‘unmatched ferocity,’ dies at 87. Tom Landry: "the first glamour middle linebacker." https://t.co/toBAnWqnor @washingtonpost @postobits
— Matt Schudel (@MattSchudel) November 13, 2021
Huff played 13 seasons in the NFL after starring in college at West Virginia. A third-round draft pick in 1956, Huff played his first eight seasons with the New York Giants.
He helped lead the Giants to six NFL championship games, playing in 102 games while recording 18 interceptions. With New York, he made the Pro Bowl four times and was a first-team All-Pro twice.
He signed on with the Washington Football Team in 1964. There Huff became instantly popular and build on his stellar resume. In five seasons with Washington, Huff played in 66 games, recording 12 interceptions. He retired following the 1969 season.
After his playing career, he embarked on a career in radio. First he spent three seasons as a color commentator for Giants team radio.
But he is most notable for two generations of Washington fans being on the team’s radio from 1975 until his retirement in 2012. He spent most of those years alongside former Washington teammate Sonny Jurgensen.
Sam Huff was part of the Washington organization for 43 seasons as a player and commentator.
The owners of the Washington Football Team, Dan and Tanya Snyder released a statement on Huff’s passing.
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) November 13, 2021
New York Giants team president John Mara also released a statement on Huff.
Team President John Mara on the passing of Giants great Sam Huff pic.twitter.com/qZhqXU2qB2
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 14, 2021
Reaction poured out much by notable Washington media:
Brown took the mic and said, 'Sam, the only reason I stayed on the ground so long was so you could jump on the pile and get credit for the tackle.' Everyone laughed. Brown, tho, respected the hell out of Huff. everyone knew the truth: Huff was an SOB as a LB.
— John Keim (@john_keim) November 13, 2021
One of the many privileges of my career in broadcasting was being part of the broadcast with franchise legends.. Sam was an institution.. RIP https://t.co/SkswA5CdMM
— Bram Weinstein (@RealBramW) November 13, 2021
RIP Sam Huff. Bad-ass linebacker. And along with Sonny and Frank the soundtrack of the greatest era in Redskins history. #WashingtonFootball
— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) November 13, 2021
“I’ve always been one to play harder angry. I was able to control my violence on the football field, but I also let it all hang out, too.” RIP “ #SamHuff #WashingtonFootball pic.twitter.com/H8huhAUhjD
— thom loverro (@thomloverro) November 13, 2021
I learned to love football every Sunday by listening to Frank, Sam, and Sonny. Sam Huff was a legend in more ways than one. R.I.P.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) November 13, 2021
Among his many accomplishments, Huff is a member of the Giants Ring of Honor and Washington Ring of Fame. He was a second-team All-Pro four times. His No 75 jersey is retired at West Virginia.
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