George Blanda George Frederick Blanda ( " The Grand Old Man " ) ( September 17 , 1927 – September 27 , 2010 ) was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker . The son of a Slovak - born Pittsburgh - area coal miner , Blanda has the distinction of having played 26 seasons of Professional Football , the most in the sport ' s history , and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement . Blanda retired from pro football in 1976 . He was one of only three players to play in four different decades , and he holds the record for most extra points kicked . He was married to Betty Harris from December 17 , 1949 until his death on September 27 , 2010 . He had two children . Collegiate career . Blanda was a quarterback and kicker at the University of Kentucky . Coach Paul " Bear " Bryant , who later won fame and set countless records at conference rivals Alabama , arrived in his sophomore year , following a 1 – 9 season . The Wildcats lost three games in each of the next three years . When , years later on a return to the University of Kentucky , recalling the time he met Bryant , Blanda said : " I thought this must be what God looks like . " Blanda was the starting quarterback his last two seasons at Kentucky ( 1947 – 1948 ) , compiling 120 completions in 242 passes ( 49 . 6 percentage ) , 1 , 451 yards , 12 touchdowns . Professional career . Chicago Bears . Blanda was signed by the Chicago Bears for $ 600 in 1949 , an amount owner George Halas demanded back when he made the team . While primarily used as a quarterback and placekicker , Blanda also saw time on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker . It would not be until 1953 that Blanda would emerge as the Bears ' top signal caller , but an injury the following year effectively ended his first - string status . For the next four years , he was used mostly in a kicking capacity . Later commenting on his testy relationship with Halas , Blanda noted , " he was too cheap to even buy me a kicking shoe . " Blanda later reflected that by the 1950s the pro game had moved beyond Halas , who seemed to lack the interest he had earlier . Houston Oilers . Blanda retired after the 1958 NFL season because of Halas ' insistence on only using him as a kicker , but returned in 1960 upon the formation of the American Football League . He signed with the Houston Oilers as both a quarterback and kicker . He was derided by the sports media as an " " NFL Reject " " , but he went on to lead the Oilers to the first two league titles in AFL history , and he was the All - AFL quarterback and won AFL Player of the Year honors in 1961 . During that season , he led the AFL in passing yards ( 3 , 330 ) and touchdown passes ( 36 ) . His 36 touchdown passes in 1961 were the most ever thrown by any NFL / AFL quarterback in a single season , until matched by Y . A . Tittle of the NFL New York Giants just two years later in 1963 . Blanda ' s and Tittle ' s mark would remain the record until surpassed by Dan Marino ' s 48 touchdown passes in 1984 . His 42 interceptions in 1962 is a record that still stands . During 1962 , he had two 400 - yard passing days for the Oilers : a 464 - yard effort against the Buffalo Bills on October 29 , with four touchdown passes ( winning 28 – 16 ) ; and 418 yards three weeks later against the Titans of New York , this time with seven touchdown passes in a 49 – 13 victory . Blanda passed for 36 touchdowns that season . On 13 occasions , he connected on four or more touchdown passes during a game , and on November 1 , 1964 , unleashed 68 passes for Houston against the Buffalo Bills . From 1963 to 1965 , Blanda led the AFL in passing attempts and completions , and ranked in the top ten for attempts , completions , yards and touchdowns during seven consecutive seasons . A four - time member of the American Football League All - Star team , Blanda ' s already - long career seemed over when he was released by the Oilers on March 18 , 1967 . However , the Oakland Raiders signed him that July , seeing his potential as a contributing backup passer and a dependable kicker . In later years , Blanda would remain a strong supporter of AFL heritage , 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 ' 61 . I just regret we didn ' t get the chance to prove it . " Oakland Raiders . In 1967 , during Blanda ' s first season with the Raiders , his kicking skills helped him lead the AFL in scoring with 116 points . In two instances , his leg helped play a role in Raider victories : a trio of field goals helped upset the defending league champion Kansas City Chiefs on October 1 ; in the closing weeks of the regular season , Blanda booted four field goals behind a hostile Houston crowd in a 19 – 7 victory over his former team , the Oilers , helping gain a measure of revenge . The Raiders went on to compete in Super