All-NFL Second Team: 1970K (PFWA)
All-AFL: 1961 (AP, UPI, OL, SN, NY), 1967K (SN)
All-AFL Second Team: 1962 (AP, UPI), 1963 (AP, NEA, NY), 1966K (OL)
All-AFC: 1973K (SN)
K Honored as a kicker All other honors as a quarterback
(4) – 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968
(at time of his retirement following 1975 season)
• [1st] Most Seasons – 26
• [1st] Most Games Played, Career – 340
• [1st] Most Consecutive Games Played, Career –
224 (1960-1975)
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Career – 2,002
• [1st] Most Season Leading League in PATs – 8 (1956, 1961-62, 1967-69, 1972, 1974)
• [1st] Most PAT Attempts, Career – 959
• [1st] Most PAT Attempts, Season – 65 (1961)
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Career – 943
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Season – 64 (1961)
• [1st] Most Field Goal Attempts, Career – 638
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Career – 335
• [1st] Most Pass Attempts, Game – 68 (vs. Buffalo, Nov. 1, 1964)
• [1st] Most Pass Completions, Game – 37 (vs. Buffalo, Nov. 1, 1964)
• [1st] Most Pass Interceptions, Career – 277
• [1st] Most Pass Interceptions, Season – 42 (1962)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Passing Touchdowns, Season – 36 (1961)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Passing Touchdowns, Game – 7 (vs. N.Y. Titans, Nov. 19, 1961)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Seasons, 100 or More Points – 6 (1960-61, 1967-69, 1973)
• [2nd] Highest PATs Conversion Percentage, Career – 98.3
• [2nd] Most Pass Attempts, Season – 505 (1964)
• [Tied for 2nd] Most PATs Converted, Season –
56 (1967)
• [Tied for 2nd] Most PATs Converted with no Misses, Season – 54 (1968)
• [Tied for 2nd] Most Seasons, 3,000 or More Passing Yards – 3 (1961, 1963-64)
• [3rd] Most Consecutive PATs Converted – 201 (1967-1971)
• [Tied for 3rd] Most PAT Attempts, Season – 57 (1967)
• [Tied for 3rd] Most PATs Converted, Season – 54 (1968)
• [Tied for 3rd] Most Pass Attempts, Game – 60 (vs.
Oakland, Nov. 7, 1965)
Post Season Records
• [1st] Most Games – 19
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Career – 115
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Career – 49
• [1st] Most Field Goal Attempts, Career – 39
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Career – 22
• [1st] Most Pass Interceptions, Career – 17
• [Tied for 1st] Most PATs Converted, Game – 8 (vs. Houston, 1969)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Field Goals Attempted, Game – 6 (vs. Houston, 1967)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Game – 4 (vs. Houston, 1967; vs. Pittsburgh, 1973)
AFL/AFC-NFL/NFC Championship Game Records • [1st] Most Games – 11
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Career – 64
• [1st] Most Pass Attempts, Career – 184
• [1st] Most Pass Completions, Career – 88
• [1st] Most Pass Interceptions, Career – 15
AFL/AFC Championship Game Records
• [1st] Most Games – 10
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Career – 63
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Career – 18
• [1st] Most Field Goal Attempts, Career –
27
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Career – 15
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Game – 4 (vs.
Houston, 1967)
• [1st] Longest Field Goal Converted – 48 (vs. Baltimore, 1970)
• [1st] Most Pass Attempts, Career – 157
• [1st] Most Pass Completions, Career – 76
• [1st] Most Pass Completions, Game – 23 (vs. Dallas, 1962)
• [1st] Most Passing Yards, Career – 1,017
• [1st] Longest Pass Completion – 88 (to Billy Cannon, vs. Los Angeles, 1960)
• [1st] Most Passing Touchdowns, Career – 7
• [1st] Most Pass Interceptions, Career – 14
• [1st] Most Pass Interceptions, Game – 5 (vs. San Diego, 1961; vs. Dallas, 1962)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Passing Touchdowns, Game – 3 (vs. Los Angeles, 1960)
AFL/AFC Divisional Playoff Game Records
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Career – 49
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Career – 28
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Game – 8 (vs.
