George Frederick Blanda (born September 17, 1927,
Youngwood, Pennsylvania) was an American football
player. He was a prime example of players who were
called "NFL Rejects" by some. The NFL Chicago
Bears thought the University of Kentucky's Blanda
wasn't good enough to be a quarterback and wanted
him to be a place kicker only. But in 1960, the
formation of the American Football League led to
Blanda's signing by the Houston Oilers as a
quarterback and kicker. He went on to lead the
Oilers to the first two league titles in AFL
history, and he won AFL Player of the Year honors
in 1961. Blanda once passed for 7 TDs in one game,
and 36 in a season, 1961. Thirteen times he threw
four or more touchdown passes in a game, and once
he unleashed 68 passes, for Houston against
Buffalo on Nov. 1, 1964. For three staight years,
1963 through 1965, he led the league in passing
attempts and completions, and was in the top ten
for attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns
for seven straight years. He was a four-time
member of the American Football League All-Star
team. In 1967, when Blanda was almost 40, he left
the Oilers but the Oakland Raiders saw him as a
contributing backup passer and a dependable kicker
so they picked him up. At Oakland, he was a clutch
kicker and a valuable "reliever" who pulled
games out if fellow Hall of Famer Daryle Lamonica
was unavailable or ineffective. He was especially
successful in this role in 1970, when he won the
Bert Bell Trophy.

Blanda went on to become the oldest quarterback to
start a title game, and the oldest professional
football player, with the longest career, 26
years. He remains a strong supporter of the AFL
heritage, recently saying: "That first year, the
Houston Oilers or Los Angeles Chargers (24-16
losers to the Oilers in the title game) could have
beaten the NFL champion (Philadelphia) in a Super
Bowl." Blanda said further: "I think the AFL was
capable of beating the NFL in a Super Bowl game as
far back as 1960 or '6