Sports Briefs: Hail to the Redskin

How's this for irony: the Greatest Redskin lives in Texas.

The Greatest Redskin is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and he played much better for Washington than Heath Shuler ever did. He's one of the best punters of all time, holding the highest averages for a season and for a career, making him one of two punters ever whose jerseys are considered cool, Reggie Roby being the other (I have his cards for sale, in case anyone wants to buy some).

For the team that didn't want professional football in Texas, the Redskins drafted their greatest player out of Texas Christian University.

The Greatest Redskin was the first coach in New York Jets franchise history. And the Greatest Redskin is also 93 years old.

Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh lives on a farm in Rotan, Texas, whose high school football team used to play my hometown team (Olney) in heated competitions liked to watch while enjoying a Frito pie.

The Greatest Redskin still plays golf, visits the local coffee shop and does a lot of rocking on his front porch. A few years before my dad died at age 68, he drove a round trip of over four hours to visit Baugh at his home.

(Anecdote Monger Alert!) Dad brought his notepad and pen, so he could write down all the interesting stories and anecdotes Baugh offered.

Baugh and Pops sat on the front porch, as my father frantically transcribed everything Baugh said, hurriedly pushing a fedora (with a PRESS card firmly inserted in the band) up every time it began to slip down his brow.

When Dad returned home that afternoon, his notepad filled with black ink and warped pages, he translated everything written in his notepad from memory. This is possibly because the notepad at this point resembled a polygraph test and was undecipherable except to 3-year-olds with vivid imaginations.

Baugh's first year in the NFL was 1937, as he and the formerly Boston Redskins came to Washington together. And from then until 1952, Baugh revolutionized the way the quarterback position was played, integrating the forward pass into the offense.

Imagine if 50 years from now, all quarterbacks in the league make hand-gestures like Peyton Manning does before each snap or all father babies out of wedlock like Tom Brady. As lasting an influence as that would be, Baugh's imprint was even more substantial.

Baugh led the NFL in passing six times, in punting four times and in interceptions once. This was back in the day when players played both offense and defense.

The concept of two-way players was also quite startling to me when I began playing football in junior high, figuring I would merely be a safety on defense, or, as I liked to call it "as far away from the action as possible."

In fact, Baugh is the only player in NFL history to lead in offensive, defensive and special teams categories.

I told my father before he left the house on his way to see Baugh to ask him for an autograph for me. Baugh obliged, and perhaps the greatest feat the Greatest Redskin accomplished was writing his name legibly. Now that's old school.