Bowl II , but lost the final two AFL Championship games in the 10 - year history of the league . In 1970 , Blanda was released during the exhibition season , but bounced back to establish his 21st professional season . That season ( 1970 ) Blanda , at age 43 , had a remarkable five - game run . Against the Steelers , Blanda threw for three touchdowns in relief of an injured Daryle Lamonica . One week later , his 48 - yard field goal with three seconds remaining salvaged a 17 – 17 tie with the Kansas City Chiefs . On November 8 , Blanda once again came off the bench to throw for a touchdown pass to tie the Cleveland Browns with 1 : 34 remaining , then kicked a 53 - yard field goal with 0 : 03 left for the 23 – 20 win . Immediately after the winning field goal , Raiders radio announcer Bill King excitedly declared , " George Blanda has just been elected King of the World ! " In the team ' s next game , Blanda replaced Lamonica in the fourth quarter and connected with Fred Biletnikoff on a touchdown pass with 2 : 28 left in the game to defeat the Denver Broncos , 24 – 19 . The streak concluded one week later when Blanda ' s 16 - yard field goal in the closing seconds defeated the San Diego Chargers , 20 – 17 . In the AFC title game against the Baltimore Colts , Blanda again relieved an injured Lamonica , completing 17 of 32 passes for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns while also kicking a 48 - yard field goal and two extra points , keeping the Raiders in the game until the final quarter , when he was intercepted twice . Aged 43 , he became the oldest quarterback ever to play in a championship game , and was one of the few remaining straight - ahead kickers in the NFL . Blanda ' s achievements resulted in his winning the Bert Bell Award . Chiefs ' owner Lamar Hunt said , " Why , this George Blanda is as good as his father , who used to play for Houston . " Although he never again played a major role at quarterback , Blanda would serve as the Raiders ' kicker for five more seasons . He played in his last game at Pittsburgh ' s Three Rivers Stadium on January 4 , 1976 , at age 48 , in the , where he kicked a 41 - yard field goal and made one extra point as the Raiders lost to the Steelers 16 - 10 . Records and honors . Blanda finished his 26 professional football seasons having completed 1 , 911 of 4 , 007 pass attempts for 26 , 920 yards and 236 touchdowns . Blanda also held the NFL record for most interceptions thrown with 277 , until Brett Favre broke it on October 14 , 2007 . He rushed for 344 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground , kicked 335 of 641 field goals , and 943 of 959 extra points , giving him 2 , 002 total points . Additional stats include 1 interception , 2 kickoff returns for 19 yards , 22 punts for 809 yards , and 23 fumble recoveries . Blanda holds the following professional football records : He is the placekicker on the All - Time All - AFL Team , and was one of only 20 players to play all ten years of the AFL , as well as one of only three who were in every AFL game their teams played . Blanda was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981 , his first year of eligibility , and also was inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame . Blanda held the record for most professional football games played with 340 until September 26 , 2004 , when it was broken by another placekicker , Morten Andersen . U . S . Route 119 in Blanda ' s hometown of Youngwood , PA was renamed George Blanda Boulevard in 1985 . In 1999 , Blanda was ranked number 98 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . Blanda was the first ever recorded fantasy football draft pick when the game was first created in 1962 by the The Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League . Death . According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame , Blanda died after a " short illness " on September 27 , 2010 . He was 83 years old . A moment of silence was held in Blanda ' s honor prior to the start of the September 27 , 2010 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football , from Soldier Field . References in popular culture . The 1970s TV series " Happy Days " is set in 1950s Milwaukee , Wisconsin . In the Season 3 episode " Football Frolics , " Richie Cunningham ( played by Ron Howard ) and Ralph Malph ( Donny Most ) are watching the November 9 , 1956 , Chicago Bears - Chicago Cardinals televised game . After Ed Brown ' s pass to Harlon Hill is intercepted by the Cardinals , Richie wants " the other quarterback " put in . Ralph says that quarterback is " washed up . He ' s old . He ' s 30 . He ' s got no future . " Richie argues back , " George Blanda has two or three good years left . " The joke was that Blanda , 20 years later at the time of the show ' s filming , was still playing .