Winehole23
09-27-2010, 08:19 PM
George Blanda Dies at 83 (http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/george-blanda-dies-at-83/)
By ANDREW DAS (http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/author/andrew-das/)
George Blanda, whose 26-year career was the longest of any player in N.F.L. history, has died at age 83. The Oakland Raiders, the team with which he came synonymous and from which he finally ended his career, confirmed his death.
Blanda played so long that he had what amounted to three N.F.L. careers (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BlanGe00.htm). He spent 10 years with the Chicago Bears, but retired when they tried to make him solely a kicker, and then seven more with the Houston Oilers of the upstart A.F.L. When the Oilers decided he was finished in 1967, he joined the Raiders and played nine more seasons. He wound up in the Hall of Fame (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=29) with a reputation as one of the greatest clutch performers in football history.
He may be most famous for a run of late-game theatrics in 1970 that the Raiders referred to in their statement announcing his death (http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Raiders-Mourn-Passing-of-George-Blanda/651eb781-c52e-4167-8c4b-b228388c8b7c) as the Miracle of George Blanda. From Blanda’s A.P. obituary:
Blanda began his memorable run in 1970 by throwing three touchdown passes in place of an injured Daryle Lamonica in a 31-14 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 25. The following week he kicked a 48-yard field goal in the final seconds to give the Raiders a 17-17 tie against Kansas City.
Blanda was just getting started. He threw a tying touchdown pass with 1:34 remaining and then kicked the game-winning 52-yard field goal in the final seconds the following week in a 23-20 win over Cleveland.
He followed that with a 20-yard TD pass to Fred Biletnikoff in place of Lamonica in a 24-19 victory over Denver the next week, then kicked a 16-yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat San Diego 20-17 on Nov. 22.
There may have been dozens of multitool players like Blanda when he came into the league as a 12th-round pick out of Kentucky, where he had played for Bear Bryant, in 1949. But there weren’t many when he left before the 1976 season — a month before his 49th birthday — and they certainly don’t make players like him anymore.
6:49 p.m. | Updated Billy Witz interviewed Blanda (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/sports/football/24blanda.html) for the Times in January. The article, which ran as Brett Favre was leading the Vikings deep into the playoffs, included a great story about the two ageless quarterbacks:
Ron Wolf, a Raiders scout when Blanda joined them team in 1967 and the Packers’ general manager who traded for Favre in 1992, said the two were defined by a common trait: competitiveness.
“For George, the fire in his belly was so great,” Wolf said.
“That’s why he played so long. That’s where he and Favre are equals. You can tell they loved to compete.”
Wolf helped bring them together last season, when Favre traveled to Oakland with the Jets. Wolf introduced Blanda and Favre on the field before the game. They posed for a photograph, shared a seat on a bench and chatted for a few minutes.
Blanda jokingly thanked Favre for breaking his N.F.L. career record for interceptions, and asked him to leave alone the record of seven touchdown passes in a game that Blanda shares with four others.
“We had a few laughs — it was a thrill,” Blanda said. “I’ve always admired him. I don’t say I played like him, but I was reckless like him. I believed in myself like I’m sure he does, too, that he could do the right things at the right time. I kind of look at Brett and see a little bit of me in him.”
But Blanda made a point to request that the article not put him in Favre’s class as a quarterback.
“I was a decent all-around player, but I’d never put myself in his category,” Blanda said. “I don’t want to be mentioned in the same breath as him. He plays every week” and takes a beating.
He added, “I sat on the bench and then came in and made a pass or two.”
By ANDREW DAS (http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/author/andrew-das/)
George Blanda, whose 26-year career was the longest of any player in N.F.L. history, has died at age 83. The Oakland Raiders, the team with which he came synonymous and from which he finally ended his career, confirmed his death.
Blanda played so long that he had what amounted to three N.F.L. careers (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BlanGe00.htm). He spent 10 years with the Chicago Bears, but retired when they tried to make him solely a kicker, and then seven more with the Houston Oilers of the upstart A.F.L. When the Oilers decided he was finished in 1967, he joined the Raiders and played nine more seasons. He wound up in the Hall of Fame (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=29) with a reputation as one of the greatest clutch performers in football history.
He may be most famous for a run of late-game theatrics in 1970 that the Raiders referred to in their statement announcing his death (http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Raiders-Mourn-Passing-of-George-Blanda/651eb781-c52e-4167-8c4b-b228388c8b7c) as the Miracle of George Blanda. From Blanda’s A.P. obituary:
Blanda began his memorable run in 1970 by throwing three touchdown passes in place of an injured Daryle Lamonica in a 31-14 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 25. The following week he kicked a 48-yard field goal in the final seconds to give the Raiders a 17-17 tie against Kansas City.
Blanda was just getting started. He threw a tying touchdown pass with 1:34 remaining and then kicked the game-winning 52-yard field goal in the final seconds the following week in a 23-20 win over Cleveland.
He followed that with a 20-yard TD pass to Fred Biletnikoff in place of Lamonica in a 24-19 victory over Denver the next week, then kicked a 16-yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat San Diego 20-17 on Nov. 22.
There may have been dozens of multitool players like Blanda when he came into the league as a 12th-round pick out of Kentucky, where he had played for Bear Bryant, in 1949. But there weren’t many when he left before the 1976 season — a month before his 49th birthday — and they certainly don’t make players like him anymore.
6:49 p.m. | Updated Billy Witz interviewed Blanda (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/sports/football/24blanda.html) for the Times in January. The article, which ran as Brett Favre was leading the Vikings deep into the playoffs, included a great story about the two ageless quarterbacks:
Ron Wolf, a Raiders scout when Blanda joined them team in 1967 and the Packers’ general manager who traded for Favre in 1992, said the two were defined by a common trait: competitiveness.
“For George, the fire in his belly was so great,” Wolf said.
“That’s why he played so long. That’s where he and Favre are equals. You can tell they loved to compete.”
Wolf helped bring them together last season, when Favre traveled to Oakland with the Jets. Wolf introduced Blanda and Favre on the field before the game. They posed for a photograph, shared a seat on a bench and chatted for a few minutes.
Blanda jokingly thanked Favre for breaking his N.F.L. career record for interceptions, and asked him to leave alone the record of seven touchdown passes in a game that Blanda shares with four others.
“We had a few laughs — it was a thrill,” Blanda said. “I’ve always admired him. I don’t say I played like him, but I was reckless like him. I believed in myself like I’m sure he does, too, that he could do the right things at the right time. I kind of look at Brett and see a little bit of me in him.”
But Blanda made a point to request that the article not put him in Favre’s class as a quarterback.
“I was a decent all-around player, but I’d never put myself in his category,” Blanda said. “I don’t want to be mentioned in the same breath as him. He plays every week” and takes a beating.
He added, “I sat on the bench and then came in and made a pass or two.”