Sam Boyd (1962) - Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame

Sam Boyd

Induction:
1962
Class:
1939

SAM BOYD, Cleburne, Texas (Football, 1936-38; Coach, 1956-58) – 1962

After coming to Baylor as a walk-on from Cleburne, Texas, Boyd developed into a two-time consensus All-Southwest Conference end and earned honorable mention All-America honors as a senior.

Teaming with fellow Hall of Famer and All-Decade pick Billy Patterson, Boyd helped the Bears post back-to-back seven-win seasons in 1937 and ’38 and the first national rankings in program history. They reached a high of No. 4 in the AP poll after a 6-0 win over TCU before dropping out after losses to Texas and SMU.

Boyd played two years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers before a stint with the U.S. Navy that included a two-year combat tour during World War II. After four years as the head freshman coach and two seasons as a varsity assistant, Boyd took the reins as the head coach in 1956 and led the Bears to a 9-2 mark in his debut season and a 13-7 win over No. 2 Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl.

Inducted in the Baylor Hall of Fame in 1962, Boyd died in 2001 at his home in Granbury, Texas.