Thomas Richard Blanchard (born May 28, 1948) was an American professional football player who was a punter and holder for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks.

Early life and college Blanchard was born and raised in Grants Pass, Oregon. He was a three-sport athlete, and led Grants Pass High School to the 1964 state high school football championship as a junior. After graduating, his standout performance in baseball led to him being drafted by the New York Yankees. Instead, he chose to play college football at the University of Oregon from 1967 to 1971, where he served as both quarterback and punter. Blanchard played quarterback until 1970, where he suffered a torn ACL in the second game of the season and was replaced by Dan Fouts. After returning from injury, he continued to play as a punter.

Professional career

New York Giants (1971-1973) Blanchard was selected 304th overall by the New York Giants in 12th round of the 1971 NFL draft. He stated, "I was shocked that I was selected at all," adding that his dream was to become a quarterback in the NFL. He immediately became the team's primary punter, demonstrating solid hang time and consistent kicking. His average of 40.6 yards per punt was comparable to most NFL punters at the time. He also served as the Giants' holder on field goals. During his tenure, only two of his punts were blocked, and his longest punt measured 62 yards in 1973, earning him a strong reputation with the team. Over three seasons with the Giants, he averaged 41.7 yards per punt, and recorded 169 punts. He was beaten out for the punting position during the 1974 preseason by rookie Dave Jennings and was subsequently waived.

New Orleans Saints (1974-1978) Blanchard's tenure in New Orleans was essentially his best period in the NFL. After being released by the Giants, Blanchard was signed by the Saints for one game in the 1974 season after the Saints waived their opening-day punter, Donnie Gibbs, following a fumbled snap that contributed to the team’s first loss of the season. He went on to establish himself as one of the league's more dependable punters, eventually topping the list for the most punts by a Saints punter all-time. Blanchard was a member of the 1974 NFC All-Pro 2nd team. Over his four seasons with New Orleans, he posted some of the best numbers of his career. In 1974, he recorded a 71-yard punt, the longest by any punter that season. In 1975, he led the NFL with 3,776 punting yards, and in 1976, he led the league with 101 punts. In 1977, he threw a 3 yard, touchdown pass to Elois Grooms, a defensive end, on a fake field goal. Over his five years with the Saints, he averaged 41.4 yards per punt, punted 447 times, and threw one passing touchdown.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1979-1981) 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. Blanchard said, "I was kind of nervous," going into the first game of the season which was against the Saints. Tampa Bay, an expansion team from 1976 that had struggled in recent years, put together an impression 1979 season, and made the playoffs. Blanchard averaged 39.5 yards per punt, with a season long of 64 yards, punting 92 times.

The 1980 season would be Blanchard's last full season. The team struggled to a 5-10-1 record, and he punted 87 times, averaging 39.3 yards per punt, with a longest of 58 yarder. The 1981 season proved to be his final in the NFL. He opened the season strong, posting a career personal best average of 47 yards per punt in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. However, in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, a bad snap on 4th down forced Blanchard to attempt a scramble with the ball, and multiple defenders wrapped him up in the tackle. This play appeared to leave him shaken, and he later fumbled in the 4th quarter. It is not official that he was injured in Week 2, as he continued to play in Week 3, but that game would be his last. In his final appearance, he punted 5 times for just 181 yards, a 36.2-yard average. Blanchard was later listed with a strained hamstring on the injury report, and soon after, while recovering, he was waived by the Buccaneers on October 20th, 1981, with Larry Swider taking his job in the interim.

Legacy Tom Blanchard came to be regarded as a punter who received limited publicity but was very strong at his position. Throughout his career, Blanchard played in 148 games, recorded 819 punts for 33,794 yards, averaged 41.3 yards per punt, with his longest recorded punt at 71 yards, showing highlights of a reliable eleven-season career in the NFL.

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

NFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Punting Punts 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 Year Team Punting Punts 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