Sammy Baugh Led NFL in Punting, Pass Completions and interceptions in 1943

Published on April 30th, 2025 8:54 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


"Slinging Sammy" Baugh was a one-of-a-kind athlete that earned himself entries into the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In a time when most quarterbacks were content to just hand off the ball to a fullback, Baugh was unleashing passes down the field.

On top of that, Baugh played defense and was a punter as well - he practically never left the field.

In 1943, World War II was raging and Baugh was called into action on both sides of the football. In addition to handling starting quarterback duties for the Washington Redskins, Baugh also played defense and even punted. In 1943, Baugh led the league in pass completions, interceptions and average punting yardage.

Baugh was a bit on the older side when World War II started, so he wasn't called to the front lines. Instead, he remained in the United States.

The NFL had been depleted of talent due to World War II, and Baugh took full advantage, leading the Redskins to the championship game. Baugh suffered a concussion in the title game, as the Redskins lost by 22 points to the Lions.

In 1943, Baugh put together one of the most unbelievable statistical performances in the history of the league, as he threw for four touchdown passes and caught four interceptions - in the same game.

It was Sunday, November 14th, 1943, when the Detroit Lions took on the Washington Redskins at Griffith Stadium.

The Redskins got off to an early 21-0 lead, led by the arm of Sammy Baugh, who threw for two first-half touchdowns.

After an early third-quarter TD pass from Baugh, the Lions stormed back, only to be put down by the Redskins in the fourth quarter.

Baugh would throw for 180 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the game - impressive numbers for a quarterback in those days.

As the Lions opened up on offense to try and catch up in the game, Sammy Baugh went to work on defense as well, as he intercepted the Lions a total of four times.

During the 1943 season, Sammy Baugh threw for 1,837 yards, 24 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

He punted 50 times with an average length of 45.9 yards.

He intercepted 11 passes.

He returned 2 punts for 13 yards.

In 1943, Sammy Baugh truly did everything for the Washington Redskins.