I remember hearing about George Blanda when I was a kid. He had just been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame and I was fascinated to find out how many years he had played in the NFL. Growing up a football fan, I was determined to find out the answer.
So I researched and found out that George Blanda had actually played 26 seasons in the NFL! His career began in 1949 with the Chicago Bears and ended in 1975 with the Oakland Raiders. He had a remarkably long playing career for an NFL quarterback.
It seemed almost impossible to me that George Blanda had managed to keep playing in the NFL for so many years. He must have had incredible endurance and unprecedented determination to stay in the game at an advanced age.
But the stats do not lie. George Blanda was the only player in NFL history to play in four different decades and the oldest player to appear in a game at the age of 48. He was also the oldest player to throw a touchdown pass at the age of 43.
It is interesting to note that George Blanda also won two AFL championships with the Oakland Raiders in 1967 and 1969. He was a squad member throughout those two championship seasons, but did not appear in either title game.
I have a great admiration for any player that defies time and age to keep playing a game and show the world their greatness. George Blanda certainly accomplished that feat by playing in the NFL for 26 seasons.
As a fan of the game, I look upon the great accomplishments of George Blanda with respect and admiration. His feat of playing in the NFL for 26 seasons will probably never be matched. George Blanda was truly a unique and inspirational figure in the world of pro football.
It was almost as if he was granted a special power by the gods of football to play longer than anyone else ever had. Who knows what it was, but it was clearly enough to keep him playing season after season year in and year out.
When I think of George Blanda, I think of a man that loved the game so much that he was willing to do whatever it took to play as long as he could. He must have had an insatiable passion for the game that drove him to greatness every season.
George Blanda was truly a singular athlete. His record of 26 NFL seasons might never be broken. He was an inspiration to anyone that still loves the game of football. From a personal standpoint, I am in awe of everything he achieved in the NFL.