George Blanda was a football player who played quarterback and kicker in the American Football League and the National Football League. Blanda was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round of the 1949 draft. He would go on to play a record 26 seasons in the NFL at the quarterback and kicker positions. He also played in a record 340 games during that time. During the 1970 season with the Oakland Raiders, he led the team two five come from behind wins.http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=29

On September 10, 2010, Blanda died in his home at the age of 83. He had been fighting an illness for a brief period of time leading up to his passing.http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-09-28/news/24100358_1_george-blanda-nfl-american-football-league

Blanda spent his childhood growing up in the mining town of Youngstown, in Pennsylvania. He attended college at the University of Kentucky, where he played quarterback and kicker. He led the Wildcats to winning seasons as the team's starting quarterback in his junior and senior season. This led to him being drafted by the Bears in the 1949 NFL Draft.http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Blanda__George.html

During his career, Blanda worked as the sales manager of a trucking company. After his career ended, he wrote an autobiography callled Over Fourty: Feeling Great and Looking Good! During this time, he also became a motivational speaker, speaking to adults for over 15 years. During the 1990s, Blanda and his wife moved to the San Francisco area, where he retired.http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Blanda__George.html

Blanda spent the first few years of his career playing at linebacker for the Chicago Bears. He became the team's regular quarterback in 1953, when he started all 12 games for the Bears. Blanda also served as the team's kicker during this time. In eight seasons with the Bears, Blanda threw for 5.936 yards and 48 touchdowns.http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BlanGe00.htm

Blanda retired following the 1959 season but returned when the AFL started. He signed with the Houston Oilers for the 1960 season. Blanda would go on to win the AFL Player of the Year Award in 1961 for his efforts at quarterback. He also led Houston to two AFL championships.http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=29&tab=Bio

The Oilers let Blanda go following the 1967 season. He went on to sign with the Raiders, where he spent the final nine years of his career. He spent those years as the team's backup quarterback and kicker. However, when trailing late in a game, Oakland liked to use Blanda at quarterback to try and come back. This helped Blanda lead five come from behind wins for the Raiders in the 1970 season.http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=29&tab=Bio

At the time of Blanda's retirement, he held 15 different NFL records and a share of three others. He threw for 26.920 yards and 236 touchdowns in his career. As kicker, he made 335 field goals, 943 extra points, and kicked for 2,002 points.http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=29&tab=Stats