THROWBACK: Sam Champion interviews Sam Champion the groundhog

QUOGUE, Long Island (WABC) -- Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck may get the spotlight most Groundhog Days, but not to be outdone, Sam Champion also gives his prediction on Groundhog Day.

But not the Sam Champion you might be thinking -- a rodent on Long Island is actually named Sam Champion.
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The all-knowing weather forecasting rodent was once named Quogue Quigley, but now goes by the same name as Eyewitness News' own Sam Champion.

Sam the groundhog tends to be right about 70% of the time, his handler said back in 2023.

Sam took 2022 off, but was back on the job in 2023 when he predicted six more weeks of winter at the Quogue library.

"It's been a joy to meet Sam Champion who is actually super cute but I asked why is Sam so cute...it's his youth, he's only 4 years old so he still has his baby good looks," Champion had said.
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Video below from 2023 meeting:

His handler also has another groundhog named Al Roker.

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