Sonny Jurgensen, the Hall of Fame quarterback whose strong arm, sharp wit and affable personality made him one of the most beloved figures in Washington football history, has died. He was 91.
Although a cause was not disclosed, a Washington commanders A spokesperson confirmed Friday that the team learned of Jurgensen’s death through his family that morning.
“We are immensely proud of his amazing life and achievements on the field, marked not only by a golden arm, but also by a fearless spirit and intellect that earned him a place among the legends in Canton,” his family said in a statement. “He lived with a deep appreciation for the teammates, colleagues and friends he met along the way. Although his last photo has been taken, his legacy will remain an indelible part of the city he loved and the family he built.”
Jurgensen arrived in Washington in 1964 in a surprise quarterback swap that sent Norm Snead to the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the next eleven seasons, Jurgensen rewrote the team’s 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 during a game.
“Sonny Jurgensen is, and always will be, one of the defining legends of Washington football,” said controlling owner Josh Harris, who grew up a fan. “To me, Sonny epitomized what it means to don burgundy and gold: tough, smart and endlessly dedicated to this franchise and its fans.”
Jurgensen’s four-decade-plus association with the Washington franchise as a quarterback and then as a broadcaster made him a one-name celebrity in the nation’s capital. He was the one and only Sonny, unruly but loyal: the average red-haired football player with the misshapen stomach who maintained a bond with the fans but could also have a cigar and a bump with the team owner.
Jurgensen was infamous for breaking curfew, but was also known for ignoring coaches and making jokes about his less than ideal physique. He more than compensated with his accurate passing from the pocket, making the then-Redskins exciting and competitive again, leading the team to more wins in his first three seasons than the club had won in the previous six seasons.
“All I ask of my blockers is four seconds,” he once said. “I try to stay on my feet and not be forced out of the pocket. I beat people by throwing, not by running.”
That’s exactly what he did on Nov. 28, 1965, when he waved away the crowd’s boos and lifted Washington from a 21-0 deficit to a 34-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys by throwing for 411 yards and three touchdowns. The match was the culmination of coach Bill McPeak’s five losing seasons with the club.
“I’m glad the crowd let me in,” Jurgensen said sarcastically after the match. “It was decent of them, and maybe Bill McPeak appreciates it too.”
Jurgensen played through numerous injuries and even won against infamous tough Vince Lombardi, who coached Washington to its first winning season in more than a decade in 1969. Lombardi said of Jurgensen, “He’s the best I’ve seen.”
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But Lombardi died the next year, and Jurgensen never really meshed well with defensive successor George Allen. Washington acquired Billy Kilmer, leading to the great ‘Sonny vs. Billy” debates that lasted until Jurgensen retired after the 1974 season.
“Few players can rival Sonny Jurgensen’s genuine love for the game, which continued long after his playing days,” said Hall of Fame Chairman Jim Porter. “Watching Sonny throw a football was like watching a master craftsman create a work of art.”
Jurgensen finished his career with 2,433 completions for 32,224 yards and a completion percentage of 57.1. 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 unprecedented 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 “Sonny, Sam and Frank.” Jurgensen, Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff and play-by-play man Frank Herzog argued and laughed as they criticized both the burgundy color and gold.
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Jurgensen also became an unofficial confidante within the organization. He took Gus Frotte 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’s inner circle after Snyder purchased the team in 1999. He arrived in the owner’s helicopter and was given a special sideline seat to watch the training.
Still, Jurgensen didn’t hesitate to question decisions and performances he didn’t like, especially when it came to quarterbacks. He often longed for the days when QBs could call their own plays.
Born Christian Adolph Jurgensen III in Wilmington, North Carolina on August 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 touchdowns and 24 interceptions – all league highs.
Three years later, he found himself on his way to Washington on April 1, 1964.
“Someone came in and said, ‘You got traded to the Redskins,'” Jurgensen said in a 2007 interview. “I said, ‘No, it’s April Fools, you’re kidding.’ He said, ‘No, I’m not kidding. I just heard it on the radio.’
