Huff, Sam, 1934-2021, American football Hall of Famer, b. Morgantown, W.V., as Robert Lee Huff, West Virginia Univ. (B.A., 1956). Huff played football in high school, winning All-State honors in 1952, and at West Virginia Univ., as a guard and tackle, and was voted an All-American in 1955. He was picked by the N.Y. Giants in the 1956 draft, the year the team won the N.F.L. championship. He was a middle linebacker on the team through 1963, considered its greatest years, during which the team earned five division championships. Additionally, he was selected for the all-league team three times and participated in five Pro Bowls. He gained fame for his aggressive playing style, landing him on the cover of Time magazine in 1959 and was the subject of a CBS-TV documentary, "The Violent World of Sam Huff" in 1960. He was traded to Washington (1963-67; 1969) and then worked in sales and as a sports commentator. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame in 1982.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Sports: Biographies