Remembering NFL Icon George Blanda

Added on Sep 28, 2010 by Jason Kearney in

NFL

George Blanda died on Monday at the age of 83. Obviously it’s a sad occasion for his friends and loved ones, but if you’ve got to go–which ultimately we all do–hopefully you’ve left behind a life worth celebrating and Blanda most definitely did.

Blanda’s achievements in pro football almost defy comprehension by today’s standards. We always hear what a tough sport NFL football is, how players have a short career and take such a physical beating that they’re not the same after they retire. That’s all true, but if anything it’s hard to argue that the players ‘back in the day’ had it easier. With improvements in travel, equipment and conditioning today’s game while no where near ‘easy’ is nothing like the 40′s, 50′s and 60′s. Back then players had to work regular jobs in the summer to make ends meet–some conventional like insurance sales, others less conventional like the numerous NFL players who picked up a paycheck in pro wrestling (including Ernie Ladd, Wahoo McDaniel and Bronco Nagurski). The idea that players had to endure the beating of playing pro football while worrying about bills and lining up an off-season ‘gig’ is unfathomable for most NFL players today. NFL football remains a hard game played by tough SOB’s, but the sport circa 1960 was a harder game played by even tougher SOB’s.

Blanda set a record for longevity during these brutally tough years that will never be touched. He no longer holds the record for most games played–Morton Andersen broke it–but Blanda played in a ridiculous 26 NFL seasons. He played in four decades, starting his career in 1949 and playing until 1975. He retired at age 48. Contemplate that number for a moment–I’m significantly younger than that and in reasonably good shape. Yet on most days its all I can do to drag myself out of bed and head to the gym. Blanda strapped on a helmet and played on Sundays at an age where most recreational weekend golfers are moaning about their aches and pains. He was the first NFL player to score over 2,000 points and likely came close to doubling that figure. He’s credited as accounting for 3,418 points, but since he played quarterback before they even counted touchdown passes that’s an unofficial number. Here’s some more Blanda career numbers from his Wikipedia bio:

Blanda finished his 26 professional football seasons having completed 1,911 of 4,007 pass attempts for 26,920 yards and 236 touchdowns. Blanda also held the NFL record for most interceptions thrown with 277, until Brett Favre broke it on October 14, 2007. He rushed for 344 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground, kicked 335 of 641 field goals, and 943 of 959 extra points, giving him 2,002 total points. Additional stats include 1 interception, 2 kickoff returns for 19 yards, 22 punts for 809 yards, and 23 fumble recoveries.

Here’s another number to contemplate in an era where spoiled brats like Albert Haynesworth are moaning about being ‘slaves’ because they’re expected to stay in shape and play in the formation the coach wants them to for a mere $100 million. George Blanda’s first signing bonus? A hundred bucks. You can be damn sure Blanda never had to re-take a fitness test.

Blanda was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1981 with Raiders’ owner Al Davis doing the induction honors. Blanda played less than 10 years in the silver and black, but in many ways symbolizes the mythology of the team as much as legends like Ken Stabler or Fred Biletnikoff. Here’s what Blanda said about Al Davis at the time of his Hall of Fame nod:

“Two renegades: Me and Al Davis. It was great.”

Here’s more on Blanda’s relationship with the Raiders from an excellent tribute by Mark Kriedler at ESPN’s website. There’s not much at ESPN I’ve said this about in years, but this piece is a must read:

But Blanda’s greater contribution to the sport is that he didn’t make such a public spectacle out of wearing a uniform. He loved the game, so he played it. There wasn’t a lot of soul searching involved. He retired once, but mostly because Bears owner George Halas didn’t want him to do anything but kick and didn’t want to pay him much. He played for the AFL when the AFL was a baby. He got bought by Raiders owner Al Davis in 1967 for a hundred bucks, the price of a waiver transaction. Solid investment.

For the next decade, Davis kept finding a spot for Blanda on the roster because Blanda knew how to help teams win. Blanda was able to help the team win until he was 48. That was the entire rubric.

Blanda was almost perfect for the Raiders in the day, but not because he was tearing up the town or getting himself thrown out of games. It was because he made no sense statistically. He wasn’t supposed to be out there

Perhaps his most impressive accomplishment was recorded off the field and in an era of philandering athletes and wanna-be gangsters is also the hallmark of an anachronism–Blanda married Betty Harris on December 17, 1949 and was still married to her at the time of his death less than 48 hours ago. That’s just a few months shy of 61 years.

Props to George Blanda–the sort of football player and man the likes of which we may never see again.