George Blanda facts for kids
1955 Bowman football card
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| No. 64, 22, 16 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback Placekicker |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | September 17, 1927 Youngwood, Pennsylvania |
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| Died: | September 27, 2010 (aged 83) Alameda, California |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Youngwood (PA) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Kentucky | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1949 / Round: 12 / Pick: 119 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career professional statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
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George Blanda (born September 17, 1927 – died September 27, 2010) was an amazing American football player. He was a quarterback and a placekicker. He played in both the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL).
George Blanda played professional football for 26 seasons. This is the most seasons played by anyone in the sport's history! When he retired, he had scored more points than any other player. He was 48 years old when he stopped playing in 1976, making him the oldest player ever. He was also the only player to play in four different decades.
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College Football Career
George Blanda played college football at the University of Kentucky. He was their quarterback and kicker from 1945 to 1948. His coach was Paul "Bear" Bryant.
During his last two years at Kentucky (1947–1948), Blanda was the main quarterback. He completed 120 passes for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Professional Football Journey
Playing for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears signed George Blanda in 1949. He started as a quarterback and kicker. He also played a little bit as a linebacker on defense!
By 1953, Blanda became the Bears' top quarterback. But an injury the next year changed things. For the next four years, he mostly played as a kicker.
Time with the Houston Oilers
Blanda left the Bears after the 1958 season. He didn't like that his coach, George Halas, only wanted him as a kicker. But he returned to football in 1960. This was when the new American Football League (AFL) started.
He joined the Houston Oilers as both a quarterback and a kicker. Some people called him an "NFL Reject." But Blanda proved them wrong! He led the Oilers to win the first two AFL championships.
In 1961, Blanda was named the AFL Player of the Year. He led the AFL in passing yards (3,330) and touchdown passes (36). His 36 touchdown passes were a record for any NFL/AFL quarterback at the time. This record stood until 1984.
In 1962, Blanda threw 42 interceptions. This is still a record today. He also had two games where he threw for over 400 yards. In one of those games, he threw seven touchdown passes!
The Oilers released Blanda in 1967. Many thought his long career was over.
Joining the Oakland Raiders
In July 1967, the Oakland Raiders signed George Blanda. They saw his potential as a backup quarterback and a reliable kicker. In his first season with the Raiders, his kicking helped him lead the AFL in scoring with 116 points.
His kicks helped the Raiders win several games. They even beat his old team, the Oilers, in the AFL Championship Game. The Raiders then played in Super Bowl II.
In 1970, Blanda was 43 years old. He had an amazing five-game streak. In one game, he threw three touchdowns. A week later, he kicked a 48-yard field goal with only three seconds left to tie a game.
Later, he came off the bench to throw a touchdown pass to tie a game. Then he kicked a 53-yard field goal with only three seconds left to win! The announcer famously shouted, "George Blanda has just been elected King of the World!"
In the next two games, Blanda's clutch plays helped the Raiders win again. He threw a touchdown pass to win one game and kicked a field goal to win another.
Blanda played in his last game on January 4, 1976. He was 48 years old. He kicked a field goal and an extra point in that game. He was released in August 1976, finally ending his incredible career.
Records and Achievements
George Blanda's career was full of amazing records:
- He completed 1,911 passes for 26,920 yards and 236 touchdowns.
- He kicked 335 field goals and 943 extra points. This gave him a total of 2,002 points in his career.
- He holds the record for most seasons played: 26 (from 1949 to 1975).
- He is one of only two players to play in four different decades (1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s).
- He holds the record for most extra points made (943) and attempted (959).
- He holds the record for most interceptions thrown in a single season: 42 (in 1962).
- He is tied for the most passing touchdowns in a single game: 7 (on November 19, 1961).
- He was the first player ever to score over 2,000 points in his career.
Blanda was chosen for the American Football League All-Time Team as the placekicker. He was also one of only 20 players to play in all ten years of the AFL. In 1981, he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his very first year of eligibility. He is also in the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame.
In 1985, a road in his hometown of Youngwood, Pennsylvania was renamed George Blanda Boulevard. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him number 98 on their list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
George Blanda was even the first-ever player picked in a fantasy football draft! This happened when the game was first created in 1962.
Personal Life
George Blanda's father was a coal miner from Slovakia. George married Betty Harris on December 17, 1949. They were married until his death in 2010 and had two children.
His Passing
George Blanda passed away on September 27, 2010, at the age of 83. The Pro Football Hall of Fame said he died after a "short illness." A moment of silence was held for him during a Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.
Legacy and Pop Culture
George Blanda's long career was so famous that it was even mentioned on the TV show Happy Days. In an episode set in 1956, a character says that George Blanda is "washed up" and "old" at age 30. The joke was that Blanda was still playing football 19 years later!