Houston, 1969)
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Career –
7
• [Tied for 1st] Most Games, Winning Team – 6
• [Tied for 1st] Most Field Goal Attempts, Game – 5 (vs. Pittsburgh, 1973)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Game – 4 (vs. Pittsburgh, 1973)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Games – 7
Bears’ records held by Blanda
(Records through the 1958 season, Blanda’s final season with Chicago)
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Career – 541
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Career – 247
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Career – 88
• [1st] Most Consecutive PATs Converted – 156 (1951-56)
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Season – 14 (1957)
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Season – 45 (1956)
• [Tied for 1st] Most Pass Completions, Game – 29 (vs.
San Francisco, Nov. 1, 1953)
• [2nd] Most Pass Completions, Season – 169 (1953)
Oilers’ records held by Blanda
(Records through the 1966 season, Blanda’s final season with Houston)
• [1st] Longest Pass Completion – 95 (to Dick Compton, vs. Buffalo, Dec. 5, 1965)
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Career – 596
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Season – 115 (1960)
• [1st] Most Rushing Touchdowns Rushing, Game – 3 (vs. Los Angeles, Sept. 18, 1960)
• [1st] Longest Field Goal – 55 (vs. San Diego, Dec. 3, 1961)
• [1st] Most Passing Attempts, Game – 68 (at Buffalo, Nov. 1, 1964)
• [1st] Most Passing Completions, Game – 37 (at Buffalo, Nov. 1, 1964)
• [1st] Most Pass Interceptions, Game – 6 (vs. Denver, Nov. 14, 1965; at Buffalo, Sept. 9, 1962)
• [1st] Most Yards Passing, Game – 464 (at Buffalo Oct.
29, 1961)
• [1st] Most Passing Touchdowns, Game – 7 (vs. N.Y. Titans, Nov. 19, 1961)
• [1st] Most Plays in One Game, Rushing and Passing – 68 (at Buffalo, Nov. 1, 1964)
• [1st] Most Total Yards Rushing and Passing, Game – 467 (at Buffalo Oct. 29, 1961)
• [1st] Most Field Goals Attempted, Game – 6 (vs. New York, Oct. 9, 1960; vs. Denver, Sept. 14, 1963)
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Game – 4 (at Buffalo, Oct. 31, 1965)
• [1st] Most PAT Attempts, Game – 8 (vs. New York, Oct. 14, 1962)
• [1st] Most Pass Attempts, Career – 2,789
• [1st] Most Pass Attempts, Season – 505 (1964)
• [1st] Most Pass Completions, Career – 1,347
• [1st] Most Pass Completions, Season – 262 (1964)
• [1st] Most Yards Passing, Career – 19,149
• [1st] Most Yards Passing, Season – 3,330 (1961)
• [1st] Most Field Goal Attempts, Career – 189
• [1st] Most Field Goal Attempts, Season – 34 (1960)
• [1st] Most Field Goals Made, Career – 91
• [1st] Most Field Goals Made, Season – 16 (1961, 1962)
• [1st] Most PAT Attempts, Career – 304
• [1st] Most PAT Attempts, Season – 65 (1961)
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Career – 299
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Season – 64 (1961)
• [1st] Most Passing Touchdowns, Career – 165
• [1st] Most Passing Touchdowns, Season – 36 (1961)
• [1st] Most Passing Interceptions, Career – 189
• [1st] Most Passing Interceptions, Season – 42 (1962)
• [2nd] Most Pass Attempts, Season – 362 (1953)
• [2nd] Longest Field Goal – 54 (vs.
