Slingin' Sam: The Life and Times of the Greatest Quarterback Ever to Play the Game

In 1944, two-way football legend Sam Baugh accomplished a football trifecta that will never be repeated: he led the NFL in passing, punting and interceptions. Baugh is best known as the greatest passer of the first 40 years of pro football and is still considered one of the all-time greatest quarterbacks as well. Yet this work is the first all-inclusive biography of this giant of American sports history. Holley includes background on Baugh's ancestors, his Texas boyhood, and time starring at Texas Christian University; recounts his heroics as a player and coach; and details Sam's family life and post-playing career as a contented West Texas rancher. The Baugh that emerges from the page is a simple, honest, confident, direct man with a salty tongue and wry sense of humor. The book's only flaw is some confusion over early football strategies and tactics.