George Blanda Quotes

If people can identify with me in a good way and get some inspiration out of what I’ve done, that’s good. Then football’s all worthwhile.

Age is a frame of mind.

There are things you can do to negate a strong pass rush. No matter how strong the rush.

I never retired from any of my teams; I was fired.

Winning is the name of the game – any game.

Being a pro opens a lot of doors. It enables you to meet a lot of people. By taking advantage of the opportunities, the future is unlimited.

I think the AFL was capable of beating the NFL in a Super Bowl game as far back as 1960 or ’61. I just regret we didn’t get the chance to prove it.

It may sound corny to some guys but I still believe after all these years that the game isn’t over until the last shot Is fired.

Life isn’t that complicated. I’m completely happy playing football. I’m happy to get out of the coal mines.

I will play as long as I can help a team win.

I’ve worked for everything I’ve got.

Playing on the same team with Sid Luckman and Bulldog Turner and against people like Sammy Baugh, those were nostalgic days for me.

A pro football player is lucky. He has a chance to meet a lot of people and make some potential business connections.

I want to play as long as I can contribute.

Once you quit football, you might want to come back. But if you sit out a year, you’re finished.

I think a football career should be used as a stepping stone to something better – not as an end in Itself.

If you want something bad enough and are willing to work as hard as you can – every minute of every day – there is nothing you can’t achieve.

When I signed with the Oilers, I felt like a rookie. I was 33.

I retired one year in 1959. But then I realized I wanted to play more.

I have no animosity toward Al Davis or John Madden.

I like winning and hate being second best.

They don’t have to tell me what life is like in a ghetto.

I’ll be the judge of when I can’t play anymore.

Halas used to tell his players that football is what you make of it. It should not be what defines you, but football should be a stepping stone for what you achieve in the rest of your life.

Things never change in football, it’s still blocking and tackling and execution, and having an experienced quarterback who is patient enough to take what the defense gives him.

It’s no big deal, starting a game.

I worked my way through college by throwing passes for the University of Kentucky.

I think it’s good to have a little experience around.

Some guys are old at 21.

It tickles me to beat George Allen.

All records are made to be broken.

Halas was a great coach, but the only problem I had with him, the problem all the players had with him, was that we didn’t get paid very much.

I hate when people lump me in with kickers that lasted a long time. I have respect for guys like Morten Andersen, but I was a football player, not just a kicker.

No one ever dreams about being a backup quarterback.

It takes hard work, dedication, discipline and a positive attitude to get to the top – in business or in sports.

I don’t believe in getting mad if a guy misses a block and I get hit. I don’t yell at the players. Everybody gets beat sometime.

The world is not going to come to an end because I’m not going to play football anymore.

Playing quarterback you’re always going to get booed – eventually.

Most players who’ve been around any length of time think of training camp as a time of hard work, frustration and monotony. But I can honestly say I look forward to it.

I sat out the 1959 season.

The Super Bowl wasn’t that big. It was just a game.

I’ve got my own philosophy. People who write books have different philosophies. You read too many people and you get screwed up.

I knew I would be cut one day. But I never thought I would retire.

Anything I do, I want to win.

My wife wanted me to keep playing until I was 50. She thought it would be unique to play that long.

You know, Billy Cannon is very fast.

Money has never been a consideration In my continuing to play for the Raiders.

I grew up in the game when the pay was low and benefits were non-existent.

I came from a poor Pennsylvania coal mining family and the only way I was going to get an education was through an athletic scholarship.

I don’t like being compared to other kickers. Kicking, I’ve always felt, was my weak suit. The only area of kicking I was really proud of was that I was good under pressure. If all I had to do was worry about kicking, I’d have been much more proficient.

I don’t care who you are, you can’t let anyone intimidate you or you are as good as through.

In football, like any other sport, you have to prove yourself in every game.

People watch TV and think a two-foot putt is the greatest thing in the world when a guy knocks it in. But nobody is rushing you. You don’t have a center, you don’t have a holder. You don’t have 100,000 people screaming at you.

When I was playing and playing real well I didn’t get any publicity.

I hate to lose. I can’t stand to lose.

I’ve had every experience you can imagine. I’ve been cheered and booed.

Those soccer style kickers have a difficult time getting the ball up, especially off dirt. They can get the ball up fast enough off artificial surfaces, but when it’s on a natural grass surface it’s entirely different for them.

I always considered myself a student of the game of football.

All of the great quarterbacks have been guys who couldn’t run a lick – John Unitas, Joe Namath. Sonny Jurgensen – guys who stayed in the pocket.

I sat on the bench and then came in and made a pass or two.

It’s very sweet to win against people who let you go.

Frankly, kicking was just an extra thing that I did. I guess most people remember that I was also a quarterback. But how many people remember that I was a linebacker and a cornerback when I broke into pro ball with the Chicago Bears? I was around when you had to go both ways.

I don’t read much about the Canadian Football League.

I work hard and relax a lot, too.

Back when I was playing I enjoyed studying films, looking for new trends in the game and examining the new players who came along.

I’ve always had a strong desire to prove myself against odds.

We did all the strategy right on the field. Today, the coaches call all the plays, so all the quarterbacks have to do is perform. They are more or less programmed.

I make more money in the off-season than I do playing football.

What happened last week doesn’t matter. That’s history. You have to make history every day.