George Blanda: 1954 Bowman Football
Player: George Blanda
Card: 1954 Bowman Card #23
Team/Position: Chicago, Houston, Oakland / Quarterback & Kicker
Cost: $35
The NFL has taken it upon itself to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the AFL in 2009 with AFL rivalry games featuring some of the gaudiest jerseys known to man. I’s clear that Joe Namath reigns supreme as the most recognizable ambassador that the AFL had, but without a doubt, George Blanda is Top-5.
Namath and Blanda represented the AFL in vastly different ways. The AFL wanted itself to be seen as Namath, who had signed with the Jets for more money after they’d selected him first overall in 1965. Namath was a brash playboy with a youthful energy that seemed to be contagious, exactly what the AFL wanted.
The NFL wanted the AFL to be seen as George Blanda, though. Originally Blanda came off as an NFL washout, no longer good enough to play for the Chicago Bears of their prestigious league. Blanda kept playing though…and playing…and playing…and playing, before eventually ending his career after 26 seasons in Professional Football. Blanda is too often defined by the length of his career which indirectly reduces the significance of many of his other accomplishments.
Blanda’s Accomplishments
In 1949, Bears’ owner, George Halas, signed George Blanda for $600, thus beginning the start of a great career. Almost none of that career occurred with Blanda’s original team though. Blanda was the starting quarterback for the Bears in ‘53, but an injury in ‘54 sentenced Blanda to the role of full-time kicker, back-up quarterback. Blanda retired after the 1958 season, knowing that he was a capable quarterback and not just a kicker and thus began the career of George Blanda.
When I acquired the 1954 version of Blanda’s rookie card, I was terribly tempted to grab the 1960 version of Blanda as a member of the Houston Oilers. Blanda’s career started when he dawned an AFL jersey and Fleer’s 1960 card of George Blanda wearing the Oilers’ blue can be had for around twenty dollars.
Blanda lead the Oilers to the first AFL Championship in 1960 before going off in, what’s generally considered his best professional season, 1961. Blanda once again took home the AFL Championship, but this time it came with AFL Player of the Year honors. Blanda led the AFL in passing yards (3,330) and passing touchdowns (36) that year. Blanda was a passing machine, leading the league in both attempts and completions from 1963 through 1965.
By 1967, Blanda’s time had run out with the Houston Oilers but he was quickly snapped up by the Oakland Riaders. After a terrific career with the Oilers, Blanda was now comfortable operating in the role that the Bears had seen him in so long ago. Blanda, who was still a straight ahead kicker, repeatedly came up in the clutch for the Raiders.
In 1970, Blanda was released by the Raiders only to, you guessed it, resign with them before leading one of the craziest five game stretches in the history of football.
Game 1 vs. Steelers: Lamonica gets hurt, Blanda throws three touchdowns to win ‘er.
Game 2 vs. Kansas City: Blanda kicks a field-goal with 3 seconds left to tie ‘er up.
Game 3 vs. Cleveland: Off the bench, Again! Blanda throws a TD with under two minutes to play to tie the game up before booting a ridiculous 52-yard field-goal to win ‘er.
Game 4 vs. Denver: Blanda gets the call in the 4th quarter only to throw the winning touchdown with two minutes left.
Game 5 vs. San Diego: Blanda knocks in a chip-shot field goal in the closing seconds to beat the Chargers and end one of the greatest streaks of balls-to-the-wall football in the history of the game.
Eventually, the 1970 season ended with Blanda becoming the oldest quarterback (age 43) to start a Championship Game.
Blanda’s Records (straight from wikiland)
- Passing TDs in a game: 7 (Tied with 4 others)
- Most seasons played: 26
- Only player to play in four different decades; (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s)
- Most PATs made (943) and attempted (959)
- Most interceptions thrown, single season: 42 (1962)
- Held record of most pass attempts in a single game: 68 until 1994, when Drew Bledsoe had 70
- Oldest person to play in an NFL game: 48 years, 109 days
- First player ever to score over 2,000 points
- Oldest quarterback to start a title game
- Most total points accounted for (including TD passes) in a career: 3,418
Blanda is no longer the proud owner of the Most Career Interceptions which now belongs to Brett Favre.
The Card
I absolutely love the look of this card; it’s simple, classic and it shows us that George Blanda used to be one very good looking dude. It’s refreshing to see this shot of Blanda, rather than the grey haired man hunched on the Raiders sideline.
I’m still torn on whether or not I made the right call. The Fleer card doesn’t look quite as classic and it’s not quite as old, but it’s Blanda as a member of the AFL.
1960 Fleer Blanda, Courtesy of Footballcardgallery.com
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