Sam Huff
Encyclopedia
Robert Lee "Sam" Huff is a former American football
linebacker
in the National Football League
for the New York Giants
and the Washington Redskins
. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 1982.
, The fourth of Oral and Catherine Huff's six children, he lived with his family in a small rowhouse with no running water. Huff grew up during the Great Depression
, while his father and two of his brothers worked in the coal mines loading buggies for Consolidated Mining.
Huff attended and played high school football
at the now-closed Farmington High School, where he was both an offensive and defensive lineman. While he was there, Huff helped lead the team to an undefeated season in 1951. He earned all-state honors in 1952 and was named to the first-team all-Mason Dixon Conference.
at West Virginia University
, where he majored in physical education
. He started at guard as a sophomore and tackle the next two years, after winning a letter as a backup guard during his freshman season. He was a four-year letterman and helped lead West Virginia to a combined four-year mark of 31-7 and a berth in the 1954 Sugar Bowl
.
In 1955, Huff was voted an All-America
n and served as co-captain in both the East-West Shrine Game
and the Senior Bowl
.
in the third round of the 1956 NFL Draft
by the New York Giants
. In training camp, head coach Jim Lee Howell
was having a hard time coming up with a position for Huff. Discouraged, Huff left camp but was stopped at the airport by assistant coach Vince Lombardi
, who coaxed him back to camp.
Then, defensive coordinator
Tom Landry
came up with the new 4-3 defensive scheme that he thought would fit Huff perfectly. The Giants switched him from the line to middle linebacker behind Ray Beck
. Huff liked the position because he could keep his head up and use his superb peripheral vision to see the whole field. On October 7, 1956 in a game against the Chicago Cardinals
, Beck was injured and Huff was put into his first professional game. He then helped the Giants win five consecutive games and they finished with a 8–3–1 record, which gave them the Eastern Conference title. New York went on to win the 1956 NFL Championship Game
and Huff became the first rookie middle linebacker to start an NFL championship game.
In 1958
, the Giants again won the East and Huff played in the 1958 NFL Championship Game
. The championship, which became widely known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played", was the first ever National Football League (NFL) game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts
23, New York Giants
17.
In 1959
, Huff and the Giants again went to the NFL Championship Game
, which ended in a 31–16 loss to the Colts. Also that year, Huff became the first NFL player to be featured on the cover of Time
magazine on November 30, 1959. He almost passed up the magazine appearance, demanding money to be interviewed, but relented when Time agreed to give him the cover portrait. Huff was also the subject of an October 31, 1960 CBS Television special, "The Violent World of Sam Huff"., broadcast as an episode of the Walter Cronkite
anthology series The Twentieth Century
. The network wired Huff for sound in practice and in an exhibition game.
The Giants then visited the championship under new coach Allie Sherman
in 1961
, 1962
, 1963, but lost every one of them. To improve what he thought was a defensive problem, Sherman then traded many defensive players, including Cliff Livingston
, Rosey Grier
, and Dick Modzelewski
. After these trades, Huff went to owner Wellington Mara
and was assured he would not be traded. But in 1964
, Giants head coach Allie Sherman
traded Huff to the Washington Redskins
for defensive tackle Andy Stynchula
and running back
Dick James
. The trade made front-page news in New York
and was greeted with jeers from Giants fans, who crowded Yankee Stadium
yelling "Huff-Huff-Huff-Huff."
Huff played in four consecutive Pro Bowl
s with the Giants from 1959
through 1963
. He was named most valuable player of the 1961 Pro Bowl.
and they agreed to pay him $30,000 in salary and $5,000 for scouting, compared to the $19,000 he would have made another year with New York. The impact Huff had was almost immediate and the Redskins' defense was ranked second in the NFL
in 1965
.
On November 27, 1966, Huff and the Redskins beat his former Giant
teammates 72–41, in the highest-scoring game in league history. After an ankle injury in 1967
ended his streak of 150 straight games played Huff retired in 1968
.
