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| Washington Post | Obituary |
Another throwback post, inspired
by the passing of NFL great Sam Huff on November 13th at 87. He played -
famously - for the NY Giants and Washington Redskins in the 1950s and
60s.
Long before the Panthers, the Washington Football Team (formerly the
Washington Redskins) was this region’s favorite team, especially in the
northern tier of NC.
And rightfully so. From 1982 to 1991, under legendary head coach Joe
Gibbs, a NC native, Washington appeared in the postseason seven times, captured
four conference titles and played in four Super Bowls, wining three of
them.
The team’s renowned radio crew of “Sonny, Sam & Frank” - Sonny
Jurgensen (from Wilmington and Duke), Sam Huff and Frank Herzog called the
games.
Capitol Radio Networks had built a regional satellite network in the
1980s and we provided that service for the Redskins broadcasts in the late
80s/early 90s, working originally with DC flagship station WMAL and later with
WTEM. We grew the network to over 100 stations in the mid-Atlantic
states.
The football broadcasts connected us to Sam Huff, but we got to know
him through his avocation, horse racing and breeding. Sam and his partner Carol
Holden operated Sporting Life Stables in northern Virginia, and Capitol
assisted them with the launch of a weekly radio show called Trackside. It aired
for 28 years until 2016.
Sam’s day job was VP with Marriott. He was a celebrity rainmaker,
persuading sports teams to use their hotels. He was a great salesman -
disarmingly intense!
I recall a dinner at the Angus Barn where I asked him to do a
commercial for an advertiser. He readily agreed…for $2500. That was major money
in the early 90’s. My jaw dropped. Sam smiled and simply tapped his Pro
Football Hall of Fame ring. Message delivered. Value established. (Like I said,
disarmingly intense.)
Read about Sam’s equestrian pursuits and his inspiring life that began in the WVA coal fields, a football career that included a Time magazine cover, and his later years that unfortunately ended with dementia.
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Before the Panthers 1995 premier, the Redskins had a huge following in NC |
