January 4, 1976: George Blanda: The NFL's Oldest Player

January 4, 1976, 50 years ago: The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders, 16-10 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, in the AFC Championship Game. The Raiders' George Blanda attempted an extra point, and made it; and attempted 2 field goals, making 1.

Two weeks earlier, in the Raiders' last regular-season game, a win over the Kansas City Chiefs at the Oakland Coliseum, Blanda threw 3 passes in relief of starting quarterback Ken Stabler, completing 1, for 11 yards.

The fact that Blanda was playing at all, never mind completed a pass, was extraordinary. He was 48 years old.

George Frederick Blanda was born on September 17, 1927 in Youngwood, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh. He played at the University of Kentucky, the 1st renowned quarterback to play for future Alabama icon Bear Bryant, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1949. In 1950, he succeeded Hall-of-Famer Sid Luckman as the Bears' starting quarterback, and remained in that spot through the 1958 season.

He was not particularly notable in the position. In 1953, he led the NFL in both attempts and completions. In 1954, he led in passing yards per game. In 1955, he led in field goal percentage. In 1956, he got the Bears to the NFL Western Division title, but they got clobbered by the New York Giants in the NFL Championship Game. He retired after the 1958 season, and he seemed destined to be a footnote in the history of professional football.

But the founding of the American Football League in 1960 changed a lot of things. He was coaxed out of retirement to become the quarterback for the Houston Oilers, and he led them to the AFL Championship in 1960 and 1961, and got them back into the AFL Championship Game in 1962. He was named AFL Player of the Year in 1961, a season that included his longest field goal: 55 yards.

In 1967, at the age of 40, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders, where he became the backup to Daryle Lamonica. The Raiders won the AFL Championship that season. He played for the Raiders until 1975, and only started 1 game for them, but he stayed on the roster because he was still one of the most accurate placekickers in the game. In 9 seasons with the Raiders, he attempted 250 extra points, and missed only 3; and he made 62.7 percent of his field goal attempts. Even in his last season, he made 13 out of 21.

Between the NFL and the AFL, he passed for 26,920 yards, which doesn't sound like much now, but was a big total for the time. He threw considerably more interceptions than touchdowns (277 to 238), but that wasn't surprising for a quarterback who debuted in the 1940s. He kicked 335 field goals, for 1,005 points; and kicked 943 extra points. He also ran 9 touchdowns in from the quarterback position, for 54 points. This gave him 2,002 points for his career, making him the NFL's 1st 2,000-point man.

In 2026, 50 years after his last game, he still ranks 7th all-time. The current all-time leader is Adam Vinatieri, with 2,673 points. However, Blanda's 238 touchdown passes means he had a hand in 3,430 points -- and that's before you factor in how many field goals his teams scored as a result of the drives he led. For the sake of perspective: Tom Brady has passed for 649 touchdowns, which accounts for 3,894 points.

Blanda still ranks 5th all-time with 340 games played. (Morten Andersen leads with 382.) His 335 field goals has long since been surpassed. (Vinatieri leads with 599.) But his 26 seasons, his playing at age 48, and his 943 extra points made are still all-time records. A few players, mostly backup quarterbacks and placekickers (and Blanda was both), have played at 46, but Blanda remains the only one to play at 47, or 48. He and John Carney, who kicked for several teams from 1987 to 2010, are the only men to have played in the NFL in 4 different decades.

On January 20, 1976, 16 days after Blanda's last game, the ABC sitcom Happy Days, which took advantage of the 1950s nostalgia wave, aired an episode with Richie Cunningham (played by Ron Howard) and Ralph Malph (Donny Most) watching a game on television. It was December 9, 1956, and the Chicago Bears were playing the Chicago Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

Ed Brown, playing quarterback for the Bears, threw an interception. Richie said he wanted the other quarterback put in. Ralph said, "He's washed up. He's old. He's 30. He's got no future." Richie said, "George Blanda has 2 or 3 good years left." The Bears won the game, 10-3.

Blanda was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981, his 1st year of eligibility. He was retroactively named to the AFL All-Time Team. He died on September 27, 2010, a few days after his 83rd birthday.

