Houston Sports - George Blanda

George Blanda

Born: September 17, 1927

Sport: Football (4-time All-AFL, 4-time AFL All-Star, MVP, Hall of Fame)

I hope everyone has had a wonderful time since my last post, because I had a blast on a short cruise with my wife.  We definitely recommend the experience to anyone who hasn't had a chance to enjoy sailing away and disconnecting for a while.  As indicated on last week's post, we crossed the 300,000 threshold for views on this blog and it's mind-blowing to me to think about that many clicks on a website that just has a bunch of things I'm learning and want to share.  Thanks to all!  As we climb back into the study of Houston athletic figures, this week we'll go back in time to our city's first professional quarterback and the only man to bring football titles to a city that is obsessed with the gridiron.  Since it's been a long time since my last post, I thought it would be fun to look at someone who spent a long time playing the game he loved - George Blanda, who spent an unmatched 26 years playing professionally and retired with an impressive string of records.

George Blanda's home stadium during his time with the Houston Oilers

Born on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a coal miner from Slovakia, George Blanda was one of seven boys.  His high school years were spent playing offense, defense, and special teams for Youngwood High School before he was offered a chance to attend the University of Kentucky on a football scholarship, where he played as a quarterback and kicker from 1945-1948.  During Blanda's second year at school the Wildcats introduced a new head coach by the name of Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had only coached for one year by that point but would eventually become one of the sport's most legendary college coaches.  The pair pulled UK out of the cellar, climbing from a 1-9 record in 1945 to post three consecutive winning seasons and a bowl win.  Blanda topped the QB depth chart his final two seasons with the team, leading the offense but not posting remarkable numbers.  Nevertheless, the Chicago Bears (especially team owner George Halas, who also acted as head coach) saw promise in the young man and selected Blanda with the 119th pick of the 1949 NFL Draft.  That December he would marry Betty Harris, and the couple eventually had two children and remained together for over 60 years.

As a professional football player, George Blanda showed tremendous versatility but not much in the way of excellence.  Just like in high school, he took the field as a quarterback, kicker, and even linebacker, but it wasn't until 1953 that he finally clawed his way to the top of the depth chart and became the starting QB for the Bears.  Eight games into the following year, however, an injury knocked him out of the season and out of the starting job.  For the rest of his time with the team he was used almost exclusively as a kicker, and when the 1958 season ended Blanda decided to wrap up his career and retire.  It turned out to be a decision that didn't last.  A group of prospective owners that couldn't convince the NFL to expand decided to start their own league, the American Football League, and the new Houston Oilers reached out to Blanda to be their very first quarterback and kicker.  He agreed, and in 1960 he stepped onto the field at the age of 33 to try and shake off the perception that he was simply an NFL reject.  The future of the entire AFL, in fact, depended on players like Blanda becoming stars.  In Houston, Blanda discovered the success he had never known, and he led the Oilers to the new league's first championship in 1960, then backed it up with a second title in 1961.  The league's emphasis on passing was evident as the 36 touchdown passes that Blanda threw that year stood as a record for professional football until Dan Marino finally beat it in 1984.  The 1961 season was his first year to earn individual honors, not only being named the league's MVP but also earning an All-Star selection and his only first-team All-AFL selection.  Proof of his fame among fans was displayed when he was selected as the first-ever pick in a newly-invented game known as fantasy football in 1962.  Although the Oilers did not win another title during Blanda's time on the team, he earned two more All-Star nods and a pair of second-team All-AFL honors.  In 1966 he finally lost his starting QB position with Houston but continued as a kicker and backup passer.  The team thought he was at the end of his rope, however, and released him before the 1967 season began.

Approaching his 40th birthday and having finally displayed his potential while playing for championship teams, nobody would have been surprised if George Blanda once again decided his playing days were over.  But when the owner of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis, called up Blanda with the idea of remaining as a kicker while backing up and helping train the team's young quarterbacks, it seemed like a good fit.  The AFL had announced a merger with the NFL that would be finalized in 1970, and the league champions until that point would meet in a so-called Super Bowl.  His performance as a kicker earned Blanda one last All-Star appearance, and he defeated his former team in the AFL championship before playing against the vaunted Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II.  Although they lost the biggest prize, the season cemented Blanda's role on one of the best teams of the era.  The Raiders continued to win, making the playoffs each of the following three seasons, and Blanda endeared himself with the Oakland faithful during a 1970 campaign that saw starting QB Daryle Lamonica go down with an injury.  During the team's first season in the NFL's American Football Conference, the 43-year-old backup took up the reins and led Oakland to a 4-0-1 record over the following five games to pull the team back into the playoff picture.  Blanda became the oldest QB to play in a championship game that year and his heroics led to him earning a second-place finish in the MVP race that season.  He also become the first pro football player to ever be named the AP Male Athlete of the Year.  While Blanda never again acted as the primary passer for Oakland, he remained on the team as their kicker for another five seasons, all under head coach John Madden.  By the time he finally retired for good after the 1975 season Blanda had rewritten the record book for years played, games played, oldest player, most PAT kicks attempted and made, most postseason points scored, most TD passes in a game, most interceptions, and a host of other scoring and longevity marks (although many have been surpassed over the years).  In his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, Blanda was an obvious choice to be enshrined with the class of 1981.  He was honored by the Bears, Oilers, and Raiders franchises on their lists of greatest players, and has been inducted in the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.  After his career was over, Blanda became a motivational speaker, businessman, and broadcaster, while also spending time with his growing family and serving roles with charitable groups including the March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, and National Hemophilia campaign.  Just ten days after his 83rd birthday, George Blanda died after a brief illness and was honored that night at a game between the Bears and Packers, which fittingly was taking place at Soldier Field, the first pro stadium he ever called home.

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