Vince Lombardi
talked Huff out of retirement in 1969
when he was named Washington’s head coach. The Redskins went 7-5-2 and had their best season since 1955
(which kept Lombardi's record of never having coached a losing NFL team intact). Huff then retired for good after 14 seasons and 30 career interceptions. He spent one season coaching the Redskins' linebackers in 1970
.
to showcase the West Virginia Breeders Classic horse race from Charles Town, West Virginia
. The event has now run for over 20 years and has paid for Huff’s original investment several times over.
Huff joined the Marriott
Corporation as a salesman in 1971 and worked himself up to vice president of sports marketing before retiring in 1998. He owns a 5 percent stake in the Marriott Hotel in Charleston, West Virginia
. It remains the only Marriott in the state.
for the Giants radio team and then moved on to the same capacity for the Redskins radio network, where he remains to this day, calling games alongside former Redskins teammate Sonny Jurgensen
and play-by-play announcer Larry Michael. He was also a broadcaster for a regionally syndicated TV package of Mountaineer football games in the mid-1980s.
and Pro football Halls of Fame
. In 1988, he was inducted into the WVU School of Physical Education Hall of Fame and, in 1991 he was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1999, Huff was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame and was ranked number 76 on The Sporting News
list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
In 2001, Huff was ranked number six on Sports Illustrated
's list of West Virginia
's 50 Greatest Athletes. On November 24, 2005, Huff's uniform number 75 was retired by West Virginia University
.
racehorses
at Sporting Life Farm in Middleburg, Virginia
. His filly
, Bursting Forth, won the 1998 Matchmaker Handicap
. He is currently the Co-President of Golden Dreams Riding center in Middleburg, Virginia.
, but lost in the West Virginia Democratic primary against Bob Mollahan by more than 19,000 votes.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in 1982.
Early life
Huff was born and grew up in the No. 9 coal mining camp in Edna Gas, West VirginiaFarmington, West Virginia
Farmington is a town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 387 at the 2000 census. It is best known for being the site of the 1968 Farmington Mine disaster.-Geography:...
, The fourth of Oral and Catherine Huff's six children, he lived with his family in a small rowhouse with no running water. Huff grew up during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, while his father and two of his brothers worked in the coal mines loading buggies for Consolidated Mining.
Huff attended and played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at the now-closed Farmington High School, where he was both an offensive and defensive lineman. While he was there, Huff helped lead the team to an undefeated season in 1951. He earned all-state honors in 1952 and was named to the first-team all-Mason Dixon Conference.
College career
Huff attended and played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, where he majored in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
. He started at guard as a sophomore and tackle the next two years, after winning a letter as a backup guard during his freshman season. He was a four-year letterman and helped lead West Virginia to a combined four-year mark of 31-7 and a berth in the 1954 Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
.
In 1955, Huff was voted an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and served as co-captain in both the East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
and the Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
.
New York Giants (1956 – 1963)
Huff was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the third round of the 1956 NFL Draft
1956 NFL Draft
The 1956 National Football League Draft was held on November 29, 1955.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In training camp, head coach Jim Lee Howell
Jim Lee Howell
James Lee Howell was an American football player and coach for the National Football League's New York Giants. Howell was born in Arkansas and played college football and basketball at the University of Arkansas. He was drafted by the Giants in the 1937 NFL Draft and played wide receiver and...
was having a hard time coming up with a position for Huff. Discouraged, Huff left camp but was stopped at the airport by assistant coach Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
, who coaxed him back to camp.
Then, defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
came up with the new 4-3 defensive scheme that he thought would fit Huff perfectly. The Giants switched him from the line to middle linebacker behind Ray Beck
Ray Beck
Ray Merril Beck was an American football player in the National Football League for the New York Giants in 1952 and from 1955 to 1957.Beck was born in Bowdon, Georgia and graduated from Cedartown High School...
. Huff liked the position because he could keep his head up and use his superb peripheral vision to see the whole field. On October 7, 1956 in a game against the Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Beck was injured and Huff was put into his first professional game. He then helped the Giants win five consecutive games and they finished with a 8–3–1 record, which gave them the Eastern Conference title. New York went on to win the 1956 NFL Championship Game
NFL Championship Game, 1956
In the 1956 National Football League Championship Game played at Yankee Stadium in New York City on 30 December 1956, the New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 47-7. It was the 24th annual NFL championship game....
and Huff became the first rookie middle linebacker to start an NFL championship game.
