George Blanda Died At 82

George Blanda, a quarterback and kicker, who played professional football as anyone and who retired after having scored more points than anyone else, died Monday. He was 83.

The Oakland Raiders announced his death but gave no details. Blanda finished his career with the Raiders, playing for them from 1967 until his retirement at 48, just before the 1976 season.
Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981, Blanda played for 26 seasons and was one of only two men who have played in four different decades. (Jeff Feagles, a recently retired player, is the other). Blanda played in the National Football League, Football League and, after the leagues merged in 1970, the hybrid that was unified in the NFL heading.
He began his career in 1949 with the Chicago Bears, playing for George Halas, the legendary coach and team owner who helped shape professional football in his early years.
Ended up playing for Al Davis, the Raiders' legendary owner (and once the coach) who helped shape the modern professional game.
Blanda was a reliable kicker with a leg strong enough to attack a field goal from 55 yards in 1961 and, nine years later, one of 52 yards. And he was a shrewd quarterback, brave, a pocket passer who was never known for his arm strength or accuracy, agility and foot speed, but stood up to the linemen running, saw all the field, and often give their best performances when the most at stake.
"Soft murderer had an instinct given by God to make this happen when everything was on the line," Davis told The Sporting News in 1989.
"I really think George Blanda is the best clutch player I've seen in the history of professional football."
Davis had a firsthand look at Blanda's most famous stretch of games. On Sunday, October 25, 1970, Soft intervened to Raiders quarterback injured starting, Daryle Lamonica, and threw for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat Pittsburgh.
On Sunday, against the Chiefs in Kansas City, kicked a field goal from 48 yards, salvaging a tie with eight seconds left in the game. The week after that, against the Cleveland Browns, Blanda came into the game with a little over four minutes to play and the Raiders by a touchdown. He threw a touchdown pass, kicked the extra point, led the team in position for the winning field goal and kicked - that 52 yards - with three seconds left.
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