George Blanda 1927 - 2010

He must of seen the Raiders game yesterday.



R.I.P. George

 

The first franchise QB for a franchise seemingly blessed at the QB position has passed away at the age of 83. I'm pretty sure that none of us recall seeing Blanda play (especially for the Oilers), but his place amongst the greats in the history of this franchise is unquestioned. Blanda (along with Billy Cannon), was the first face of the franchise and led the team to consecutive AFL titles in 1960 and 1961.

From Wiki

83 years. Pro Football HOF.

Cheers George on a life well lived!

 

I remember seeing him play when I was a kid. He's most memorable to me as kicker with the Raiders as opposed to playing QB. His longevity probably will never be equalled.

RIP George, you were the last of your breed.

 

Jeff, I forgot about cards.....you prompted me to dig up some oldies....Gale Sayers, Jan Stenerud, Gene Washington and OJ Simpson from 1970...........Bob Hayes, John Hadl and the immortal Steve Spurrier from 1972......among others. I've got a Blanda somewhere, just need to find it.

 

I watched the NFL pretty avidly as a wee kid so I actually do have some sketchy recollections of seeing old George playing for the Raiders. I do remember him coming in off the bench and playing QB... and looking ancient (but effective). I wonder if that was the game that he threw the TD pass detailed on the back of Jeff's card. He's got a bio that I'd like to read. It's pretty obvious Blanda and Bud had a falling out at some point. Once he left the Oilers, Blanda never looked back... he embraced the Raiders; I don't recall him ever wearing Oilers gear after he stopped playing in Houston. It bothers me that he's always mentioned as a Raider first despite the fact that his success at QB was almost entirely with the AFL's Oilers.

 

I think you're right, he's mostly associated with the Raiders, not the Oilers. The Al Davis of the 60's and 70's is a far cry from the Davis of today. Raider players loved him as a coach and as owner back then.