Lettuce
Iceberg lettuce field
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Lactuca
Species:	L. sativa
Binomial name
Lactuca sativa L.
Synonyms[1][2]
Lactuca scariola var. sativa (Moris) L. scariola var. integrata (Gren. and Godr.) L. scariola var. integrifolia (G.Beck)

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the aster or sunflower family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but also sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce was first cultivated by the Egyptians, who turned it from a weed whose seeds were used to make oil into a plant grown for its leaves. It then spread to the Greeks and Romans, who gave it the name "lactuca", from which the modern "lettuce" ultimately derives. By 50 AD, multiple types were described, and it appeared often in medieval writings, including several herbals. The 16th through 18th century saw the development of many varieties in Europe, and by the mid-18th century varieties were being described that can still be found in gardens. Europe and North America originally dominated the market for lettuce, but by the late 1900s the consumption of lettuce had spread throughout the world.

Generally grown as a hardy annual, lettuce is easily cultivated, although it requires relatively low temperatures to prevent it from quickly flowering. It can be plagued with numerous nutrient deficiencies, as well as insect and mammal pests and fungal and bacterial diseases. L. sativa crosses easily within the species and with some other species within the Lactuca genus, and although this trait can be a problem to home gardeners attempting to save seeds, biologists have used it to broaden the gene pool of cultivated lettuce varieties. World production of lettuce and chicory for calendar year 2010 stood at 23,620,000 metric tons (23,250,000 long tons; 26,040,000 short tons), with over half coming from China.

Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps. One type is grown for its stems, which are eaten either raw or cooked. Lettuce is a good source of vitamin A and potassium, as well as minor source for several other vitamins and nutrients. Despite its beneficial properties, lettuce has often been targeted as the cause for bacterial, viral and parasitic outbreaks in humans, including E. coli and Salmonella. In addition to its main use as a leafy green, it has also gathered religious and medicinal significance over centuries of human consumption.

Taxonomy and etymology[link]

L. sativa seeds

Lactuca sativa is a member of the Lactuca (lettuce) genus and the Asteraceae (sunflower or aster) family.^[3] The species was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in the second volume of his Species Plantarum.^[4] Synonyms for L. sativa include Lactuca scariola var. sativa,^[1] L. scariola var. integrata and L. scariola var. integrifolia.^[5] L. scariola is itself a synonym for L. serriola, the common wild or prickly lettuce.^[2] L. sativa also has many identified taxonomic groups, subspecies and varieties, which delineate the various cultivar groups of domesticated lettuce.^[6] Lettuce is closely related to several Lactuca species from southwest Asia, with the closest relationship being to L. serriola, an aggressive weed found in much of the world.^[7]

The Romans referred to lettuce as lactuca (lac meaning milk in Latin), which is now used as the genus name, due to the white substance exuded by cut stems.^[8] This word has become the genus name, while sativa (meaning "common") was added to create the species name.^[9] The current word "lettuce", originally from Middle English, came from the Old French letues or laitues, which derived from the Roman name.^[10] The name for cos lettuce came from the earliest European seeds of the type coming from the Greek island of Cos, a center of lettuce farming in the Byzantine period, while the name romaine came from its use in the Roman papal gardens.^[11]

Description[link]

Mature lettuce flower and fruits

Lettuce's native range spreads between the Mediterranean and Siberia, although it has since been transported to almost all areas of the world. Plants generally have a height and spread of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm).^[12] The leaves are colorful, ranging mainly through the green and red color spectrums, with some variegated varieties.^[13] There are also a few varieties with yellow, gold or blue-teal leaves.^[14] They have a wide range of shapes and textures, from the dense heads of iceberg lettuce to the notched, scalloped, frilly or ruffly leaves of leaf lettuces.^[13] Lettuce plants have a root system that includes a main taproot and smaller secondary roots. Some varieties, especially those found in the US and Western Europe, have long, narrow taproots and a small set of secondary roots. Longer taproots and more extensive secondary systems are found in varieties from Asia.^[14]