Oakland, Nov. 12, 1962)
• [2nd] Most Passing Attempts, Game – 60 (vs. Oakland, Nov. 7, 1965)
• [2nd] Most Passing Completions, Game – 31 (at Los Angeles, Nov. 13, 1960)
• [2nd] Most Pass Interceptions, Game – 5 (at San Diego, Dec. 24, 1961; vs. Denver, Dec. 2, 1962; vs. Dallas, Dec. 23, 1962; at Kansas City, Oct. 4, 1964; at Denver, Oct. 17, 1965)
• [2nd] Most Passing Touchdowns, Game – 6 (vs. New York, Oct. 14, 1961)
• [2nd] Most Plays in One Game, Rushing and Passing – 60 (vs. Oakland, Nov. 7, 1965)
• [2nd] Most Field Goals Attempted, Game – 5 (vs. San Diego, Nov. 25, 1962)
• [2nd] Most Field Goals Converted, Game – 3 (vs. Boston, Dec. 18, 1960; vs. San Diego, Nov. 25, 1962)
• [2nd] Most Points Scored, Season – 112 (1961)
• [2nd] Most Points Scored, Game – 26 (vs.
Los Angeles, Sept. 18, 1960)
• [2nd] Most PAT Attempts, Game – 7 (at Denver, Nov. 5, 1961; vs. New York, Nov. 16, 1961; at Oakland, Dec. 22, 1963)
• [2nd] Best Passing Completion Percentage, Career – 48.9
• [2nd] Best Passing Completion Percentage, Season – 52.9 (1963)
• [2nd] Best Average Gain Per Pass Completion, Career – 14.2
• [2nd] Best Average Gain Per Pass Completion, Season – 17.8 (1961)
• [Tied for 2nd] Most Touchdowns, Game – 3 (vs. Los Angeles, Sept. 18, 1960)
• [3rd] Longest Field Goal – 53 (vs. Dallas, Oct. 22, 1961; vs. Buffalo, Dec. 11, 1960; vs. Buffalo, Oct. 14, 1962)
• [3rd] Most Passing Attempts, Game – 55 (at Los Angeles, Nov. 13, 1960)
• [3rd] Most Passing Completions, Game – 29 (at San Diego, Sept. 12, 1964)
• [3rd] Most Yards Passing, Game – 418 (vs.
New York, Nov. 19, 1961)
• [3rd] Most Passing Touchdowns, Game – 5 (at Oakland, Dec. 22, 1963; vs. Kansas City, Oct. 24, 1965; at Denver, Oct. 2, 1966)
• [3rd] Most Plays in One Game, Rushing and Passing – 59 (at Los Angeles, Nov. 13, 1960)
• [3rd] Most Total Yards Rushing and Passing, Game – 418 (vs. New York, Nov. 19, 1961)
Raiders’ records held by Blanda
(Records through the 1975 season, Blanda’s final season with Oakland)
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Career – 863
• [1st] Longest Pass Completion – 94 (to Warren Wells, at Denver, Nov. 10, 1968)
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Career – 395
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Career – 156
• [1st] Most Field Goal Attempts, Career – 249
• [1st] Most Points Scored, Season – 117 (1968)
• [1st] Most PATs Converted, Season – 56 (1967)
• [1st] Most Field Goals Converted, Season – 23 (1973)
• [1st] Most Field Goals Attempted, Season – 37 (1969)
• [2nd] Most Points Scored, Season – 116 (1967)
• [2nd] Most PATs Converted, Season – 54 (1968)
• [2nd] Most Field Goals Converted, Season – 21 (1968)
• [2nd] Most Field Goals Attempted, Season – 34 (1968)
• [Tied for 2nd] Best Pass Completion Percentage, Career – 50.
