Sonny Jurgensen, a voice of Washington Redskins games for decades, has signed off.
The broadcaster and Hall of Famer announced his retirement Thursday night.
"I've decided to hang up my headphones and my clipboard," he said on the Redskins Radio Network before the team's preseason opener in Cleveland. "It's been a great 55 years in Washington. I want to thank our Redskin fans for being so generous to me and our teams. We owe it all to you."
Jurgensen reminisced about the Redskins' "glory years," including the NFC East championships and five Super Bowls.
The former Redskins quarterback, now 84, played 11 seasons for the 'Skins, from 1964 to 1974. Previously, he played for the Philadelphia Eagles, starting in 1957. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
Scores of people in the D.C. area listened to Jurgensen for decades. Some called his retirement "the end of an era." One Twitter user said losing him on the air was like "losing a grandparent."
Jurgensen was the last member of the "Sonny, Sam and Frank" show still on the air. He called games with Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff and local sportscaster Frank Herzog on WMAL starting in the '80s.
Jurgensen also was a fixture on NBC4, recapping games with longtime sports anchor George Michael. It always was must-see TV, veterans of the station recalled.
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Here's how the Washington sports legend concluded his statement: "I'll always be a fan of professional football and appreciative of all that it has done for me, my family and our city. I'll leave you with these words: Hail to the Redskins!"
