Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen has died at the age of 91, the Commanders announced Friday.
Born Christian A. Jurgensen III in 1934, he was a four-time All-Pro and and five-time Pro Bowler over 18 NFL seasons split between the Washington franchise and the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Sonny Jurgensen is, and always will be, one of the defining legends of Washington football,” the team said in a statement. “He was a giant of the game, and a beloved part of our team’s identity. Our hearts and prayers are with Sonny’s family, friends and everyone who loved him.”
A fourth-round pick by the Eagles in 1957, he went on to win an NFL title as a backup in 1960, taking over as the team’s starter the following season.
It was then the North Carolina native’s legend really began to take shape.
He set a league record with 3,723 passing yards and tied Johnny Unitas’ mark of 32 touchdown passes — an Eagles record that stood until Carson Wentz threw for 33 in 2017.
In 1964, he was traded to Washington for Norm Snead and Claude Crabb in a franchise-altering deal.
“When I looked back on it, being shocked initially, it was an opportunity to start fresh and to start anew,” Jurgensen later said of the trade, per the Commanders. “It was a team I had followed because the Redskins were part of the South. I had come up to see them play as a high school team. My family could come up and see me play. I enjoyed that.”
He went on to lead the NFL in passing yards three times — 1966, ’67, ’69 — in passing touchdowns once (1967) and earned himself a spot on the league’s 1960’s All-Decade Team.
He retired after the 1974 season at the age of 40, moving into broadcasting, a role he held until 2019 — a span of 38 years covering the team for which he was already a star.
Jurgensen was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1983 and became just the fourth player to have his number — 9 — retired by the team in 2023.
“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,” the Jurgensen family said in a statement. “But to those of us who knew him beyond the stadium lights, he was the steady, humorous, and deeply loving heart of our family.
“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.
“We are comforted by the knowledge that he brought joy to so many. This weekend as we enjoy the game that he loved so much, join us and raise a glass, share a story and a smile, as we celebrate the extraordinary life of a man who was, to us, the greatest of all time.”
Jurgensen is survived by his wife, Margo Hurt, four sons, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.