Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen Hangs Up His Headphones

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

After spending over 40 years in the Washington Washington Football Team radio booth, Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen has decided to step away. The Philadelphia Eagles traded Jurgensen to the Washington Football Team in 1964 and he would go on to play quarterback for 11 seasons in the nation’s capital, including helping Washington to Super Bowl VII. Jurgensen retired from the Washington Football Team in 1974 at age 40 transitioning to his second career as a color commentator. He was eventually paired with fellow Washington Football Team Hall of Famer Sam Huff and Frank Herzog to form the legendary Sonny, Sam and Frank radio broadcast team. Whether listening on a Walkman in shaking RFK Stadium or with the radio sound blaring while the basement box TV sound was muted, Sonny, Sam and Frank were a fixture throughout Washington, DC and the mid-Atlantic region in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Sonny continued his career in the Washington Football Team Radio booth up until last season, working with Chris Cooley, Doc Walker, and Larry Michael. Below are his comments airing on The Team 980 moments ago:

“Hi… This is Sonny Jurgensen. I’ve decided to hang up my headphones and my clipboard. It’s been a great 55 years in Washington. I want to thank our Washington Football Team fans for being so generous to me and our teams. We owe it all to you! I’ve had so many wonderful memories of thousands of teammates I’ve played with and talked about during my years in radio and television in Washington, DC. Relationships with coaches and executives over the 50 years like Bill McPeak, Otto Graham, Edward Bennett Williams, Vince Lombardi, Jack Kent Cooke, Joe Gibbs, Bobby Beathard, Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder have been special. My special broadcast partners such as Sam Huff and Frank Herzog and later with Larry Michael, Chris Cooley and Doc Walker on radio and the great TV talents such as Glenn Brenner and George Michael. We lived through the glory years together: the NFC East championships and five Super Bowls, all great memories. And I would be remiss if I failed to mention my good friend Andy Ockershausen, who was responsible for bringing together the original broadcast team of Sonny, Sam and Frank. After 62 years in professional football, I still have my health and wonderful family with a special thanks to my beautiful wife Margo for letting me work the weekends for all those years. I’ll always be a fan of professional football and appreciative of all it has done for me, my family and our city. I’ll leave you with these words, Hail to the Washington Football Team!”

Source: Bettmann / Getty

-Sonny Jurgensen

Congrats Sonny! Thanks for all the wonderful memories!

Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen Hangs Up His Headphones  was originally published on theteam980.com