Legendary Nfl Qb Sonny Jurgensen, Who Starred In Washington And Philadelphia, Dies At 91

Sonny Jurgensen threw for 32,224 yards and 255 touchdowns during his 18-season NFL career. (Photo by Nate Fine/Getty Images)

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen has died. He was 91. 

"It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our husband, father and grandfather, Sonny Jurgensen," a statement from the Jurgensen family reads Friday, via the Washington Commanders.

"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. But to those of us who knew him beyond the stadium lights, he was the steady, humorous and deeply loving heart of our family." 

Jurgensen built a prolific, 18-season NFL résumé that was deserving of not only a bust and gold jacket but also a place on the league's 1960s All-Decade Team.

He won an NFL championship as a backup with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960 and wrapped up his five-time Pro Bowl and four-time All-Pro career in Washington.

After showcasing his talent at Duke, where he helped the Blue Devils win a pair of ACC titles, Jurgensen spent seven seasons in Philadelphia (1957-63) and 11 more in Washington (1964-74). His pure passing was influential at the time. 

In fact, Jurgensen led a run-first NFL in passing yards five times: first in 1961 and then again in 1962, 1966, 1967 and 1969.

That stretch began when Jurgensen took over as a full-time starter with the Eagles. Filling the big shoes left by Norm Van Brocklin, he tied Johnny Unitas' single-season touchdown passing record with 32 scoring strikes. 

Jurgensen played in the '50s, '60s and '70s and until he was in his 40s.

Respected for his ability to make throws under pressure, fearlessly against relentless pass rushes, Jurgensen was admired as a drop-back passer in a league that increasingly attacked defenses through the run. He totaled 32,224 passing yards and 255 passing touchdowns in his career. Plus, even though he wasn't known as a runner, he added 15 scores on the ground.

“All I ask of my blockers is four seconds," Jurgensen once said famously, per the Pro Football Hall of Fame, of which he's a 1983 class member. 

"I try to stay on my feet and not be forced out of the pocket. ... I beat people by throwing, not running. I won't let them intimidate me into doing something which is not the best thing I can do."

Jurgensen's No. 9 jersey is immortalized in D.C., and his 31 passing touchdowns in 1967 are still the most a Washington quarterback has thrown in a single season.

He stayed involved in the game after hanging up his helmet and pads. For 38 years he was an analyst on Washington broadcasts, a run that lasted until he retired in August 2018.

"Sonny Jurgensen is, and always will be, one of the defining legends of Washington football," Commanders majority owner Josh Harris said in a statement Friday.

"He was a brilliant leader, Hall of Fame quarterback, and had one of the best arms the game has ever seen. After his career on the field, Sonny's voice became a fixture of Washington Sundays for decades, shaping the way generations of fans experienced the game."