Depending on the variety and time of year, lettuce generally lives 65–130 days from planting to harvesting. Because lettuce that flowers (called "bolting") becomes bitter and unsaleable, plants grown for consumption are rarely allowed to grow to maturity. Lettuce flowers more quickly in hot temperatures, while freezing temperatures cause slower growth and sometimes damage to outer leaves.^[15] Once plants move past the eating stage, they develop flower stalks up to 3 feet (0.9 m) high with small yellow blossoms.^[16] Lettuce flowers are composed of multiple florets, each containing a ligulate petal and reproductive system. This system includes fused anthers that form a tube surrounding a bipartite stigma-containing style. As the anthers shed pollen, the style elongates to allow the stigmas, now coated with pollen, to emerge from the tube.^[14] The flowers form compressed, obovate (teardrop-shaped) dry fruits that do not open at maturity, measuring 3 to 4 mm long. The fruits have 5–7 ribs on each side and are tipped by two rows of small white hairs. Each fruit contains one seed, which can be white, yellow, gray or brown depending on the variety of lettuce.^[1]

The domestication of lettuce over the centuries has resulted in several changes through selective breeding; these include slower bolting, larger seeds, larger leaves and heads, better taste and texture, a lower latex content, and different leaf shapes and colors. Work in several of these areas continues through the present day.^[17] Scientific research into the genetic modification of lettuce is ongoing, with over 85 field trials in progress in the European Union and United States to test modifications allowing greater herbicide tolerance, greater resistance to insects and fungi and slower bolting patterns. However, genetically modified lettuce is not currently used in the commercial agriculture setting.^[18]

History[link]

Lettuce developed from a weedy plant found in Egypt, first used for the production of oil from its seeds. This plant was probably selectively bred by the ancient Egyptians into a plant grown for its edible leaves,^[19] with evidence of its cultivation appearing as early as 2680 BC.^[8] Lettuce was considered a sacred plant of the reproduction god Min, and was carried during his festivals and placed near his images. The plant was thought to help the god "perform the sexual act untiringly."^[20] Its use in religious ceremonies resulted in many images being created in tombs and wall paintings. The variety under cultivation by the Egyptians appears to have been about 30 inches (76 cm) tall and resembled a large version of the modern romaine lettuce. These upright lettuces were developed by the Egyptians and passed to the Greeks, who in turn shared them with the Romans. Circa 50 AD, Roman agriculturalist Columella described several lettuce varieties – some of these may have been ancestors of today's lettuces.^[8]

Romaine lettuce, a descendent of some of the earliest cultivated lettuce

Lettuce appears in many medieval writings, especially with regards to its use as a medicinal herb. Hildegard of Bingen mentioned it in her writings on medicinal herbs between 1098 and 1179, and many early herbals also describe its uses. In 1586, Joachim Camerarius provided descriptions of the three basic modern lettuces – head lettuce, loose-leaf lettuce and romaine or cos lettuce.^[11] Lettuce was first brought to the Americas from Europe by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century.^[21][22] Between the late 16th century and the early 18th century, many varieties were developed in Europe, particularly Holland. Books published in the mid-18th and early 19th centuries describe several varieties still found in gardens today.^[23]

Lettuce is very easy to grow, and as such has been a significant source of sales for many seed companies. Tracing the history of many varieties is complicated by the practice of many companies, particularly in the United States, of changing the name of a variety from year to year. This was done for several reasons, the most prominent being to boost sales by promoting a "new" variety or to prevent customers from knowing that the variety had been developed by a competing seed company. Documentation from the late 19th century showed there to be somewhere between 65 and 140 distinct varieties of lettuce, depending on the amount of variation allowed between types – a distinct difference from the 1,100 named lettuce varieties on the market at the time. Names also often changed significantly from country to country.^[24] Although most lettuce grown today is used as a vegetable, a minor amount is used in the production of tobacco-free cigarettes; however, domestic lettuce's wild relatives produce a leaf that more closely resembles tobacco.^[25]

Cultivation[link]

A hardy annual, some varieties of lettuce can be overwintered even in relatively cold climates under a layer of straw, and older, heirloom varieties are often grown in cold frames.^[23] Lettuces meant for the cutting of individual leaves are generally planted straight into the garden in thick rows. Heading varieties of lettuces are commonly started in flats, then transplanted to individual spots, usually 8 to 14 inches (20 to 36 cm) apart, in the garden after developing several leaves. Lettuce spaced further apart receives more sunlight, which improves color and nutrient quantities in the leaves. Pale to white lettuce, such as the centers in some iceberg lettuce, contain few nutrients.^[16]

