Analysis: An appreciation of Sammy Baugh’s historic 1943 season
Hall of Famers
Published on : 7/25/2023
By Ryan Michael
Special to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
(Editor’s note: This article is the third in a series looking at quarterbacks’ achievements that have aged well over the past 80 NFL seasons.)
The 2023 season marks the 80th anniversary of what many historians consider the greatest overall single season in NFL history.
In 1943, Pro Football Hall of Famer SAMMY BAUGH led the league in pass completions (133), completion percentage (55.6%), interceptions produced on defense (11) and punting average (45.9).
Such versatility had never been seen before and, it can be argued, has never been seen since.
Long before the time when the quarterback position evolved into the glamorous, one-way collection of skills and responsibilities it has become today, a premium was placed on football players who could produce on both sides of the ball.
Playing multiple positions was not a new concept in 1943, but excelling at not one or two but three different positions was something that separated Baugh’s historic campaign from all that preceded it and all that have followed.
In addition to his league-leading statistics, Baugh finished second only to rival Hall of Famer SID LUCKMAN in passing yards (1,754) and touchdown passes (23). Both marks were, at the time, the third highest single-season totals in NFL history. (Luckman won the MVP award that season.)
On Oct, 31, 1943 – during a 48-10 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers – Baugh set NFL single-game records for passing yards (346) and touchdown passes (six). As impressive as that performance was, it might not have been his best game of the season.
Two weeks later, during a 42-20 win over the Detroit Lions, Baugh threw four touchdown passes on offense, hauled in four interceptions on defense and booted an 81-yard punt.
His four interceptions remain tied for the NFL single-game record eight decades later.
The NFL’s last four-interception game took place nearly 13 years ago, when Washington defensive back DeAngelo Hall picked off Jay Cutler four times in a 17-14 win over the Bears on Oct. 24, 2010.
Baugh’s 11 interceptions in 1943 were the most in NFL history until the record was broken by fellow Washington teammate Dan Sandifer with 13 in 1948.
“Sammy Baugh would be a combination of today’s version of Tom Brady, Brian Mormon and Ed Reed. Three all-star players at their positions all rolled into one.” Bill Belichick told NFL Network during "The Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players" in 2010.
Washington eventually fell to Chicago 41-21 in the 1943 NFL Championship Game, but the mark Baugh’s season left on pro football history remains indelible.
For his exploits, Baugh was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural Class of 1963 and as a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1940s and NFL 100 All-Time Team.
Ryan Michael is statistician, sportswriter and contributor to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You can follow him on Twitter: @theryanmichael .
This article is the third of a multi-part series highlighting noteworthy quarterback play over the past 80 seasons. Information from Pro-Football-Reference.com’s database, including its “Play Index Tools,” helped make the research possible.
Special to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
(Editor’s note: This article is the third in a series looking at quarterbacks’ achievements that have aged well over the past 80 NFL seasons.)
The 2023 season marks the 80th anniversary of what many historians consider the greatest overall single season in NFL history.
In 1943, Pro Football Hall of Famer SAMMY BAUGH led the league in pass completions (133), completion percentage (55.6%), interceptions produced on defense (11) and punting average (45.9).
Such versatility had never been seen before and, it can be argued, has never been seen since.
Long before the time when the quarterback position evolved into the glamorous, one-way collection of skills and responsibilities it has become today, a premium was placed on football players who could produce on both sides of the ball.
Playing multiple positions was not a new concept in 1943, but excelling at not one or two but three different positions was something that separated Baugh’s historic campaign from all that preceded it and all that have followed.
In addition to his league-leading statistics, Baugh finished second only to rival Hall of Famer SID LUCKMAN in passing yards (1,754) and touchdown passes (23). Both marks were, at the time, the third highest single-season totals in NFL history. (Luckman won the MVP award that season.)
On Oct, 31, 1943 – during a 48-10 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers – Baugh set NFL single-game records for passing yards (346) and touchdown passes (six). As impressive as that performance was, it might not have been his best game of the season.
Two weeks later, during a 42-20 win over the Detroit Lions, Baugh threw four touchdown passes on offense, hauled in four interceptions on defense and booted an 81-yard punt.
His four interceptions remain tied for the NFL single-game record eight decades later.
The NFL’s last four-interception game took place nearly 13 years ago, when Washington defensive back DeAngelo Hall picked off Jay Cutler four times in a 17-14 win over the Bears on Oct. 24, 2010.
Baugh’s 11 interceptions in 1943 were the most in NFL history until the record was broken by fellow Washington teammate Dan Sandifer with 13 in 1948.
Modern-day comparison
“Sammy Baugh would be a combination of today’s version of Tom Brady, Brian Mormon and Ed Reed. Three all-star players at their positions all rolled into one.” Bill Belichick told NFL Network during "The Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players" in 2010.
Washington eventually fell to Chicago 41-21 in the 1943 NFL Championship Game, but the mark Baugh’s season left on pro football history remains indelible.
For his exploits, Baugh was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural Class of 1963 and as a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1940s and NFL 100 All-Time Team.
Ryan Michael is statistician, sportswriter and contributor to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You can follow him on Twitter: @theryanmichael .
This article is the third of a multi-part series highlighting noteworthy quarterback play over the past 80 seasons. Information from Pro-Football-Reference.com’s database, including its “Play Index Tools,” helped make the research possible.
More of this series
- Analysis: Charlie Conerly’s giant accomplishments hold up as eras pass
- Y.A. Tittle’s journey from San Francisco to New York
- Analysis: An appreciation of Sammy Baugh’s historic 1943 season
- Legendary seasons for Sid Luckman, Peyton Manning separated by 70 years
- Looking back at TB12’s historic 2011 season 12 years later
- Russell Wilson’s decade of dominance in Seattle remains elite
- Roger Staubach’s 1971: The greatest season you’ve never heard about
- Silver anniversary: Randall Cunningham’s solid gold season with Vikings
- 50 years since Unitas’ last pass: Some things you might not know about No. 19
- Race to the top: Brady’s battle with Brees for the NFL’s most hallowed record
- Analysis: Did Andrew Luck exceed hype or fall short?
- Silver anniversary of John’s Elway’s sterling final game
- As cold as ice: Perception of Matt Ryan’s legacy after ‘28-3’
- Cam Newton leads high-flying 2015 Carolina Panthers
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