Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen, one of the most celebrated passers in NFL history, has died at the age of 91, his family announced Friday.
The Washington Commanders confirmed Jurgensen’s passing in a statement shared on social media, honoring the legendary quarterback’s life, career, and lasting impact on the franchise and the game of football.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our husband, father, and grandfather, Sonny Jurgensen,” the family said. “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.”
Jurgensen, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was inducted in 1983 after a prolific NFL career defined by precision passing, toughness, and consistency during an era dominated by the running game.
“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,” the statement read.
Born Christian Adolph “Sonny” Jurgensen III, Sonny Jurgensen played 18 seasons in the NFL from the late 1950s through the mid-1970s, spending time with the Philadelphia Eagles before becoming a franchise-defining star in Washington. Known for his powerful arm, sharp football intelligence, and fearless downfield style, Jurgensen stood out in an era dominated by the running game.
Despite playing on many mediocre teams in a quarterback-unfriendly era, he led the NFL in passing yards five times and earned All-Pro honors with both franchises. His accuracy under pressure earned him the nickname “the Golden Arm.”
Jurgensen never appeared in a Super Bowl, but his influence on the modern passing game was significant, helping prove that a pass-first offense could succeed at the professional level. In 1967, he won the NFL MVP award despite Washington finishing with a losing record, a rare and telling testament to his individual impact.
Jurgensen’s lone winning season as Washington’s starting quarterback came in 1969, playing under Vince Lombardi, who was already his third head coach in a span of six years. After Lombardi died of cancer in September 1970, Jurgensen remained the team’s signal-caller for one final season, this time under interim head coach Bill Austin.
Lombardi, who had just one year to coach Jurgensen, left behind a simple but powerful assessment: “He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have seen.”
His benchmark season came in 1967, when he threw for a then-record 3,747 yards while also leading the league with 31 touchdown passes. That standard held for more than a decade, until Dan Fouts finally surpassed it in 1979 by becoming the NFL’s first quarterback to top 4,000 passing yards. Joe Namath had reached the 4,000-yard mark earlier in the more pass-heavy American Football League during the 1960s.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest pure passers in football history, Jurgensen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and later remained closely tied to the team as a longtime broadcaster, respected for his blunt, old-school football perspective.