A transplanted bed of lettuce in a greenhouse

Lettuce grows best in full sun in loose, nitrogen-rich soils with a pH of between 6.0 and 6.8. Heat generally prompts lettuce to bolt, with most varieties growing poorly above 75 °F (24 °C); cool temperatures prompt better performance, with 60 to 65 °F (16 to 18 °C) being preferred and as low as 45 °F (7 °C) being tolerated. Plants in hot areas that are provided partial shade during the hottest part of the day will bolt more slowly. Temperatures above 80 °F (27 °C) will generally result in poor or non-existent germination of lettuce seeds.^[26] After harvest, lettuce lasts the longest when kept at 32 °F (0 °C) and 96 percent humidity. Lettuce quickly degrades when stored with fruit such as apples, pears and bananas that release the ripening agent ethylene gas. The high water content of lettuce (94.9 percent) creates problems when attempting to preserve the plant – it cannot be successfully frozen, canned or dried and must be eaten fresh.^[27]

Lettuce varieties will cross with each other, making spacing of 5 to 20 feet (1.5 to 6.1 m) between varieties necessary to prevent contamination of varieties when saving seeds. Lettuce will also cross with Lactuca serriola (wild lettuce), with the resulting seeds often producing a plant with tough, bitter leaves. Celtuce, a lettuce variety grown primarily in Asia for its stems, crosses easily with lettuces grown for their leaves.^[16] This propensity for crossing, however, has led to breeding programs using closely related species in Lactuca, such as L. serriola, L. saligna, and L. virosa, to broaden the available gene pool. Starting in the 1990s, such programs began to include more distantly related species such as L. tatarica.^[28] Seeds keep best when stored in cool conditions, and, unless stored cryogenically, remain viable the longest when stored at −4 °F (−20 °C); they are relatively short lived in storage.^[1] At room temperature, lettuce seeds remain viable for only a few months. However, when newly harvested lettuce seed is stored cryogenically, this life increases to a half-life of 500 years for vaporized nitrogen and 3,400 years for liquid nitrogen; this advantage is lost if seeds are not frozen promptly after harvesting.^[29]

Cultivars[link]

A selection of lettuce cultivars

There are several types of lettuce, but three (leaf, head and cos or romaine) are the most common.^[26] There are seven main cultivar groups of lettuce, each including many varieties:

• Leaf – Also known as looseleaf, cutting or bunching lettuce,^[30] this type has loosely bunched leaves and is the most widely planted. It is used mainly for salads.^[27]
• Romaine/Cos – Used mainly for salads and sandwiches, this type forms long, upright heads.^[27] This is the most often used lettuce in Caesar salads.^[21]
• Crisphead – Better known as the "iceberg" lettuce, the most popular lettuce in the United States, this type is very heat-sensitive and was originally adapted for growth in the northern US. It ships well, but is low in flavor and nutritional content, being composed of even more water than other lettuce types.^[27]
• Butterhead – Also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce,^[30] this type is a head lettuce with a loose arrangement of leaves, known for its sweet flavor and tender texture.^[27]
• Summercrisp – Also called Batavian or French Crisp, this lettuce is midway between the crisphead and leaf types. These lettuces tend to be larger, bolt-resistant and well-flavored.^[30]
• Stem – This type is grown for its seedstalk, rather than its leaves, and is used in Asian cooking, primarily Chinese, as well as stewed and creamed dishes.^[27]
• Oilseed – This type is grown for its seeds, which are pressed to extract an oil mainly used for cooking. It has few leaves, bolts quickly and produces seeds around 50 percent larger than other types of lettuce.^[31]

The butterhead and crisphead types are sometimes known together as "cabbage" lettuce, because their heads are shorter, flatter, and more cabbage-like than romaine lettuces.^[32]

Cultivation problems[link]

A lettuce surrounded by weeds, which have crowded it to the point of bolting

Nutrient deficiencies, including a lack of boron, phosphorus, calcium, molybdenum or copper, can cause a variety of plant problems that range from malformed plants to a lack of head growth.^[26] Many insects are attracted to lettuce, including cutworms, which cut plants off at the soil line; wireworms and nematodes, which cause yellow, stunted plants; tarnished plant bugs and aphids, which cause yellow, distorted leaves; leafhoppers, which cause stunted growth and pale leaves; thrips, which turn leaves gray-green or silver; leafminers, which create tunnels within the leaves; flea beetles, which cut small holes in leaves and caterpillars, slugs and snails, which cut large holes in leaves. Mammals, including rabbits and groundhogs, also eat the plants.^[33] Lettuce contains several defensive compounds, including sesquiterpene lactones, and other natural phenolics such as flavonol and glycosides, which help to protect it against pests; certain varieties contain more than others, and some selective breeding and genetic modification studies have focused on identifying and producing varieties with larger amounts of these compounds for increased pest resistance.^[34]

