No. 55, 50 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Forkland, Alabama, U.S. | August 3, 1938||||||
Died: | August 19, 2023 85) Ithaca, New York, U.S. | (aged||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 227 lb (103 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Bessemer City (AL) | ||||||
College: | Georgia Tech | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1960 / Round: 2 / Pick: 20 | ||||||
AFL draft: | 1960 / Round: 1 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
As a player: | |||||||
As a coach: | |||||||
| |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
Coaching stats at PFR | |||||||
Maxie Callaway Baughan Jr. (August 3, 1938 – August 19, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and the Washington Redskins. Baughan played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
After attending Bessemer City High School in Alabama, Baughan played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1957 to 1959. [1] While at Georgia Tech, he played and started at both linebacker and center. [2] In 1959, he was Georgia Tech's captain, a consensus All-American, the Southeastern Conference Lineman of the Year, and the Most Valuable Player in the 1960 Gator Bowl. [2] He set a Georgia Tech single-season record with 124 tackles. [2]
Baughan was selected in the second round (20th overall) of the 1960 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, additionally being chosen as a first-round pick in the 1960 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. [1] He joined the Eagles and became a starter immediately at the rightside linebacker position, starting nine of 12 games in his rookie season as the Eagles went on to win the 1960 NFL Championship over the Green Bay Packers, which remained the team's last league title until Super Bowl LII in the 2017 season. [1] [3] He was chosen to his first Pro Bowl that year, posting three interceptions in the game, and was also the runner-up for the NFL's rookie of the year award. [4] [5] He went on to play the following 10 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro selection in seven of those years. [4] Baughan played his first six years with the Eagles and earned Pro Bowl selection in all but one of those years. [4] During a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1965, he helped the Eagles set a team record with nine interceptions in the 47–13 win, with six of those points coming off an interception by Baughan which he returned for the only score of his career. [6]
By 1966, the number of games the Eagles won had sharply declined and Baughan decided that he wanted out of Philadelphia. However, George Allen, who was entering his first season as an NFL head coach with the Los Angeles Rams, won the right to Baughan's services by sending two players (linebacker Fred Brown and defensive tackle Frank Molden [7] ) to the Eagles in return. Baughan and Allen would develop a strong relationship, spending extensive time studying game film together. Baughan would later state that he learned more about football from Allen than anyone else. [8] Baughan was chosen to be the Rams' defensive captain and was in charge of signal calling for the unit. [9] He was selected for the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons with the Rams and was also a first-team All-Pro choice three times. [4] After an injury-plagued 1970 season, in which he played in only 10 games, Baughan retired from the NFL. [4] [10]
Baughan's contractual rights were traded along with Jack Pardee, Myron Pottios, Diron Talbert, John Wilbur, Jeff Jordan, and a 1971 fifth-round pick (124th overall—traded to Green Bay Packers for Boyd Dowler) from the Rams to the Washington Redskins for Marlin McKeever, first and third rounders in 1971 (10th and 63rd overall—Isiah Robertson and Dave Elmendorf respectively) and third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounders in 1972 (73rd, 99th, 125th, 151st and 177th overall—to New England Patriots, traded to Philadelphia Eagles for Joe Carollo, Bob Christiansen, Texas Southern defensive tackle Eddie Herbert and to New York Giants respectively) on January 28, 1971. [11] [12]
In 1974, Allen, now the head coach of the Redskins, talked Baughan into a brief return to the NFL as a player-coach. [13] He appeared in two games, mainly as a backup to Chris Hanburger. [13] [4] At the conclusion of that season, Baughan retired. [4] He finished with 18 interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown) and 10 fumble recoveries in 147 games played; Baughan also unofficially posted 24.5 sacks. [4]
After retiring from the NFL, Baughan served as the defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Georgia Tech, from 1972 to 1973. [14] Following his brief return to playing in 1974, he went back into coaching by becoming the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Colts in 1975. [13] During his time with the Colts, the team won three straight AFC East divisional championships from 1975 to 1977. [15] He left the Colts in 1980 and then served through 1982 as the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions. [15]
Baughan was named head coach of the Cornell Big Red college football team in 1983. [16] He led them to the Ivy League championship in 1988, their first since 1971. [17] However, he was forced to resign before the next season after information surfaced about an affair he had with an assistant coach's wife. [18] Baughan then coached a team in Japan in 1989 before returning to the NFL in 1990 as linebackers coach of the Minnesota Vikings. [19] Following two years with Minnesota, he coached the linebackers for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1992 to 1995, and then served in that same role with the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 until retiring after 1998. [14]
Baughan died in Ithaca, New York, on August 19, 2023, at the age of 85. [20]
Baughan was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1965 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988. [21] He was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1980, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame. [22] [23] [24] [25]
Despite his NFL accomplishments, Baughan has not been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Several sources have considered him among the best players not inducted. [10] [26] [27] [28] [29] In 2005, he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association's Hall of Very Good in the association's third HOVG class, an honor for the best players not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [30] He was reportedly a favorite among Hall of Fame selectors for the class of 2020, but was not elected. [31] He was also a finalist for the classes of 2023 and 2024, but missed selection both times. [32] [33]
In 2012, Baughan received the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award from the National Eagle Scout Association of the Boy Scouts of America. [34] Baughan was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame on October 19, 2015, during the team's Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants. [35]
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cornell Big Red (Ivy League)(1983–1988) | |||||||||
1983 | Cornell | 3–6–1 | 3–3–1 | 5th | |||||
1984 | Cornell | 2–7 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
1985 | Cornell | 3–7 | 2–5 | 7th | |||||
1986 | Cornell | 8–2 | 6–1 | 2nd | |||||
1987 | Cornell | 5–5 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
1988 | Cornell | 7–2–1 | 6–1 | T–1st | |||||
Cornell: | 28–29–2 | 23–18–1 | |||||||
Total: | 28–29–2 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth |
William Lewis Shaw is an American former professional football player who played as a guard for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL). After playing college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was drafted by the Bills. Shaw was the prototypical "pulling guard" who despite his size held his own against much bigger defensive linemen like Ernie Ladd, Earl Faison and Buck Buchanan. He won three straight Eastern Division titles and two American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965 with Buffalo.
Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. Jurgensen was also a longtime color commentator for Washington's radio broadcast crew.
Robert Stanford Brown, nicknamed "the Boomer", was an American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1973. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning unanimous All-American honors. Brown was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles as the second overall pick in the 1964 NFL draft. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, he played for the Eagles from 1964 to 1968, the Los Angeles Rams from 1969 to 1970, and the Oakland Raiders from 1971 to 1973. Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Jeremiah Trotter is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft.
Brian Patrick Dawkins Sr., nicknamed "Weapon X", is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft. In his last three seasons, he played for the Denver Broncos.
Jack Raphael Ham Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1971 to 1982. He is considered one of the greatest outside linebackers in the history of the NFL. Ham was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. In mid-2019 the newsletter of the PSU Alumni Association rated Ham first among the 100 greatest athletes, considering all sports and all previous football players, in University history.
Alexander Francis "Wojie" Wojciechowicz was an American football player in the National Football League (NFL) from 1935 to 1950. He was a two-way player who played at center on offense and at linebacker on defense. He has been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a founder and the first president of the NFL Alumni Association, and was the third player to receive the Order of the Leather Helmet.
Cornell Desmond Brown is an American football coach and former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for Virginia Tech, and earned All-American honors twice. Drafted late in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. In 2013, Brown was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Larry Rayfield Wright was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2006.
The 1985 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985, at the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New York. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.
John Stephen Bunting is an American former football coach and player. As a linebacker, he played college football at North Carolina and spent eleven years with the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League (NFL) from 1972 to 1982. He was the head coach at North Carolina from 2001 to 2006. He was inducted to the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Diron Vester Talbert is an American former professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, making the pro-bowl in 1975. He played four season with the Los Angeles Rams and 10 with the Washington Redskins, with whom we went to Super Bowl VII. He was later named one of the 70 greatest Redskin players of all time. As a freshman at the University of Texas he was part of the team that won the 1963 National Championship and he later made all-conference and pre-season All-American teams.
Dwight Douglas Lewis is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Mississippi State University and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1968 NFL Draft. Lewis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
The 1971 NFL draft was held January 28–29, 1971, at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York. The Boston Patriots, who did not officially change their name to New England Patriots until after the draft, used the first overall pick of the draft to select quarterback Jim Plunkett. It was the first draft where the first three selections were quarterbacks.
The Tennessee Volunteers football program represents the University of Tennessee (UT).
Myron Joseph Pottios is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was elected to play in three Pro Bowls.
Kurt Keola Gouveia is an American football coach and former linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the XFL. During his career, he played for the Washington Redskins, the Philadelphia Eagles (1995), and the San Diego Chargers (1996–1998). In 2001, he also played for the Las Vegas Outlaws in the now-defunct XFL.
Reginald "Reggie" Wayman Wilkes is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. He attended university and played college football at Georgia Tech, graduating with a Bachelor of Science. Wilkes was drafted by the Eagles in the third round of the 1978 NFL Draft.
The Over-the-Hill Gang was the George Allen-coached Washington Redskins team of the early 1970s, so named due to the large number of veteran players on the team. Many of those players also played for Allen when he coached the Los Angeles Rams from 1966 to 1970.
Fred Richert Brown is a former American football player. He played college football as an end at Miami (FL) and was captain of Miami's 1964 team. He then played professional football in National Football League (NFL) as a linebacker and tight end from 1965 to 1969, appearing in 40 NFL games.