In 1958
1958 NFL season
The 1958 NFL season was the 39th regular season of the National Football League.The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants, 23–17, in the first sudden-death overtime in an NFL Championship Game...
, the Giants again won the East and Huff played in the 1958 NFL Championship Game
NFL Championship Game, 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since...
. The championship, which became widely known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played", was the first ever National Football League (NFL) game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
23, New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
17.
In 1959
1959 NFL season
The 1959 NFL season was the 40th regular season of the National Football League. Tragedy struck as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack on October 11 at Philadelphia's Franklin Field while watching the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers play...
, Huff and the Giants again went to the NFL Championship Game
NFL Championship Game, 1959
The 1959 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 27, 1959 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game was a rematch of the 1958 championship game that went into overtime. The 1959 game was the 27th annual NFL championship game...
, which ended in a 31–16 loss to the Colts. Also that year, Huff became the first NFL player to be featured on the cover of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine on November 30, 1959. He almost passed up the magazine appearance, demanding money to be interviewed, but relented when Time agreed to give him the cover portrait. Huff was also the subject of an October 31, 1960 CBS Television special, "The Violent World of Sam Huff"., broadcast as an episode of the Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
anthology series The Twentieth Century
Twentieth Century (TV series)
The Twentieth Century is a half-hour documentary television series broadcast over CBS-TV from 1957 until 1966. It was hosted and narrated by Walter Cronkite and telecast Sunday evenings...
. The network wired Huff for sound in practice and in an exhibition game.
The Giants then visited the championship under new coach Allie Sherman
Allie Sherman
Alexander "Allie" Sherman is a retired American football National Football League running back and head coach....
in 1961
NFL Championship Game, 1961
The 1961 National Football League championship game was the 29th title game. The game was played at "New" City Stadium, later known as Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, Wisconsin on December 31, 1961...
, 1962
NFL Championship Game, 1962
The 1962 National Football League championship game was the 30th NFL title game. The game was played on December 30, 1962 at Yankee Stadium in New York City between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers. The attendance for the game was 64,892. The Packers were coached by Hall of Fame coach...
, 1963, but lost every one of them. To improve what he thought was a defensive problem, Sherman then traded many defensive players, including Cliff Livingston
Cliff Livingston
Clifford Lyman Livingston was a professional American football linebacker in the National Football League for the New York Giants, the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams. He was born in Compton, California and played college football at UCLA...
, Rosey Grier
Rosey Grier
Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier is an American actor, singer, Christian minister, and former professional American football player. He was a notable college football player for Pennsylvania State University who earned a retrospective place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association 100th anniversary...
, and Dick Modzelewski
Dick Modzelewski
Richard Blair Modzelewski is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. He also served as interim head coach of the Browns in the final game of the 1977 season...
. After these trades, Huff went to owner Wellington Mara
Wellington Mara
Wellington Timothy Mara was the co-owner of the NFL's New York Giants from 1959 until his death, and one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of the National Football League. He was the younger son of Tim Mara, who founded the Giants in 1925...
and was assured he would not be traded. But in 1964
1964 NFL season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to...
, Giants head coach Allie Sherman
Allie Sherman
Alexander "Allie" Sherman is a retired American football National Football League running back and head coach....
traded Huff to the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
for defensive tackle Andy Stynchula
Andy Stynchula
Andrew Ralph Stynchula was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Baltimore Colts, and the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Penn State University and was drafted in the third round of the 1960 NFL Draft...
and running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Dick James
Dick James (American football)
Richard "Dick" Alwin James was an American football halfback and defensive back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Giants, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at the University of Oregon and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1956 NFL Draft...
. The trade made front-page news in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and was greeted with jeers from Giants fans, who crowded Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
yelling "Huff-Huff-Huff-Huff."