Lettuce also suffers from several viral diseases, including big vein, which causes yellow, distorted leaves, and mosaic virus, which is spread by aphids and causes stunted plant growth and deformed leaves. Aster yellows are a disease-causing bacteria carried by leafhoppers, which causes deformed leaves. Fungal diseases include powdery mildew and downy mildew, which cause leaves to mold and die and bottom rot, lettuce drop and gray mold, which cause entire plants to rot and collapse.^[33] Crowding lettuce tends to attract pests and diseases.^[16] Weeds can also be an issue, as cultivated lettuce is generally not competitive with them, especially when directly seeded into the ground. Transplanted lettuce (started in flats and later moved to growing beds) is generally more competitive initially, but can still be crowded later in the season, causing misshapen lettuce and lower yields. Weeds also act as homes for insects and disease and can make harvesting more difficult.^[35] Herbicides are often used to control weeds in commercial production. However, this has led to the development of herbicide-resistant weeds, as well as generating environmental and health concerns.^[17]

Production[link]

Lettuce is the only member of the Lactuca genus to be grown commercially.^[36] The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that world production of lettuce and chicory for calendar year 2010 was 23,622,366 metric tons (23,249,287 long tons; 26,039,201 short tons), coming primarily from China (53 percent), United States (17 percent) and India (4 percent).^[37]

Top ten lettuce and chicory producers — 2010

Country	Production (tonnes)	Source
People's Republic of China	12,574,500	FAO estimate
United States	3,954,800	official figure
India	998,600	FAO estimate
Italy	843,344	official figure
Spain	809,200	official figure
Japan	537,800	official figure
Iran	402,800	FAO estimate
France	398,215	official figure
Turkey	358,096	official figure
Mexico	340,976	official figure
World	23,622,366	aggregate
Source: Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Division

Western Europe and North America were the original major markets for large-scale lettuce production. By the late 1900s, Asia, South America, Australia and Africa became more substantial markets. Different locations tended to prefer different types of lettuce, with butterhead prevailing in northern Europe and Great Britain, romaine in the Mediterranean and stem lettuce in China and Egypt. By the late 20th century, the preferred types began to change, with crisphead, especially iceberg, lettuce becoming the dominant type in northern Europe and Great Britain and more popular in western Europe. In the United States, no one type predominated until the early 20th century, when crisphead lettuces began gaining popularity. After the 1940s, with the development of iceberg lettuce, 95 percent of the lettuce grown and consumed in the US was crisphead lettuce. By the end of the century, other types began to regain popularity and eventually made up over 30 percent of production.^[38] As of 2007, 70 percent of the lettuce production in the US comes from California; in that country it ranks third in produce consumption behind tomatoes and oranges.^[39]

Changes in lettuce production methods, including all of the processes from growing to sales, have become much larger in scale during the 20th century. The majority of agricultural production is done with the application of large amounts of chemicals, including fertilizers and pesticides, but large-scale organic production makes up a growing percentage of the market – a trend that began with small growers but moved to a more industrial scale. More non-heading types, mostly leaf and romaine lettuces, are also being grown.^[38]

Culinary use[link]

As described around 50 AD, lettuce leaves were often cooked and served by the Romans with an oil and vinegar dressing; however, smaller leaves were sometimes eaten raw. During the 81–96 AD reign of Domitian, the tradition of serving a lettuce salad before a meal began. Post-Roman Europe continued the tradition of poaching lettuce, mainly with large romaine types, as well as the method of pouring a hot oil and vinegar mixture over the leaves.^[8] Today, the majority of lettuce is grown for its leaves, although one type is grown for its stem and one for its seeds, which are made into an oil.^[19] Most lettuce is used in salads, either alone or with other greens, vegetables, meats and cheeses. Romaine lettuce is often used for Caesar salads, with a dressing that includes anchovies and eggs. Lettuce leaves can also be found in soups, sandwiches and wraps, while the stems are eaten both raw and cooked.^[9]

Nutrition and health[link]

Depending on the variety, lettuce is a good source of vitamin A and potassium, with higher concentrations of vitamin A found in darker green lettuces. It also provides some dietary fiber (concentrated in the spine and ribs), carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat. With the exception of the iceberg type, lettuce also provides some vitamin C, calcium, iron and copper, with vitamins and minerals largely found in the leaf.^[27]

Food-borne illness[link]

