Remembering Sonny Jurgensen: A Washington Sunday Tribute

The Voice We Trusted

In hindsight, the game was more exciting listening to Sonny and his crew. The genuine excitement they would share when we scored a touchdown. Sonny didn’t feel like a national voice dropping in for three hours. He felt like someone who lived it. Because he did live it. He was a big part of Washington, D.C., sports history.

More Than a Hall of Fame Quarterback

Of course, most people will remember Sonny Jurgensen as a Hall of Fame quarterback.. They remember him as being one of the greatest Redskins of all time. And of course they should. He earned that. Dan Quinn even went out of his way earlier this week to remember Sonny in his press conference highlighting not just his storied tenure in the NFL, but his broadcast career.

But in Washington, his story did not stop when he left the field.

For decades, Sonny stayed ingrained in D.C. sports culture. He stayed in the booth and on the air. Sonny became part of the weekly rhythm from September until January. You could be driving somewhere on a Sunday afternoon and hear his voice through the speakers. Or, you could be in the garage having a beer and a cigar with a friend, and Sonny would be on in the background. You could be sitting in the same living room you had watched games in for years. Sonny was there.

When he stepped away from broadcasting in 2019, it quietly marked the end of something a lot of people probably did not realize was disappearing. Tuning into games after that was never quite the same.

A Constant in Changing Times

Over the years, Washington football has changed a lot. We have seen name changes. Ownership changes. Coaches have come and gone. Heck, I’ve lost count of how many quarterbacks we’ve had in the past thirty years. But Sonny Jurgensen was a constant for Washington sports fans.

Sonny Jurgensen bridged eras for Washington sports fans. He bridged the gap between the old Redskins, the championship years, and the current era of frustration. Through it all, Sonny always showed up for the team and its fan base. Win or lose, Sonny remained a constant for the District.

In many ways, he was part of growing up.

Sonny Jurgensen meant different things to different people. To some he was a Hall of Fame quarterback and to others he was part of a legendary radio trio. To many of us in Washington, he was just part of Sunday.

And even now, I can still picture my dad walking up to his radio and turning it on so we could hear Sonny call the game, without bias of course.

That’s how I’ll always remember him. Not just as a Hall of Fame quarterback, but as the voice of many generations on Sunday afternoons.