Sonny Jurgensen, one of Washington's greatest football players, dies at 91

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Sonny Jurgensen, one of Washington's greatest football players, dies at 91

In a Hall of Fame career, the Redskins quarterback was known as one the NFL's best pure passers. He later spent years as a broadcaster.

February 6, 2026 at 10:48 a.m. EST Today at 10:48 a.m. EST


Washington Redskins quarterback Sonny Jurgensen in 1973 (AP)

{snip}

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2026/02/06/sonny-jurgensen-dead-redskins-commanders/

---

The WaPo is being tight fisted with this story. The NYT has an obit. There aren't that many stories up right now.

I'll get a better source in a while.

[EYESORE 9001]

1. I expect repotting from the WP will be rather threadbare

until it gets new ownership. I’m not big on sports, but even I had heard of Sonny Jorgensen. Is Bezos trying to tank the publication altogether?

[oberle]

4. They fired almost all of their sports staff, among others

[twodogsbarking]

2. FB was much different back then. He was great.

[patphil]

3. I remember him; an excellent quarterback.

At one point he held the record for most passing yards in a season (3723), and tied the record for most touchdown passes in a season (32).
That was in 1961; a 14 game season, now it's 16 games.
Adjusted for a 16 game season, that would be 4255 yards passing, and 36 touchdown passes.
It should be noted that the percentage of passing plays in a game is higher now than it was in 1961. The game was more of a balance between rushing and passing back then than it is now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Jurgensen

[generalbetrayus]

5. Actually, it's a 17-game season now. And Sonny played for the Redskins when they had a chronically poor running game.

He set many of those (at the time) passing records out of necessity. Without him and his outstanding corps of receivers, the Redskins would have been lucky to win more than a game or two each season. RIP, Sonny.