Although most food-borne pathogens can survive on stored lettuce, they tend to decline in number during the storage period. The exception to this is Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, which multiplies in storage. However, despite very high levels of the bacteria being found on ready-to-eat lettuce products, a 2008 study found no incidences of food-borne illness related to listeriosis. The researcher posited that this may be due to the product's short shelf life, indigenous microflora competing with the Listeria bacteria, or possible properties within the lettuce that cause the bacteria to be unable to cause listeriosis.^[40]

Other bacteria found on lettuce include Aeromonas species, which have not been linked to any outbreaks; Campylobacter species, which cause campylobacteriosis and Yersinia intermedia and Yersinia kristensenii, which have been found mainly in lettuce.^[41] Lettuce has been linked to numerous outbreaks of the bacteria E. coli O157:H7 and Shigella; the plants were most likely contaminated through contact with animal feces.^[42] Salmonella bacteria, including the uncommon Salmonella braenderup type, have also caused outbreaks traced to contaminated lettuce.^[43] Viruses, including hepatitis A, calicivirus, and a Norwalk-like strain, have been found in lettuce. The vegetable has also been linked to outbreaks of parasitic infestations, including Giardia lamblia.^[41]

Medicinal lore[link]

In addition to its usual purpose as an edible leafy vegetable, lettuce has had a number of uses in ancient (and even some more modern) times as a medicinal herb and religious symbol. For example, ancient Egyptians thought lettuce to be a symbol of sexual prowess^[38] and a promotor of love and childbearing in women, and the Romans likewise claimed that it increased sexual potency.^[44] In contrast, the ancient Greeks connected the plant with male impotency^[8] and served it during funerals (probably due to its role in the myth of Adonis's death), and British women in the 1800s believed it would cause infertility and sterility. Lettuce has mild narcotic properties – it was called "sleepwort" by the Anglo-Saxons due to this attribute – although the cultivated L. sativa has lower levels of the narcotic than its wild cousins.^[44] This narcotic effect is a property of two sesquiterpene lactones, located in the white liquid in the stems of lettuce, called latex.^[25]

Lettuce extracts are sometimes used in skin creams and lotions for treating sunburn and rough skin. It was once thought to be useful in relieving liver issues. Some American settlers claimed that smallpox could be prevented through the ingestion of lettuce,^[44] and an Iranian belief suggested consumption of the seeds when afflicted with typhoid.^[45] Folk medicine has also claimed it as a treatment for pain, rheumatism, tension and nervousness, coughs and insanity; scientific evidence of these benefits in humans has not been found, although similar effects have been demonstrated in mice and toads.^[25] The religious ties of lettuce continue into the present day among the Yazidi people of northern Iraq, who have a religious prohibition against eating the plant.^[46]

References[link]

Cited literature[link]

• Bradley, Fern Marshall; Ellis, Barbara W.; Martin, Deborah L., ed. (2009). The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control. Rodale, Inc. ISBN 978-1-60529-677-7. 
• Davey, M.R.; Anthony, P.; Van Hooff, P.; Power, J.B.; Lowe, K.C. (2007). "Lettuce". Transgenic Crops. Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry. Volume 59. Springer. ISBN 3-540-36752-7. 
• Katz, Solomon H. and Weaver, William Woys (2003). Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Volume 2. Scribner. ISBN 0-684-80565-0. 
• Weaver, Williams Woys (1997). Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting, Seed Saving and Cultural History. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-4025-0. 

External links[link]

• Media related to Lactuca sativa at Wikimedia Commons

Sam Huff

Huff from The Monticola, 1955
No. 70
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1934-10-04) October 4, 1934 (age 77)
Place of birth: Edna Gas, West Virginia
Career information
College: West Virginia
NFL Draft: 1956 / Round: 3 / Pick: 30
Debuted in 1956 for the New York Giants
Last played in 1969 for the Washington Redskins
Career history
New York Giants (1956–1963) Washington Redskins (1964–1969)
Career highlights and awards
5× Pro Bowl selection (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964) 4× First-team All-Pro selection (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960) 2× Second-team All-Pro selection (1961, 1963) 2× All-Conference (1964, 1965) NFL 1950s All-Decade Team 70 Greatest Redskins Redskins' Ring of Fame
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions 30 Touchdowns 2 Games 168 Stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Robert Lee "Sam" Huff (born October 4, 1934 in Edna Gas, West Virginia) 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.

