In a blog just last week I talked about some of the greats in football and especially two early pioneers of the passing game who helped shape the NFL as we know it.

We lost one yesterday.

Slingin' Sammy Baugh starred at TCU before being a first-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins. He was part of the first Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

A lot of people can be called the greatest football player of all-time, but to me Sam Baugh was the best there was -- and he stopped playing 27-years before I was born.

What I think is so amazing about Baugh is not just that he helped revolutionize the passing game and is credited with being the first great passer in the NFL, but that he did it while also being the game's top punter and top defensive back. He was the best at THREE positions.

In one season he was the league's leading passer, leading punter and had the most interceptions, as a defensive back.

He still holds three NFL records at two positions (most consecutive seasons leading the league in passing [six, tied with Steve Young], most season with the league's lowest interception percentage [five] and season punting average [51.4]).

When he retired he had 13 records.

Baugh, a Temple-native, had a prolific college career in Fort Worth as a two-time All-American who led TCU to a Sugar Bowl win over LSU, a win in the first Cotton Bowl and a share of the 1935 national title.

Simply put Baugh is unparalleled for his skill and versatility. In the ultimate team sport, he was a one-man team.

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