*

January 4, 1976 was a Sunday. Also that day, the NFC Championship Game was played, and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Los Angeles Rams, 37-7 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Steelers went on to beat the Cowboys in Super Bowl X. 

Most NFL Conference Championship Games, 1932-2024

Notes: Years mentioned are for the calendar year in which the season began, not in which it ended. In other words, tomorrow, we will see the 2024 NFC and AFC Championship Games, not the 2025 editions.

Also, this includes the 1932 to 1969 NFL Championship Games, and the 1960 to 1969 AFL Championship Games, but not the 1946 to 1949 AAFC Championship Games.

For once, I am counting all cities for a team.

Ties broken by wins, then by most recent.

1. New York Giants, 19: 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1986, 1990, 2000, 2007, 2011.

2. San Francisco 49ers, 19: 1970, 1971, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

3. Green Bay Packers, 18: 1936, 1938, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020.

4. Chicago Bears, 16: 1932, 1933, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1956, 1963, 1984, 1985, 1988 2006, 2010.

5. Boston/New England Patriots, 16: 1963, 1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers, 16: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2016.

7. Dallas Cowboys, 16: 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995.

8. Cleveland/St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, 16: 1945, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1989, 1999, 2001, 2018, 2021.

9. Cleveland Browns, 14: 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1986, 1987, 1989.

10. Philadelphia Eagles, 13: 1947, 1948, 1949, 1960, 1980, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2017, 2022, 2024.

11. Boston/Washington Redskins/Commanders, 13: 1936, 1937, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1972, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1991, 2024.

12. Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders, 13: 1967, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1990, 2000, 2002.

13. Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs, 11: 1962, 1966, 1969, 1993, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.

14. Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, 11: 1958, 1959, 1964, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1995, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2014.

15. Minnesota Vikings, 11: 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1987, 1998, 2000, 2009, 2017.

16. Buffalo Bills, 10: 1964, 1965, 1966, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2020, 2024.

17. Denver Broncos, 10: 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2013, 2015.

18. San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, 9: 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1980, 1981, 1994, 2007.

19. Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, 9: 1960, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1978, 1979, 1999, 2002, 2019.

20. Portsmouth Spartans/Detroit Lions, 8: 1932, 1935, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1991, 2023.

21. Miami Dolphins, 7: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1992.

22. Baltimore Ravens, 5: 2000, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2023.

23. New York Jets, 5: 1968, 1982, 1998, 2009, 2010.

24. Seattle Seahawks, 4: 1983, 2005, 2013, 2014.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4: 1979, 1999, 2002, 2020.

26. Atlanta Falcons, 4: 1998, 2004, 2012, 2016.

27. Carolina Panthers, 4: 1996, 2003, 2005, 2015.

28. Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals, 4: 1947, 1948, 2008, 2015. Think about that: The Cardinals have been around 75 years longer than the Panthers, yet they've appeared in the same number of NFL or NFC Championship Games.

29. Cincinnati Bengals, 4: 1981, 1988, 2021, 2022.

30. New Orleans Saints, 3: 2006, 2009, 2018.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars, 3: 1996, 1999, 2017.

32. Houston Texans, none.

December 31, 1972: Roberto Clemente Is Killed

December 31, 1972, 50 years ago: Roberto Clemente is killed in a plane crash, trying to get relief supplies from his native Puerto Rico to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua.

Eight days earlier -- the same day as the football play known as the "Immaculate Reception" -- an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck the Nicaraguan capital of Managua.

As with the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, there were fires started, and the city's firefighting equipment was damaged. Between the initial quake and the fires, the disaster killed about 11,000 people, and left about 300,000 of the city's 1 million or so people homeless. The city's top 4 hospitals were destroyed, and there were food shortages.

The world responded with relief, but the country's right-wing dictator, Anastasio Somoza Debayle -- my autocorrect poignantly tried to turn that into "Debacle" -- had it distributed according to his own purposes, much like an old-style American city "machine politician."