6
AFL Statistical Championships:
Passing Titles: 1961
Passing Touchdown Titles: 1961
Scoring Titles: 1967
Team Statistical Championships:
Passing Titles: 1953Chi, 1960Hou, 1961Hou, 1962Hou, 1963Hou, 1964Hou, 1965Hou, 1966Hou,
Scoring Titles: 1952Chi, 1953Chi, 1957Chi, 1960Hou, 1961Hou, 1962Hou, 1963Hou, 1964Hou, 1965Hou, 1966Hou, 1967Oak, 1968Oak, 1969Oak, 1970Oak, 1971Oak, 1972Oak, 1973Oak
Chi Chicago Hou Houston Oak Oakland
• All-Time AFL Team
• 1961 AFL Player of the Year (UPI, SN)
• 1970 Player of the Year (MX)
• 1970 AFC Player of the Year (UPI, SN)
| 1949 | Chicago Bears | 9 | 3 | 0 | (2nd) |
| 1950 | Baltimore Colts | 1 | 11 | 0 | (7th*) |
| 1950 | Chicago Bears | 9 | 3 | 0 | (2nd) |
| 1951 | Chicago Bears | 7 | 5 | 0 | (4th) |
| 1952 | Chicago Bears | 5 | 7 | 0 | (5th) |
| 1953 | Chicago Bears | 3 | 8 | 1 | (4th) |
| 1954 | Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | (2nd) |
| 1955 | Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | (2nd) |
| 1956 | Chicago Bears | 9 | 2 | 1 | (1st) |
| 1957 | Chicago Bears | 5 | 7 | 0 | (5th) |
| 1958 | Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | (2nd) |
| 1959 | DID NOT PLAY | ||||
| 1960 | Houston Oilers | 10 | 4 | 0 | (1st) |
| 1961 | Houston Oilers | 10 | 3 | 1 | (1st) |
| 1962 | Houston Oilers | 11 | 3 | 0 | (1st) |
| 1963 | Houston Oilers | 6 | 8 | 0 | (3rd) |
| 1964 | Houston Oilers | 4 | 10 | 0 | (4th) |
| 1965 | Houston Oilers | 4 | 10 | 0 | (4th) |
| 1966 | Houston Oilers | 3 | 11 | 0 | (4th) |
| 1967 | Oakland Raiders | 13 | 1 | 0 | (1st) |
| 1968 | Oakland Raiders | 12 | 2 | 0 | (1st) |
| 1969 | Oakland Raiders | 12 | 1 | 1 | (1st) |
| 1970 | Oakland Raiders | 8 | 4 | 2 | (1st) |
| 1971 | Oakland Raiders | 8 | 4 | 2 | (2nd) |
| 1972 | Oakland Raiders | 10 | 3 | 1 | (1st) |
| 1973 | Oakland Raiders | 9 | 4 | 1 | (1st) |
| 1974 | Oakland Raiders | 12 | 2 | 0 | (1st) |
| 1975 | Oakland Raiders | 11 | 3 | 0 | (1st) |
| *Blanda played one game with the Baltimore Colts | |||||
By Chris Williams
Published
Updated February 1, 2022
Sports
FOX TV Digital Team
Tom Brady is officially retiring as one of the NFL’s oldest players at 44 years old.
The greatest quarterback in NFL history announced his retirement on Feb. 1 on Instagram, after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records in an unprecedented 22-year-career.
"This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore," Brady wrote in a lengthy post. "I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention."
Brady goes out after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title last season and NFC South championship this season. He has long stated his desire to spend more time with his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and three children.
However, Brady wasn’t the only professional footballer to be considered "over the hill" by many Americans. Here are some others who played football longer than most.
Hall of Famer George Blanda played for several teams, ending his football career with the Oakland Raiders in 1975 as a placekicker.
He played professional football for 26 years before retiring at the age of 48. He died in 2010 at the age of 83.
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NFL kicker Morten Andersen retired in 2007 at 47 years old. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the leading scorer in NFL history with 2,544 points. He played in a record 382 games during his 25-year career. He played for several teams, ending his career with the Atlanta Falcons.
