Sam King

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. He earned All-Central City honors.

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. King made his first start for UNLV in late September 1979 after Gentry was benched. 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. He fractured his thumb during spring practice in 1980 and ended up missing the entire season. 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. In 2006, the Las Vegas Sun called it the "greatest victory in UNLV football history". He was inducted into the UNLV Athletics Hall Of Fame in 1994.

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. He competed with fellow rookie Pete Gales for the team's third-string quarterback spot. On June 20, it was reported that King had been released.

In September 1982, King signed with the Arizona Wranglers of the upstart United States Football League (USFL) for the 1983 USFL season. However, on January 26, 1983, King was placed on the Wranglers' retired list after failing a physical. He had a heart murmur. His daughter, Sommer, played volleyball at the University of Nevada, Reno.