Word: blanda
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...week before the opening of the 1970 season, the Oakland Raiders placed Quarterback George Blanda on waivers. George waited and waited. Then, when none of the other 25 teams in the National Football League offered to sign him, he went back to practicing with the Raiders' taxi squad. It did not seem to matter that Blanda had scored more points (1,477), kicked more field goals (240), booted more extra points (703) and completed more passes in one game (37) than any player in the history of professional football. He had just turned 43, and as the oldest player...
Over the Fingertips. In overlooking Blanda. the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, among others, only succeeded in looking foolish. Three weeks ago, after the Steelers had knocked the Raiders' starting quarterback, Daryle Lamonica, out of the game with a back injury, old roly-poly George took over and fired three touchdown passes, kicked three extra points and added a field goal to demolish the Steelers 31-14. Two weeks ago, with the World Champion Chiefs leading 17-14 in a battle for the division lead, Blanda came off the bench to attempt a 48-yd. field...
...Blanda's heroics against the Steelers and the Chiefs were just a warm-up for his performance against the Browns last week. With four minutes remaining and the Browns leading 20-13, Lamonica left the game with an injured shoulder. On came George to move his offense 70 yards in seven plays. Blanda hit Wide Receiver Warren Wells with a 14-yd. scoring pass to tie the game 20-20 with 1 min. 34 sec. remaining. Then after the Raiders regained the ball on an interception, George completed his seventh pass of the afternoon to set up another last...
...Even a Shoe. Blanda has been getting his kicks in pro football ever since 1949 when he joined the Chicago Bears and played with such venerable old fry as Sid Luckman and Bulldog Turner. Son of a Youngwood, Pa., coal miner, George was signed out of the University of Kentucky for a measly $600which Bear Coach George Halas demanded that he pay back if he made the team. He made it, playing linebacker and filling in as quarterback and place kicker. Never happy under Halas ("He was too cheap to even buy me a kicking shoe"), Blanda came...
...pull it out for us." Adds Coach John Madden: "I don't even think of George's age. If we need him, he's ready. Besides, I'm the coach and I'm 34, so I'd rather not discuss ages." Neither would Blanda, who earns $40,000 a year and says he will keep playing "as long as I can walk to the bank...