Sam Huff, the hard-hitting Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the New York Giants reach six NFL title games from the mid-1950s to early 1960s and later became a popular player and announcer in Washington, has died at 87.
Huff family lawyer Deborah Matthews told The Associated Press that Huff died of natural causes in Winchester, Virginia.
Huff’s major regret was winning only one of his title games, the championship in his rookie season when the Giants crushed the Chicago Bears 47-7 at Yankee Stadium. The baby-faced Huff became the first NFL player featured on the cover of Time magazine, appearing on Nov. 30, 1959. When Huff was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982, he said football players can’t be discouraged and will not quit, even if beaten in a game. He believed in fair and hard play.
Huff was an every-down linebacker. He had the determination and strength to take on power running backs of that time and had the speed to cover backs on pass routes. He had 30 interceptions, 17 fumble recoveries and five touchdowns. Landry eventually developed a 4-3 defense, which was a better fit for the mobile Huff and he was switched to middle linebacker behind Ray Beck. Landry used to have the rookie come to his apartment in New York and they would spent nights discussing defenses.