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Adam Vinatieri retired from NFL at 48 years old in 2021. Vinatieri scored 2,673 points and made 599 field goals, breaking both records previously held by Andersen. Vinatieri also played in 365 regular-season games, second behind Andersen (382), and is the only player in league history to top the 1,000-point mark with two different franchises.
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The New Orleans Saints released John Carney as its kicker in 2010 at 46 years old.
He became San Diego's regular kicker in 1990 and spent 11 seasons with the Chargers, followed by six with the Saints, parts of one season with Jacksonville and Kansas City, one season with the New York Giants, and then one last season again with New Orleans.
FOX News and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Some athletes take time to develop at the professional level. It also happens that a veteran player only gets better with age, gaining high-quality endurance. In the case of George Blanda, both of these rules are true.
Blanda became a legend, extending his career longer than anyone before him. He became a star in his 30s, and then he struggled with the times and continued to perform right up to the age of 48, while younger, faster and stronger guys filled the league.
In the late 1940s, he played for the University of Kentucky under Bear Bryant, who convinced George Halas of the Chicago Bears that Blanda would never break into the NFL as a kicker.
It turns out that even the greats make mistakes sometimes.
Blanda is one of the top 10 scoring players in pro football history with 2002 points and is the only one on the list to score at least one touchdown. He holds the record for the most seasons in the league and the number of scoring seasons (26), the number of completed (959) and converted (943) one-point conversions. He spent enough time in the league to catch John Madden with the Raiders, although he himself was born already in 1927.
***
Blanda's football journey began with an acquaintance with God. At least that's the impression he got after meeting Paul "Bear" Bryant, who led the Kentucky in Blanda's second year there.
“I thought that God probably looks like this,” Blanda said.
God or not, Bryant understood something about football. In the 1945 season, Kentucky went 1-9, and after the arrival of Bryant, they lost only three games over the next three seasons. Blanda achieved starting quarterback status and became first the team's passing yard leader in 1947 and then the team's offensive yard leader in 1948.
Blanda had 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final two seasons. By the standards of their time, these were not outstanding numbers, so Blanda did not hope too much to break into the NFL. George Halas, however, turned out to have a different opinion about Blanda's skills and chose him under 11912th round pick in the 1949 NFL Draft.
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Blanda's first contract was for $6,000 and $600 at signing. But for the first four years, the passer could not regularly enter the field. Despite this, Blanda proved his versatility in his first season with 197 passing yards, 15 field goals and 19 punts. In 1950-1951, Blanda even occasionally took the position of linebacker. In 1952, he rediscovered his passer skills, gaining 664 passing yards with 8 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
In 1952, Bland got tired of sitting on the bench, so he negotiated a contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian League. Halas had to fork out in order to keep Blanda - the footballer received a salary increase of up to $11,600.
Blanda's 1953 season proved to be a productive, albeit unsuccessful, one - he led the NFL in pass attempts (362) and successful passes (169), throwing 14 touchdowns with 23 interceptions. The Bears went 3-8-1 but lost less than one possession in seven games.
In the 1954 season, Blanda threw 15 touchdowns with 17 interceptions before he got injured and was out for the rest of the season. For the next four years, Blanda remained as a substitute passer behind Ed Brown and also converted 48 of 93 field goals. Between 1955 and 1958, Blanda scored 982 passing yards, throwing 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Halas left the Bears in 1956, Blanda decided he had had enough in 1958.
Blanda spent 10 years with Chicago, but his memories of this team were not the best.
“There wasn't much fun there. Nostalgic moments, of course, were enough. I got to play alongside Sid Lachman and Bulldog Turner against guys like Sammy Bowe. Halas was a great coach. The only problem - and this is not only my claim, everyone complained about it - we were not paid very much, ”Blanda recalled.
After a period of playing for the Bears, Blanda did not intend to continue his career and did not play football for a year. But in 1960, the American Football League (AFL) was formed, and the Houston Oilers contacted Blanda to offer him to become the quarterback and kicker of the newly created team.
