Wacka Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/27/SPSE1FKCKA.DTL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollars 2 donuts Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 (edited) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/27/SPSE1FKCKA.DTL Oldest player in the NFL (46) at the time of retirement. Good-bye George. WOW, check that, 49! Edited September 27, 2010 by dollars 2 donuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowery4 Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 RIP George thanks for the memories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 So sad to hear. Loved the guy! R.I.P. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 RIP George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 In an episode of the TV series Happy Days, set in the 1950s, Richie Cunningham (played by Ron Howard) and Ralph Malph (Donny Most) watch a televised game in which Blanda and the Bears struggle. Ralph says that Blanda is finished in football. Richie says that Blanda has a few more years left. The joke was that Blanda, 20 years later at the time of the show's filming, was still playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRC Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Oldest player in the NFL (46) at the time of retirement. Good-bye George. WOW, check that, 49! Acutally 48. He retired four months before his 49th birthday. RIP George. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 (edited) This is what I remember most about Blanda - after he had been cut in preseason and picked back up at age 43: The Miracle of George Blanda - 1970 Posted 1 hour ago * a * a For his supreme efforts and accomplishments, Blanda was honored as the AFC Player of the Year in 1970. On October 25, 1970 against Pittsburgh, Blanda came off the bench to throw three touchdowns and kicked a field goal to lead the Raiders to a 31-14 victory. The next week in Kansas City, he kicked a 48-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to tie the Chiefs at 17. The following Sunday, Blanda came off the bench to throw a touchdown pass to tie Cleveland at 20, then kicked a game-winning 52-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to earn the Raiders a 23-20 win. The magic continued the next week when Blanda threw a touchdown pass late in the game to defeat Denver, 24-19. The streak culminated with a 16-yard field goal with seconds remaining to beat San Diego, 20-17. For his supreme efforts and accomplishments, Blanda was honored as the AFC Player of the Year. PS And, I know people on this board remember the great opening MNF win over Oakland in '74 - two Rashad TDs at the end........The Raiders had the ball one last time and the old geezer had one last crack to make a long field goal. I thought for sure he would do it, but it missed. Edited September 27, 2010 by bbb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 RIP George, you were amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills4154 Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 RIP George, a remarkable player, especially playing pro football in your late forties! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 i don't normally participate in RIP threads, but this guy played in the NFL until he was almost 50....that is sofa king incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helpmenow Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Man he looked alot older than 48. Must have been the whiskey and smokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiderweb Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 This is what I remember most about Blanda - after he had been cut in preseason and picked back up at age 43: The Miracle of George Blanda - 1970 Posted 1 hour ago * a * a For his supreme efforts and accomplishments, Blanda was honored as the AFC Player of the Year in 1970. On October 25, 1970 against Pittsburgh, Blanda came off the bench to throw three touchdowns and kicked a field goal to lead the Raiders to a 31-14 victory. The next week in Kansas City, he kicked a 48-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to tie the Chiefs at 17. The following Sunday, Blanda came off the bench to throw a touchdown pass to tie Cleveland at 20, then kicked a game-winning 52-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to earn the Raiders a 23-20 win. The magic continued the next week when Blanda threw a touchdown pass late in the game to defeat Denver, 24-19. The streak culminated with a 16-yard field goal with seconds remaining to beat San Diego, 20-17. For his supreme efforts and accomplishments, Blanda was honored as the AFC Player of the Year. PS And, I know people on this board remember the great opening MNF win over Oakland in '74 - two Rashad TDs at the end........The Raiders had the ball one last time and the old geezer had one last crack to make a long field goal. I thought for sure he would do it, but it missed. How dare you call us old geezers, it's...well...ooops, you were calling Blanda "the old geezer". Never mind..... By the way, that was one great finish. Buffalo was really excited after that win. Bills went 9-5 that year but lost to the powerful Steelers in the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Friggin' guy was a legend and as clutch as they came. RIP George! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthICE Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 The man could easilly be considered THE best all around player in NFL history. God Bless his family, and rest in peace George you earned it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 How dare you call us old geezers, it's...well...ooops, you were calling Blanda "the old geezer". Never mind..... By the way, that was one great finish. Buffalo was really excited after that win. Bills went 9-5 that year but lost to the powerful Steelers in the playoffs. I'm an older geezer now than Blanda was at the time! That was the best Bills game I ever saw until the Kelly/Reich years. The first Reich game - Rams in '89 - was almost a duplicate of the Raiders '74 game. The star was out (OJ/Kelly), finally scored to take the lead late, only to give it away, and then against all odds march down the field again to score the winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in STL Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/27/SPSE1FKCKA.DTL Hey all you young'ens. Read this article on George Blanda. What an amazing character and another tribute to the old AFL for providing the chance for a good player who won an NFL Championship as the starting QB on the Bears, to become a great player. I remember watching him bail out Lamonica by throwing TD passes and then kicking game winning FG's. Clutch professional, George Blanda. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 You definitely won't see these diverse numbers again!: He held the pro scoring record when he retired, with 2,002 points. He kicked 335 field goals and 943 extra points, running for nine touchdowns and throwing for 236 more. I know I mentioned it earlier........but this says it better and more concise......I remember how crazy this was - 5 weeks in a row!: Blanda began his memorable run in 1970 by throwing three touchdown passes in place of an injured Daryle Lamonica in a 31-14 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 25. The following week he kicked a 48-yard field goal in the final seconds to give the Raiders a 17-17 tie against Kansas City. Blanda was just getting started. He threw a tying touchdown pass with 1:34 remaining and then kicked the game-winning 52-yard field goal in the final seconds the following week in a 23-20 win over Cleveland. He followed that with a 20-yard TD pass to Fred Biletnikoff in place of Lamonica in a 24-19 victory over Denver the next week, then kicked a 16-yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat San Diego 20-17 on Nov. 22. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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