Huff played in four consecutive Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
s with the Giants from 1959
1959 NFL season
The 1959 NFL season was the 40th regular season of the National Football League. Tragedy struck as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack on October 11 at Philadelphia's Franklin Field while watching the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers play...
through 1963
1963 NFL season
The 1963 NFL season was the 44th regular season of the National Football League. On April 17, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling on their own teams, as well as other NFL games;...
. He was named most valuable player of the 1961 Pro Bowl.
Washington Redskins (1964–1969)
Huff joined the Redskins in 19641964 Washington Redskins season
The 1964 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 3-11 record from 1963.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...
and they agreed to pay him $30,000 in salary and $5,000 for scouting, compared to the $19,000 he would have made another year with New York. The impact Huff had was almost immediate and the Redskins' defense was ranked second in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
in 1965
1965 NFL season
The 1965 NFL season was the 46th regular season of the National Football League.Because the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game was held in Green Bay. Although the Packers had defeated the...
.
On November 27, 1966, Huff and the Redskins beat his former Giant
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
teammates 72–41, in the highest-scoring game in league history. After an ankle injury in 1967
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
ended his streak of 150 straight games played Huff retired in 1968
1968 NFL season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. As per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.The...
.
Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
talked Huff out of retirement in 1969
1969 NFL season
The 1969 NFL season was the 50th regular season of the National Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger. To honor the NFL's 50th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season.As per the...
when he was named Washington’s head coach. The Redskins went 7-5-2 and had their best season since 1955
1955 Washington Redskins season
The 1955 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 3-9 record from 1954.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...
(which kept Lombardi's record of never having coached a losing NFL team intact). Huff then retired for good after 14 seasons and 30 career interceptions. He spent one season coaching the Redskins' linebackers in 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
.
Business
Huff invested $75,000 with ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
to showcase the West Virginia Breeders Classic horse race from Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,907 at the 2000 census. Due to its similar name, travelers have sometimes confused this city with the state's capital, Charleston.-History:...
. The event has now run for over 20 years and has paid for Huff’s original investment several times over.
Huff joined the Marriott
Marriott Corp.
Marriott Corporation was a hospitality company that operated from 1927–1993, founded originally by J. Willard Marriott and Frank Kimball as Hot Shoppes, Inc. In 1957, Marriott Corporation opened its first hotel in Arlington County, Virginia, United States as the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel...
Corporation as a salesman in 1971 and worked himself up to vice president of sports marketing before retiring in 1998. He owns a 5 percent stake in the Marriott Hotel in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
. It remains the only Marriott in the state.
Commentator
After retiring from football, Huff spent one season as a color commentatorColor commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for the Giants radio team and then moved on to the same capacity for the Redskins radio network, where he remains to this day, calling games alongside former Redskins teammate Sonny Jurgensen
Sonny Jurgensen
Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983....
and play-by-play announcer Larry Michael. He was also a broadcaster for a regionally syndicated TV package of Mountaineer football games in the mid-1980s.
Honors
In 1982, Huff became just the second WVU player to be inducted into both the CollegeCollege Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
and Pro football Halls of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. In 1988, he was inducted into the WVU School of Physical Education Hall of Fame and, in 1991 he was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1999, Huff was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame and was ranked number 76 on The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
In 2001, Huff was ranked number six on Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
's list of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
's 50 Greatest Athletes. On November 24, 2005, Huff's uniform number 75 was retired by West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
.
Horse breeding
In 1986 Huff began breeding ThoroughbredThoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
at Sporting Life Farm in Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States with a population of approximately 976 as of July 2010.-History:The town was established in 1787 by American Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman, Levin Powell. He purchased the land for Middleburg at $2.50 per...
. His filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
, Bursting Forth, won the 1998 Matchmaker Handicap
Matchmaker Stakes
The Matchmaker Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The Grade III race is open to Fillies and Mares, Three-years-old & up and is run on turf over a distance of 1⅛ miles ....
. He is currently the Co-President of Golden Dreams Riding center in Middleburg, Virginia.
Politics
In 1970, Huff ran for a seat in the U.S. House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, but lost in the West Virginia Democratic primary against Bob Mollahan by more than 19,000 votes.