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GEORGE BLANDA

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The son of a Youngwood, PA. coal miner, George Frederick Blanda learned his competitive ways in a family that boasted seven boys, all of them outstanding high school athletes. Not all the Blanda brothers had the opportunity to go to college but three did: Tom to Army, Paul to Pittsburg and George to Kentucky. George has remarked that in some quarters, he is still considered the "fourth best kicker and the third best quarterback in the Blanda family."

At Kentucky, George had become a fine linebacker, an outstanding punter and place-kicker, and developing quarterback when George Halas drafted him as a 12th round pick for the Chicago Bears. Chicago already had some big name quarterbacks on its roster such as Sid Luckman, Johnny Lujack and Bobby Layne. Blanda signed with the Bears when Halas offered him a $6,000 contract and a $600 bonus. "What could I do?" George remembers, "That's an awful lot of money for a 21 year-old kid who's never had anything in his life."

Widely recognized as one of the truly great competitors sports has known, Blanda was also a student of the game he played. In his first pre-season game for the Bears he took over in the third quarter of a 0-0 game and promptly threw a 40-yard TD strike to George McAfee on the first play and had a seven for seven day and a 34-0 win.

This performance was not, however, the sign of things to come. Except for the 1953 and 1954 seasons, Blanda was never a regular for the Bears. He was enjoying great success in 1954 when a shoulder injury kept him out of the last four season games. This was the only time in his stellar career that he had to miss a game due to injury.

The Bears had kicking in mind for the 31-year-old Blanda, but George balked at the offer and retired (for the first time) in 1959. The emergence of the American Football League in 1960 gave George another opportunity and he made the most of it. For the next seven years he was the Oiler's play-every-game quarterback. He racked up 19,149 yards and 165 touchdowns in the Houston record books. He was the AFL Player of the Year in 1961 and guided the Oilers to their second straight AFL championship.

By the mid 1960s, the Oilers' winning records took a downturn and Blanda was taking much of the heat for the loosing season. At the age of 39 and following the 1967 season, the Oilers placed him on waivers.

George Blanda's third career was about to begin when Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders negotiated a trade for "an unnamed player". In Oakland George's role was always clearly defined. He was the backup quarterback and placekicking specialist. It was as a Raider that he gained universal respect as a clutch passer and as expected, he contributed mightily as a kicker with three straight 100 point-plus seasons in 1967, 1968, and 1969.

In his illustrious and record-setting career, George Blanda scored a record 2,002 points; Completed 1,911 passes for 26,920 yards and threw 236 touchdowns. He played in 224 straight games and 340 overall and led the NFL eight times in extra points scored in a season, including 64 in 1961. He missed only 16 of 959 extra point attempts in 26 years, kicked 335 field goals, including nine of 50 yards or more. In 1970 Blanda was named Player of the Year for quarterbacking and kicking feats.

Blanda played in 11 championship games, seven with the Raiders. He played on three AFL Championship teams and was named to the AFL-NFL 25 year All-Star team. George Blanda is the only player to celebrate a Silver Anniversary in pro football, ending his NFL career in 1975 with an all-time high 26 seasons. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on a near unanimous vote in 1981.