To me he was the greatest player to ever play the game and if not, he was sure the most interesting….I can’t believe he was already 83 when he died yesterday, but he played until he was almost 50 years old and he wanted to play again that last season, but Al Davis wouldn’t sign him back up again….
George Allen was my all-time favorite coach and George Blanda was “The Player”, and nobody else even comes close….I’ll never forget picking up the News and Record(Greensboro Daily News back then), on those Monday mornings after the Sunday games and seeing; FG Blanda, PAT Blanda, TD pass Blanda to Biletnikoff and then again, PAT Blanda….George did it all and he went on a stretch where he was helping the Oakland Raiders win every game in sight and he was 43 years old and “The Dog” was still doing it and you’d pick up the paper every Monday morning and there it would be again, “Blanda leads Raiders to comeback victory”…..
To put it in terms of today, “The Dog”, is gone, and friends, nobody could do it like George Blanda…..Read below and beyond to catch it all……I’m telling you dog, this dog could do it and Fred Biletnikoff, Marv Hubbard, Dave Casper, Daryle Lamonica, Ted Hendricks, George Atkinsion and all the other Raiders would tell you the same thing….
George Blanda was, “The Man” and this day and time, you would say that he was, “The Dog”, and that dog, could get it done dog……
ALAMEDA, Calif. — George Blanda, who played longer than anyone in pro football history and racked up the most points in a career that spanned four decades, mostly with the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders, died Monday. He was 83.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of the great George Blanda,†the Raiders said Monday in confirming his death. “George was a brave Raider and a close personal friend of Raiders owner Al Davis.†The Pro Football Hall of Fame said on its website that Blanda died Monday after a brief illness.
Blanda retired a month shy of his 49th birthday before the 1976 season. He spent 10 seasons with the Bears, part of one with the Baltimore Colts, seven with the Houston Oilers and his final nine with the Raiders.
“Football lost one of it’s all-time greats,†Hall of Fame coach John Madden said. “He was the best competitor and clutchest player that I ever coached and I don’t know if there was anyone better that anyone else coached. George Blanda was a Hall of Famer in every way.â€
It was a five-game stretch for Oakland in 1970 that is the lasting imprint of his career. As a 43-year-old, Blanda led the Raiders to four wins and one tie with late touchdown passes or field goals.
Later that season, he became the oldest quarterback to play in a championship game, throwing two touchdown passes and kicking a field goal in Oakland’s 27-17 loss to Baltimore in the AFC title game. His performance that season earned him The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.
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RIP George Blanda. I was never a Raider fan but was always a big Blanda fan. How could you not love a big straight away kicker that could come in at QB and lead his team down the field. Always wondered how good a QB he could have been if he focused on that instead of kicking as well.
In this day and age you’ll never see another player like him.
Excellent points…
I remember when Johnny Evans went to the Cleveland Browns from N.C. State and High Point Andrews and the Browns had him punting and QB’ing as a backup and I also remember the Miami Dolphins had a guy Larry Seiple, that was their punter and he also played backup wide receiver, but nobody and I repeat nobody, did it like George Blanda…..One of a kind and we were all fortunate if we got a chance to see him play and that man could play and WIN.