Tom Blanchard played 11 years in the NFL as a punter and backup quarterback (if all other QBs were out of commission). Tom could really hammer his punts. His last three years were with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the current NFL champions. Tom retired to Grants Pass, Oregon (my home town) and my sister who still lives there sent me a clip the local newspaper ran about him.
Tom was injured when his shoe cleat caught on the worn field cover of Portland's Multnomah Stadium in 1970, causing his knee to painfully twist and buckle. His replacement was a young quarterback from San Francisco named Dan Fouts who took the next snap from center and launched a sixty-yard bomb that brought the stadium fans to their feet. Fouts went on to win the game against Cal (31-24), the first Oregon victory over a California conference team in 10 years. From that dramatic start, Fouts would lead the Ducks for every game in his remaining three years. But for one magnificent night later that year, in the Los Angeles Coliseum against the Bruins of UCLA, Tom Blanchard wore Superman's cape.
UCLA showed the Ducks no mercy. At one point they hit Fouts and knocked him out cold. Now, that would be a concussion-ending night for the Oregon star but then it only brought Tom Blanchard into the action. It was not a promising situation. Going into the fourth quarter the Ducks were trailing by the score of 40-21 and UCLA had called off their rottweilers and were clearing their bench. With just under four minutes remaining Blanchard hit Bobby Moore (who would evolve to Ahmad Rashad) with a pass which Bobby took to the endzone. On UCLA's first snap after Oregon's kickoff, their second string QB fumbled the ball and Oregon recovered. A couple of plays later Blanchard connected with Moore again and with just minutes left in the game the score was UCLA 40 - Oregon 35.
Many fans had left the game early in the fourth quarter. Now UCLA was in full panic mode as they lined up for what they knew would be an Oregon onside kick. That desperate attempt to keep possession of the ball rarely works but on this magical night in the City of Angels the ball went the necessary 10 yards, bounced around in a frantic scrum that left Oregon in possession. Now, in the dwindling minutes, it was UCLA defending the Zone of Doom at their backs.
On Oregon's first touchdown of the fourth quarter Blanchard had taken a hard hit on his right shoulder just as he delivered the pass to Moore. But with Dan Fouts still hearing canaries, Blanchard returned to the game and got the critical next score. Now, with the game on the line, Tom didn't think he could handle the ball with his injured arm so Fouts had to answer the call. Which he did. Dan drilled Greg Specht in the endzone for the Oregon win. The Ducks went for a two-point conversion but didn't make it so they took their 41-40 miracle and put it in the records book with golden ink.
Ask me about the post-game Oregon locker room. My, oh, my. Bring more towels.
