George Frederick "The Grand Old Man" Blanda (born September 17, 1927 to Slovak parents in Youngwood, Pennsylvania) is a former collegiate and Professional Football quarterback and placekicker. The son of a Pittsburgh area coal miner, Blanda has the distinction of having played 26 seasons of Professional Football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement. Blanda retired from P...
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George Frederick "The Grand Old Man" Blanda (born September 17, 1927 to Slovak parents in Youngwood, Pennsylvania) is a former collegiate and Professional Football quarterback and placekicker. The son of a Pittsburgh area coal miner, Blanda has the distinction of having played 26 seasons of Professional Football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement. Blanda retired from Pro Football in 1976. He has been married since December 17, 1949, to Betty Harris and has 11 children.
Blanda was a quarterback and kicker at the University of Kentucky. Bear Bryant, who later won fame and set countless records at Texas A&M; and Alabama, arrived in his sophomore year, following a 1-9 season. The Wildcats lost three games in each of the next three years.
Recalling the time he met Bryant, Blanda said: "I thought this must be what God looks like." Blanda recalled years later when he was asked to return to the University of...
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