Sam King (American football)

Sam King
Profile
PositionQuarterback
Personal information
BornLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Career information
High schoolWashington (Westmont, California)
CollegeLA Southwest (1977–1978)
UNLV (1979–1981)
NFL draft1982: undrafted
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights

Sam King is an American former football quarterback. He played college football for the UNLV Rebels, and led the country in passing yards in 1981.

Early life

King was born in Los Angeles and grew up in poverty there.[1][2] He played high school football at George Washington Preparatory High School in Westmont, California, as a quarterback.[3][4] He earned All-Central City honors.[3]

College career

King first played college football at Los Angeles Southwest College from 1977 to 1978.[3] He was named first-team All-Southern California Conference for the 1978 season.[5]

In 1979, King transferred to play for the UNLV Rebels of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He competed with Larry Gentry for the starting quarterback job.[6] King made his first start for UNLV in late September 1979 after Gentry was benched.[7][8][9] Overall in 1979, King completed 103 of 188 passes (54.8%) for 1,594 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while also rushing for 64 yards and five touchdowns.[10] He fractured his thumb during spring practice in 1980 and ended up missing the entire season.[11][12] On October 10, 1981, King completed 31 of 57 passes for 473 yards in a come-from-behind 45–41 victory over No. 8 BYU, who had won 17 straight games.[13] In 2006, the Las Vegas Sun called it the "greatest victory in UNLV football history".[13] King finished the season completing 255 of 433 passes (58.9%) for 3,778 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions while also scoring three rushing touchdowns.[10] He led the country in passing yards, yards per attempt (8.7), and yards per game (314.8).[10]

King was a quarterback for the West team at the 1982 Hula Bowl.[13] He also played in the 1982 Japan Bowl, and won offensive player of the game honors after leading his team to a 28–17 victory while completing 26 of 41 passes for 310 yards, one touchdown, and one rushing touchdown.[14] He was inducted into the UNLV Athletics Hall Of Fame in 1994.[15]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 1982 NFL draft, King signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League on May 26, 1982.[16] He competed with fellow rookie Pete Gales for the team's third-string quarterback spot.[1] On June 20, it was reported that King had been released.[17]

In September 1982, King signed with the Arizona Wranglers of the upstart United States Football League (USFL) for the 1983 USFL season.[18] However, on January 26, 1983, King was placed on the Wranglers' retired list after failing a physical.[19] He had a heart murmur.[13]

Personal life

King later became the owner of a State Farm Insurance branch in Henderson, Nevada.[13] His son, Sam Jr., played football at New Mexico State.[2] His daughter, Sommer, played volleyball at the University of Nevada, Reno.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Hanley, Bob (June 3, 1982). "King's appetite, records feature of Ticat camp". The Hamilton Spectator. p. 19. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Ex-Rebels quarterback King thankful every day of year". Las Vegas Review-Journal. November 23, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "Football Coach at Southwest Gets Elevated Status". The Los Angeles Times. August 25, 1977. p. 12. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  4. ^ Fanucchi, Kenneth (October 7, 1976). "Defensive Back-Turned-Quarterback Scores All but 1 of Gardena's Points". The Los Angeles Times. p. 3. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  5. ^ "Eight Seahawks honored". News-Pilot. December 5, 1978. pp. A13. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  6. ^ Herrera, Pete (August 30, 1979). "UNLV to Play Pinch Hit Role". The Monitor. pp. 4C. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  7. ^ "The starting role suits Rebels' King just fine". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. September 30, 1979. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  8. ^ "It's Las Vegas Night for UH". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. September 29, 1979. pp. B2. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  9. ^ "Here's Capsule Report on Saturday's WAC Grid Games". The Daily Herald. September 28, 1979. p. 6. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  10. ^ a b c "Sam King". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  11. ^ Rosetta, Dick (September 2, 1980). "UNLV on Threshold of Success?". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. B3. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  12. ^ "Rebels sign 22 players". Reno Gazette-Journal. February 20, 1981. p. 25. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d e "King relives UNLV's greatest win". Las Vegas Sun. October 21, 2006. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  14. ^ "Quarterback Sam King of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas..." United Press International. January 17, 1982. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  15. ^ "Sam King". University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  16. ^ "Ti-Cats sign quarterback". Evening Tribune. Canadian Press. May 27, 1982. p. 10. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  17. ^ "CFL training camp transactions". The Toronto Star. June 20, 1982. pp. E7. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  18. ^ "Rebs' Sam King Signs With Arizona Team". Albuquerque Journal. Associated Press. September 16, 1982. pp. D7. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  19. ^ "UNLV QB fails USFL physical exam". Daily Press. January 27, 1983. pp. A9. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
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