Tom Blanchard

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Tom Blanchard
No. 15, 16
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1948-05-28) May 28, 1948 (age 75)
Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Grants Pass (OR)
College:Oregon
NFL draft:1971 / Round: 12 / Pick: 304
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Punts:819
Punt yards:33,794
Longest punt:71
Player stats at PFR

Thomas Richard Blanchard (born May 28, 1948) is a former American football punter with an 11-year career in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Biography[edit]

Blanchard played college football at the University of Oregon, where he was quarterback as well as punter.[1] He led Grants Pass High School to the 1964 state high school football championship as a junior.[2]

Blanchard was selected by the Giants in 12th round of the 1971 NFL draft.[3] After 3 years with the Giants he was beaten out for the punting position during the preseason by rookie Dave Jennings and waived.[4][5]

He was signed by the Saints one game into the 1974 season after the Saints waived their opening day punter Donnie Gibbs after Gibbs had fumbled a snap leading to the Saints to lose their first game of the season.[6] With the Saints in 1974 he kicked a 71 yard punt, which was the longest punt in the NFL that season.[3] In 1975 he led the NFL with 3776 punting yards and in 1976 he led the NFL with 101 punts.[3]

He was traded by the Saints to the Buccaneers for a draft pick before the 1979 season after the Saints drafted placekicker Russell Erxleben, who was also able to punt, in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft.[7] Blanchard injured his hamstring in the Bucs' third game of the 1981 season and was waived after recovering, with Larry Swider taking his job in the interim.[8]

His two sons, Tommy (the eldest) and Jimmy (five years the junior) both were starting quarterbacks at Grants Pass High School, leading their respective teams to the playoffs.[9] Tommy's son Jace also played quarterback at Grants Pass High School.[9] After retiring as a player, spent time as the football coach, softball coach and athletic director at Grants Pass High School.[10][11] He retired from these positions in 2013.[11]

NFL career statistics[edit]

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular Season[edit]

Year Team Punting
GP Punts Yds Net Yds Lng Avg Net Avg Blk Ins20 TB
1971 NYG 14 66 2,681 2,302 57 40.6 34.9 0 - 3
1972 NYG 14 47 2,006 1,655 58 42.7 34.5 1 - 9
1973 NYG 14 56 2,347 1,837 62 41.9 32.2 1 - 7
1974 NOR 13 88 3,704 2,652 71 42.1 30.1 0 - 8
1975 NOR 14 92 3,776 2,781 61 41.0 29.3 3 - 16
1976 NOR 14 101 3,974 3,132 63 39.3 31.0 0 14 5
1977 NOR 14 82 3,474 2,650 66 42.4 31.5 2 11 11
1978 NOR 16 84 3,532 2,793 61 42.0 32.5 2 15 10
1979 TAM 16 93 3,679 2,909 58 39.6 30.6 2 14 25
1980 TAM 16 88 3,722 2,953 62 42.3 33.2 1 18 12
1981 TAM 3 22 899 600 58 40.9 27.3 0 4 2
Career 148 819 33,794 26,264 71 41.3 31.6 12 76 108

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team Punting
GP Punts Yds Net Yds Lng Avg Net Avg Blk Ins20 TB
1979 TAM 2 13 510 375 53 39.2 28.8 0 2 1
Career 2 13 510 375 53 39.2 28.8 0 2 1

References[edit]

  1. ^ "UO's Moore point leader". Albany Democrat-Herald. October 14, 1970. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-08-19 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Grant's Pass, Medford High in Football". Dunsmuir News. December 3, 1964. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-19 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Tom Blanchard". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  4. ^ Castellano, Tom (October 3, 1974). "Punter has leg up on stardom in NFL". Daily Record. p. 25. Retrieved 2022-08-19 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Markus, Don (September 11, 1974). "Giants Cut QB Randy Johnson". The Journal News. p. 2D. Retrieved 2022-08-19 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Saints replace Donnie Gibbs". South Idaho Press. September 20, 1974. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-08-19 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Selman, Jim (August 17, 1979). "Bucs Net 'Fair' Catch in Punter Tom Blanchard". Tampa Tribune. p. 1-C. Retrieved 2022-08-19 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Bucs Waive Blanchard". Tampa Tribune. October 20, 1981. p. 4-C. Retrieved 2022-08-19 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Henry, Kris (September 3, 2021). "Another Blanchard takes over at Grants Pass". Mail Tribune.
  10. ^ "Student dies in workout". Daily News-Journal. April 23, 1998. p. 2B. Retrieved 2022-08-19 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Ulmer, Jerry (2013). "Longtime Grants Pass coach Tom Blanchard to retire". Oregon Live. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
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