Maxie Baughan, NFL champion and nine-time Pro Bowler, dead at 85

Maxie Baughan, a former standout linebacker who played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins during his NFL career, died of natural causes on Saturday. He was 85.

The Eagles said Baughan died in Ithaca, New York, surrounded by family members.

“On behalf of the Philadelphia Eagles family, I am saddened to learn of the passing of Maxie Baughan, one of our team’s all-time greats,” Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement posted to the team’s website.

“A member of the 1960 NFL Championship team as a rookie, he went on to earn All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors during his career while playing a tough, hardnosed style of football. Maxie’s induction into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2015 solidified his legacy and recognized his contributions to the team. Our hearts are with his wife, Dianne, and all Maxie’s family and friends as they mourn his passing.”

Baughan was a standout Georgia Tech player before he was selected in the second round of the 1960 NFL Draft by the Eagles. He also was drafted by the Oakland Raiders of the AFL but chose to play for the Eagles.

He was a nine-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro selection.

He helped the Eagles to an NFL Championship in 1960. He played six seasons for the Eagles and five more for the Rams before joining the Redskins in 1974 for his final season.

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“Maxie Baughan was a fierce and highly intelligent competitor, establishing himself as the best center in the nation in 1959,” Archie Manning, the chairman of the National Football Foundation, said in a release. “His passion for the game continued throughout his lifetime, and he mentored countless great players over the years, coaching both in college and the NFL. He became an integral part of our game, and we [are] deeply saddened to learn of his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Baughan was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1965 and the Eagles’ Hall of Fame in 2015.

He was named one of the 12 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 in the senior category last month.

“Maxie is one of the most legendary figures in our program’s history and a shining example of what a Tech man is,” current Georgia Tech coach Brent Key in a statement released by the school. “We are heartbroken by his passing.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.