LEESBURG, Va. — When you hear the name Sam Huff, many in the DMV are reminded of the Pro Football Hall of Famer's five seasons spent playing for Washington. Now, a year after the beloved player and broadcaster died, some of his personal treasures will be auctioned off.
Huff made his career playing with the New York Giants for eight years, but ultimately retired as a Washington player. The son of a coal miner from West Virginia, he found a deeper love for football playing for the Mountaineers, and soon after, fame would find him too.
“To me he was just a dad," said hisa daughter Cathy Huff. "This is just all extra, but everyone loved him as well."
Sam Huff passed away on Nov. 13, 2021 at the age of 87, five years after being diagnosed with Dementia. Cathy Huff said the auction was her father's idea.
“It was my dad’s desire, and everyone thinks that I’m losing something, but I’m not," she said. "I’m gaining and I want to spread the love and let his legacy live on."
Damewood Auctioneers in Leesburg will host the event in March.
“This is a pretty special offering," Brian Damewood said. "Around here, Sam Huff is synonymous with Washington football. He was an excellent man ... and to get a collection like this, is really special."
From his signature gold Pro Football Hall of Fame jackets, to autographed footballs dating back decades, dozens of signed pictures and mementos from his most successful seasons, there are hundreds of items people can bid on. But one in particular is garnering a lot of attention.
“I think the Hall of Fame ring has to be the most special," Damewood said. "Going through all of his mementos, it’s clear he took the fraternity of being a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame very seriously. And he lived his life like a Hall of Famer."
But for Cathy Huff, it’s something from his college years at West Virginia that she cherishes most.
"The Mountaineer jacket -- the letter jacket," his daughter said. "He wore that I think until he out grew it."
Damewood said he'd fielded plenty of calls from Mountaineers eyeing his West Virginia loot.
“Here in the D.C. area, we have a lot of West Virginia Mountaineers, and we’ve been getting calls from people saying 'I got to have his letterman jacket or I got to have that retired jersey for my office wall or man cave," Damewood said. "The West Virginia stuff has been really hot."
Sam Huff held onto many things throughout the years, and not all are football related. His daughter recounted a time when he dabbled in politics.
“Back when John F. Kennedy was running for president, he asked my dad to help him campaign in West Virginia, and my dad was thrilled," Cathy Huff said as she showed the picture up for auction depicting her father alongside former President Kennedy.
There are coin collections, and books too, all telling the story of a life and career of a football pioneer.
"I’ve gathered things from this house, that house, storage units, and it's all come together, just the way he would want," Huff said.
The auction will start at 10 a.m. Friday, March 10 at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds. You can check out the items up for bidding and for more details on the auction here.