The Philadelphia Eagles are saddened to announce that former linebacker and member of the franchise's Hall of Fame Maxie Baughan passed away on Saturday, August 19 of natural causes in Ithaca, New York, surrounded by his loving family at the age of 85.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Dianne; three children – Max (wife Jenn), Mark (wife Carolyn), Matt (wife Kelly); and eight grandchildren (Christopher, Connor, Charlie, Hunter, Hailey, Natalie, Cal, Heather).
"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," Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said. "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."
Born August 3, 1938 in Forkland, Alabama, Baughan was an All-American center and linebacker at Georgia Tech and was selected in the second round (20th overall) of the 1960 NFL Draft by the Eagles. With his ferocious, athletic, and highly intelligent style of play, Baughan became an immediate starter for a team that went on to win the 1960 NFL Championship.
Baughan was a star from the very beginning of his career, earning Pro Bowl recognition for the first of nine times in his rookie campaign and in that Pro Bowl debut, Baughan served notice to the league that he would be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come by picking off three passes in the game.
The 6-foot-1, 227-pound linebacker played with the Eagles through the 1965 season and made the Pro Bowl in all but one of those seasons while also earning All-Pro honors three times. Baughan was named one of 12 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 in the Seniors category last month.
Following the 1965 season, the Eagles traded Baughan to Los Angeles, where he played through the 1970 season. Baughan retired from the NFL after that season and started coaching at Georgia Tech before he was convinced to return to the NFL as a player-coach with Washington in 1974.
Baughan coached with the Baltimore Colts, Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and the Baltimore Ravens before retiring from coaching in 1998.
Heavily involved throughout his life in the Boy Scouts of America, Baughan received the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award from the National Eagle Scout Association of the Boy Scouts of America in 2012.
Baughan was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame on Monday, October 19, 2015.
