Blanda, George

George Blanda, in full George Frederick Blanda, (born September 17, 1927, Youngwood, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died September 27, 2010, Alameda, California), American professional gridiron football player who first as a quarterback and later as a kicker established records for most seasons played (26), most games played (340; broken in 2004), most points scored (2,002; broken in 2000), most points after touchdowns (943 of 959 attempted), and most field goals (335 of 638 attempted; broken in 1983).

Blanda played football at the University of Kentucky before he joined the National Football League (NFL) Chicago Bears in 1949. In 1953 he became starting quarterback and led the league in pass completions. After an injury in 1954, he was mainly a placekicker through 1958. He was inactive in 1959 and joined the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He led them to league championships as a quarterback (1960–61) and led the league in touchdown passes (36) in 1961 (tied in 1963 by Y.A. Tittle), a record until 1984. He was signed by the AFL Oakland Raiders (part of the NFL from 1970) in 1967 and retired in 1976, when he was nearly 50 years old. Blanda was never one of the league’s greatest players, but he became legendary as an aging placekicker and backup quarterback who won numerous games in the final seconds. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.