In the AFL, Blanda looked very appropriate, since in this league more emphasis was placed on passing play. In the 1960 season, Blanda scored 2,413 yards and for the first time in his career threw more touchdowns (24, third most in the league) than interceptions (22). Plus, he converted 15 of 32 field goals.
Thanks to Blanda's leadership, the Oilers won 10 of 14 games and won the league title. The final against the Los Angeles Chargers proved to be Blanda's benefit as he scored 301 passing yards, threw three passing touchdowns, made all three one-point conversions, and also scored a field goal. Houston won with a score of 24-16, that is, it was Blanda who scored all the points of his team.
In 1961, Blanda went one step further by becoming the AFL's leader in passing yards (3,330). He threw 36 touchdowns with 22 interceptions, and his passing touchdown record was only surpassed by Miami quarterback Dan Marino 23 years later. In that season, Blanda set one of the records that has not been broken to this day - he threw 7 passing touchdowns in a game against the New York Titans. Thanks to Blanda's inspiring play, Houston again reached the championship finals, where they again beat the Chargers (10-3). Blanda again scored all the points of his team in the decisive match. At the end of the season, he was recognized as the MVP of the AFL and got into the team of the best players.
In 1962, Blanda continued his winning streak and scored 2,810 yards on 27 touchdowns. True, he skidded in steals (42, a league record), but that didn't stop Houston from winning 11 of 14 games. The Oilers played in the AFL Finals for the third time in a row, but this time they lost to Dallas with a score 17-20 in two overtimes.
At the end of the season, Blanda was named to the second team of the best players in the league.
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In 1963-1967, Blanda continued to show a high level of play, but Houston ceased to be the dominant force in the AFL. For four years, the team failed to reach the playoffs, although Blanda became the leader of the AFL in passing attempts and successful passes. They are still, along with Marino, the only players who managed to become league leaders in completed passes three times in a row.
In 1966, Blanda had his worst rushing yards (1,764) since joining Houston, and the team had only three wins. The Oilers decided that the best days for Blanda were behind them, the quarterback was expelled in March 1967.
The Oilers were a great team, very fast. I loved the idea of doing something new and I'm proud to have played in the AFL. It seemed to me that the best teams in the AFL were just as good as the teams in the NFL. We had to somehow get the fans and TV people interested, so we threw a lot of passes.
In one game I completed 68 passes, in another 58. It was a fun period for me,” Blanda said.
At the time of leaving the Oilers, Blanda was already 40 years old, the final end of his career seemed inevitable. Until Al Davis from the Raiders called, inviting Blanda to be the team's kicker, back-up quarterback behind Daryl Lamonica, and raise Kenny Stabler.
Blanda hardly imagined that he would spend almost a dozen more years with the Raiders.
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In Blanda's first season in a new location, the Raiders reached the AFL Finals and took out the Oilers 40-7. But at Super Bowl 2, they were no longer enough - a defeat by Green Bay with a score of 14-33. The following year, Blanda again remained a kicker and occasionally entered the field as a passer. In the AFL-19 final68 The Raiders lost 23-27 to the Jets, losing the league finals to Kansas City 7-17 a year later. As a quarterback, Blanda barely played during this period, so Lamonica was named AFL MVP in the 1969 season.
But in the sixth week of the 1970 season, Lamonica was injured, and John Madden opted for the 43-year-old Blanda. The veteran passer did not spoil the furrow - he threw two touchdowns, converted one field goal and helped the team to a victory with a score of 31-14.
Next, Blanda gave a whole series of heroic performances. He first converted a 48-yard field goal in Week 7 of the regular season to equalize in the final seconds of regulation against Kansas City. In Week 8, Blanda threw a touchdown and scored the game-winning 52-yard field goal to give the team a 23-20 victory over the Browns. Blanda's performance was especially admired by Raiders radio commentator Bill King.