Early life[link]

Huff was born and grew up in the No. 9 coal mining camp^[1] in Edna Gas, West Virginia,^[2] The fourth of Oral and Catherine Huff's six children, he lived with his family in a small rowhouse with no running water.^[3] 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.^[4]

Huff attended and played high school football at the now-closed Farmington High School, where he was both an offensive and defensive lineman.^[5] While he was there, Huff helped lead the team to an undefeated season in 1951.^[6] He earned all-state honors in 1952 and was named to the first-team all-Mason Dixon Conference.^[6]

College career[link]

Huff attended and played college football at West Virginia University, where he majored in physical education.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[8]

In 1955, Huff was voted an All-American^[8] and served as co-captain in both the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl.^[9]

Professional career[link]

New York Giants (1956 – 1963)[link]

Huff was drafted 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.^[10] Discouraged, Huff left camp but was stopped at the airport by assistant coach Vince Lombardi, who coaxed him back to camp.^[10]

Then, defensive coordinator Tom Landry came up with the new 4-3 defensive scheme that he thought would fit Huff perfectly.^[4][11] 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.^[3] 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^[4] and they finished with a 8–3–1 record, which gave them the Eastern Conference title.^[3] New York went on to win the 1956 NFL Championship Game^[4] and Huff became the first rookie middle linebacker to start an NFL championship game.^[3]

In 1958, the Giants again won the East and Huff played in the 1958 NFL Championship Game.^[3] 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.^[13] The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17.^[3]

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^[8][10] 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.^[3] Huff was also the subject of an October 31, 1960 CBS Television special, "The Violent World of Sam Huff".,^[8][10] 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.^[3]

The Giants then visited the championship under new coach Allie Sherman in 1961, 1962, 1963, but lost every one of them.^[3] 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.^[3] But in 1964, Giants head coach Allie Sherman traded Huff to the Washington Redskins for defensive tackle Andy Stynchula and running back Dick James.^[3][4] 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."^[4]

Huff played in four consecutive Pro Bowls with the Giants from 1959 through 1963. He was named most valuable player of the 1961 Pro Bowl.^[4]

Washington Redskins (1964–1969)[link]

Huff joined the Redskins in 1964 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.^[3] The impact Huff had was almost immediate and the Redskins' defense was ranked second in the NFL in 1965.^[14]

On November 27, 1966, Huff and the Redskins beat his former Giant teammates 72–41, in the highest-scoring game in league history.^[14] After an ankle injury in 1967 ended his streak of 150 straight games played^[14] Huff retired in 1968.^[4]

Vince Lombardi talked Huff out of retirement in 1969 when he was named Washington’s head coach.^[4] 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).^[15] Huff then retired for good after 14 seasons and 30 career interceptions.^[3] He spent one season coaching the Redskins' linebackers in 1970.^[14]

After football[link]

Business[link]

Huff invested $75,000 with ESPN to showcase the West Virginia Breeders Classic horse race from Charles Town, West Virginia.^[5] The event has now run for over 20 years and has paid for Huff’s original investment several times over.^[5]

Huff joined the Marriott Corporation as a salesman in 1971 and worked himself up to vice president of sports marketing before retiring in 1998.^[3] He owns a 5 percent stake in the Marriott Hotel in Charleston, West Virginia. It remains the only Marriott in the state.^[5]

Commentator[link]

After retiring from football, Huff spent one season as a color commentator 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.^[8] He was also a broadcaster for a regionally syndicated TV package of Mountaineer football games in the mid-1980s.^[8]

Honors[link]

In 1982, Huff became just the second WVU player to be inducted into both the College and Pro football Halls of Fame.^[8] 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.^[8]

In 1999, Huff was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame^[6] and was ranked number 76 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.^[16]

In 2001, Huff was ranked number six on Sports Illustrated's list of West Virginia's 50 Greatest Athletes.^[17] On November 24, 2005, Huff's uniform number 75 was retired by West Virginia University.

Horse breeding[link]

In 1986 Huff began breeding Thoroughbred 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.

Politics[link]

In 1970, Huff ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives,^[5] but lost in the West Virginia Democratic primary^[3] against Bob Mollahan by more than 19,000 votes.^[4]

Personal[link]

Huff is divorced from Mary Helen Fletcher. They have three children, Robert Lee ("Sam") Huff Jr., Catherine Ann, J.D. and three grandchildren Nicholas, Mary Carmen and Robert Lee ("Bobby") Huff III.^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sam Huff at Pro-Football-Reference.com
• Sam Huff at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Sam Huff Q&A
• Images of Sam Huff's football cards