Redskins legend Sonny Jurgensen, arguably the greatest quarterback in franchise history, has passed away at the age of 91.
The Commanders confirmed Friday morning that Jurgensen had passed and the family released a statement on his passing.
“We are enormously proud of his amazing life and accomplishments on the field, marked not only by a golden arm but also a fearless spirit and intellect that earned him a place among the legends in Canton,” his family said in a statement. “He lived with deep appreciation for the teammates, colleagues and friends he met along the way. While he has taken his final snap, his legacy will remain an indelible part of the city he loved and the family he built.”
Jurgensen was a fourth-round pick of the Eagles out of Duke in 1957, and he played his first seven seasons in Philly – serving as their backup QB when they won the 1960 NFL Championship – before being dealt to Washington for Norm Snead in the spring of 1964.
Over the next 11 years, Jurgensen would assault the Redskins franchise record books, where he currently sits second all-time in wins, completions, yards, and touchdowns. He ended his career as a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, was inducted into both the Philadelphia and Washington Rings of Fame, and had his No. 9 retired in Washington in 2022.
And, he got the ultimate honor in 1983 with his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Jurgensen wasn’t just a Washington legend on the field; he became a broadcaster following his retirement and was a fixture on Redskins radio broadcasts with Sam Huff and Frank Herzog, and stayed on the beat on TV and the radio until retiring in 2019.
“Sonny Jurgensen is, and always will be, one of the defining legends of Washington football,” Commanders owner Josh Harris said in a team statement. “For me, Sonny was the embodiment of what it means to don the burgundy and gold: tough, smart and endlessly devoted to this franchise and its fans.”