Sonny Jurgensen, the Hall of Fame quarterback whose strong arm, keen wit and affable personality made him one of the most beloved figures in Washington football history, has died. He was 91.
A spokesperson confirmed Friday the team learned of Jurgensen鈥檚 death that morning from his family, who said he died of natural causes in Naples, Florida, after a brief stay in hospice care.
鈥淲e are enormously proud of his amazing life and accomplishments on the field, marked not only by a golden arm but also a fearless spirit and intellect that earned him a place among the legends in Canton,鈥� his family said in a statement. 鈥淗e lived with deep appreciation for the teammates, colleagues and friends he met along the way. While he has taken his final snap, his legacy will remain an indelible part of the city he loved and the family he built.鈥�
Jurgensen arrived in Washington in 1964 in a surprise quarterback swap that sent Norm Snead to the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the next 11 seasons, Jurgensen rewrote the team鈥檚 record books.
He topped 3,000 yards in a season five times, including twice with Philadelphia, in an era before rules changes opened up NFL offenses. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and remains the only Washington player to wear the No. 9 jersey in a game.
鈥淪onny Jurgensen is, and always will be, one of the defining legends of Washington football,鈥� said controlling owner Josh Harris, who grew up a fan. 鈥淔or me, Sonny was the embodiment of what it means to don the burgundy and gold: tough, smart and endlessly devoted to this franchise and its fans.”
Jurgensen鈥檚 four-plus decades of association with the franchise in Washington as a quarterback and then as a broadcaster made him a one-name celebrity in the nation鈥檚 capital. He was the one and only Sonny, contrary but loyal: the everyman red-headed football player with the out-of-shape belly who kept a connection with fans but could also pull out a cigar and hobnob with the team owner.
Notorious for breaking curfew, Jurgensen was also known for ignoring coaches and joking about his less-than-ideal physique. He more than compensated with his pinpoint passing from the pocket, helping make the then-Redskins exciting and competitive again, leading the team to more victories in his first three seasons than the club had won in its previous six.
鈥淎ll I ask of my blockers is 4 seconds,鈥� he once said. 鈥淚 try to stay on my feet and not be forced out of the pocket. I beat people by throwing, not running.鈥�
That鈥檚 exactly what he did on Nov. 28, 1965, when he dismissed the crowd鈥檚 boos and rallied Washington from a 21-0 deficit to a 34-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys by throwing for 411 yards and three touchdowns. The game was the highlight of coach Bill McPeak鈥檚 five losing seasons with the club.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad the crowd let me stay in,鈥� Jurgensen said sarcastically after the game. 鈥淚t was decent of them, and maybe Bill McPeak appreciates it, too.鈥�
Jurgensen played through numerous injuries and even won over the notoriously tough Vince Lombardi, who coached Washington to its first winning season in more than a decade in 1969. Lombardi said of Jurgensen, 鈥淗e is the best I have seen.鈥�
But Lombardi died the following year, and Jurgensen never really hit it off with defense-minded successor George Allen. Washington acquired Billy Kilmer, generating the great 鈥淪onny vs. Billy鈥� debates that lasted until Jurgensen retired after the 1974 season.
鈥淔ew players could rival Sonny Jurgensen鈥檚 genuine love of the game that continued long after his playing days,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said. “Watching Sonny throw a football was like watching a master craftsman create a work of art.鈥�
Jurgensen finished his career with 2,433 completions for 32,224 yards and a 57.1 completion percentage. He threw 255 touchdown passes, 189 interceptions and had a career rating of 82.6. He made the Pro Bowl five times, led the NFL in passing yards five times, and will always be in the record books for an untoppable 99-yard touchdown pass to Gerry Allen in 1968.
Washingtonians too young to remember Jurgensen as a player came to adore him for his astute observations as part of the radio broadcast trio of 鈥淪onny, Sam and Frank.鈥� Jurgensen, Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff and play-by-play man Frank Herzog would fuss and laugh while both rooting for and criticizing the burgundy and gold.
Jurgensen also became an unofficial confidant-at-large around the organization. He took Gus Frerotte under his wing when the young quarterback was battling Heath Shuler for the starting job in the mid-1990s. He became a member of Daniel Snyder鈥檚 inner circle after Snyder bought the team in 1999, arriving in the owner鈥檚 helicopter and getting a special sideline seat to watch practices.
Still, Jurgensen wouldn鈥檛 hesitate to question decisions and performances he didn鈥檛 like, especially when it came to quarterbacks. He often pined for the days when QBs were allowed to call their own plays.
Born Christian Adolph Jurgensen III in Wilmington, North Carolina on Aug, 23, 1934, Jurgensen was a two-way star at Duke and was drafted in the fourth round by the Eagles in 1957. He sat behind Norm Van Brocklin until 1961, when he took over the starting job and threw for 3,723 yards, 32 touchdown and 24 interceptions 鈥� all league highs.
Three years later he found himself on the way to Washington on April 1, 1964.
鈥淪omeone came in and said, 鈥榊ou were traded to the Redskins,鈥� 鈥� Jurgensen said in a 2007 interview. 鈥淚 said 鈥楴o, it鈥檚 April Fool鈥檚 Day, you鈥檙e kidding.鈥� He said, 鈥楴o, I鈥檓 not kidding. I just heard it on the radio.鈥�
鈥淪o I was shocked.鈥�
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Barry Wilner is a retired Pro Football Writer for The Associated Press. Wilner covered the NFL for the AP for more than 30 years.
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