by Lynette Alice

Created on: August 07, 2008   Last Updated: January 30, 2010

When many of his contemporaries were playing with their grandchildren on Sunday George Blanda was on the field setting another of his many NFL records, he was becoming the oldest professional football player in history. While many of his records have fallen it is unlikely anyone is going to be playing at the age of forty eight years and 110 days. Blanda played a total of twenty six seasons with a quick break in the late fifties in a career that took place over four different decades.

Born September seventeenth of 1927 in Youngwood Pennsylvania, nobody could imagine Blanda would one day be the grand old man of the NFL and a Hall of Famer. Blanda's road to such fame began so long ago he played for Bear Bryant at the University of Kentucky, not Alabama! Blanda started his final two years under Bryant and proved talented enough to be signed by none other than "Papa Bear" himself George Halas to join the Bears organization, Blanda signed for only six hundred dollars. It took a few seasons for Blanda to start at quarterback but in the meantime he remained valuable as a kicker.

Disillusioned by the way Halas ran the Bears, Blanda retired in 1958 only to return when the upstart Houston Oilers joined the AFL in 1960. The idea Blanda was washed up was premature. Critics called him an NFL reject and questioned his ability at every turn, Blanda responded by leading his team to the first two AFL titles as both a quarterback and kicker and was the AFL Player of the Tear in 1961. His thirty six touchdown passes stood as an AFL and NFL record until Dan Marino broke it in 1984.

Despite posting consistently good numbers the Oiler's management felt Blanda was too old to continue playing and released him in 1967 at the age of forty. Within four months the Oakland Raiders swooped in and signed Blanda to be a backup quarterback and kicker on at least a part-time basis. The saw much value in his versatility and experience and didn't see his age as a negative thing. it is a good thing as Blanda rewarded their confidence by becoming an indispensable part of the team. Immediately he led the AFL in scoring primarily as a kicker and helped Oakland reach Super Bowl II which they lost.

In 1970 George was released during the preseason but fought his way back onto the roster. Oakland was lucky George knew he had more left in the tank because for five straight weeks Blanda used his arm or leg to stave off defeat for the Raiders. That Year he won the Bert Bell Award and became the oldest quarterback in a championship game at forty three years old. It was however the last season he would play regularly at quarterback but he did spend another five seasons in the league as a kicker.

Blanda played his last game against the Steelers in 1976, a game in which he kicked a forty one yard field goal and an extra point. All told he racked up 26,920 passing yards and 236 passing touchdowns with 335 field goals and 959 extra points made for 2,002 career points. He still holds records for the most seasons played and scored in (26), only player in four different decades, most point after attempts and makes (943/959), first player to score 2,000 points, the only player to play all ten years of the AFL as well as in every AFL game his team played, and most importantly the oldest player in pro football history. Blanda was named to the All-Time All-AFL Team and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

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