Enter Roberto Clemente. The right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates had just completed his 18th major league season. At age 38, he showed no signs of slowing down. That season, he batted .312, helped the Pirates win their 3rd straight National League Eastern Division title, was named to his 15th All-Star game, was awarded his 12th Gold Glove, and collected his 3,000th career hit. 

He had won 4 NL batting titles, was named the NL's Most Valuable Player in 1966, and had helped the Pirates win the World Series in 1960 and 1971, being named the Series MVP in the ladder. 

He was not the first black Hispanic player in the major leagues, but, at this point, he was easily the greatest. Indeed, like actor-comedian Jackie Gleason was, and hockey star Wayne Gretzky later would be, he was nicknamed "The Great One." He was a point of pride for baseball fans all over Latin America, not just in his native Puerto Rico.

Already heavily involved in charities all over Latin America, Clemente had visited Managua only a few weeks before the earthquake. He organized three planeloads of relief supplies, but heard they had all been diverted by the Somoza government. He decided to accompany the fourth light himself, to make sure that it didn't happen again.

The plane was a McDonnell-Douglas cargo plane, a DC-7. This particular plane was a bad choice, as it had a history of mechanical problems. On December 31, 1972, New Year's Eve, it was loaded up at Isla Verde International Airport outside the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan.

A DC-7, similar to the Clemente relief plane

Between cargo, and regular supplies like fuel, the plane ended up 4,200 pounds over its recommended limit. The plane took off at 9:20 PM, for a 4-hour flight from San Juan to Managua -- meaning the New Year of 1973 would have begun for them in midflight.

But within 3 minutes, the pilot, Jerry Hill, realized he couldn't get the plane high enough due to the weight, and told the San Juan control tower that he had begun to turn around. Just afterward, one of the plane's four engines exploded, and it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. 

Although most pieces of the plane were found, Hill was a the only one of the five people on board whose body was found. There is no grand memorial for Roberto Clemente at any cemetery: He still lies somewhere off the coast of his homeland. He left behind a wife and three sons.

For baseball fans, January 1, 1973 did not present a "Happy New Year." The Pirates retired Clemente's Number 21, and wore that number on their sleeves all season long. It would be the only season from 1970 to 1975 that they didn't win the NL East title. On March 20, a special election was held for the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the five-year waiting period after a player's last game was waived, making Clemente eligible. He was elected with nearly 93 percent of the vote.

The Pirates dedicated a statue of him outside Three Rivers Stadium. When they moved to the adjacent PNC Park in 2001, the statue went with them, and the neighboring 6th Street Bridge connecting the North Side with downtown Pittsburgh was renamed the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

An arena that was nearly ready to open in San Juan at the time of his death was named the Roberto Clemente Coliseum. The San Juan Airport is now named for longtime Governor Luis Muñoz Marín, as is my parent's former junior high school in Newark, as their old neighborhood is now mostly Hispanic. Newark and New York City have also named schools after Clemente. New York City named a park across from the Bronx apartment building where Hank Greenberg grew up after a member of the Hall of Fame -- not Greenberg, but, reflecting that this neighborhood is now mostly Puerto Rican, Clemente.

On December 31, 1985, 13 years later, another New Year's Eve would be struck by air travel tragedy, as the crash outside Dallas of another McDonnell-Douglas plane with a troubled history, this one an old DC-3, killed seven people including early rock and roll star Ricky Nelson. 

*

December 31, 1972 was a Sunday. It was the off-season for baseball. The NFL played its Conference Championship Games:

* Although the Miami Dolphins had an undefeated regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the AFC Championship Game at Three Rivers Stadium, because the NFL was still using a rotating system for hosting the title game, not home field advantage.

Eight days after the franchise's 1st-ever Playoff win, on the Franco Harris "Immaculate Reception," the Steelers led 10-7 in the 3rd quarter. But the Dolphins came from behind to win, 21-17.

* The Washington Redskins dominated the defending NFL Champions, the Dallas Cowboys, 26-3 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. Head coach George Allen led his veteran "Over-the-Hill Gang" to the team's 1st Playoff win in 30 years. 

But the Dolphins would complete the perfect season by beating the Redskins in Super Bowl VII, 2 weeks later at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.