"George Blanda has just been elected King of the World," King said on the broadcast.
A week later, Blanda threw the game-winning touchdown against Denver and scored the game-winning field goal against the Chargers (20-17) the following game.
“It got to the point that when George entered the game, all the players reacted in the same way: “Here he is.
We will do it". Soon the fans began to believe in victory, they went crazy when they saw George on the field. In the end, even opponents believed in his victorious qualities. It was as if their hands were dropping in the spirit: "Oh no, this guy is coming out."
Blanda's five-game hero streak helped the Raiders to four wins and one draw. The Raiders ended the season 8-4-2, with Blanda having 461 yards with 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and 16 field goals. Oakland reached the AFC Finals, where they lost to the Colts (17-27). All 17 points were scored by Blanda, who came on as a substitute after Lamonika's injury. It was then that Blanda became the oldest quarterback in the game for the championship (in this case, the conference), Tom Brady broke this record only in 2021.
Blanda did not appear on the field very often, but he did it brightly and spectacularly. True, he himself was infuriated by talk about the respectable age for the NFL.
“It makes me sad to see stars end their careers at their peak.
Lou Grosa retired at 43, Ben Agadjan at 45. WHA Tittle finished at 38 and Bob Waterfield at 33. Norm Van Brocklin retired at 35, as did Otto Graham. And he's the best quarterback I've ever seen in my life. It's just a tragedy. True, there are people who believe that Graham could not spend another 6-8 seasons? Of course he could. Even now at 49he looks more confident than most college kids. But he became another victim of the prejudices that reign in professional football. It is believed that after 35 or even 30 years you are no longer capable of anything. Bullshit!" Blanda said in an interview.
In 1971-1975, Blanda finally re-qualified as a kicker, gaining fewer and fewer passing yards. In five years, he threw six touchdowns with seven interceptions and also converted 79 field goals. Even in the final years of Blanda's career, he practically did not miss during one-point conversions. At 1967-1971, he scored 201 consecutive one-point attempts.
Blanda played his last game on January 4, 1976 in the AFC Final against the Steelers.
The Raiders trailed 10-16, with Blanda converting a field goal from 41 yards and a successful one-point conversion.
He was expelled from the team before the start of the 1976 season. Unfortunately for Blanda, the Raiders won Super Bowl 11 that year.
In his 26-year career, Blanda has passed 26,920 yards with 1,911 of 4,007 passes. He threw for 236 touchdowns with 277 interceptions. After his retirement, he was included in the list of 100 best players in Chicago history and was included in the Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans Ring of Fame. He has been included in the Hall of Fame since 1981st, he passed there on the first try.
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What is Blanda's secret to athletic longevity?
“Many people have said that I am on a special diet, that I do not drink or smoke. Some "insider" said that I take hormonal drugs, that's why they play for so long. No, there is no secret. I stick to a special diet all my life - I eat steak with potatoes and vegetables for dinner.
I smoke and drink, and the worst period in my career was just when I quit smoking. I smoke a pack or two a day, though I don't puff. From alcohol I prefer bourbon - two or three servings a day.
What's the point of changing my approach if it works? Blanda said in 1970.
Blanda died on September 27, 2010 at the age of 83. He left an indelible mark on NFL history. Will there ever be a football player whose age the team simply writes “fucking old” instead?
Read also: He is not old, he is super-old. Brady will play with a guy who was not yet born at the time of the 2000 draft
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The Russian Football Union and Gazprombank continue the third season of the radio show "Mom Knows Everything" on Avtoradio, in which mothers of Russian national team players for the first time talk about the career path of their children and reveal the secrets of raising champions.
This program comes from those who open every door so that their sons get a chance in football. Who worked from morning to evening to buy new boots. Who closed their eyes while watching their child's first match on TV. About those who always remained in the shadows, but were closest to what was happening.
Hosted by Katrina Gaysina and Murzilka Live star Tatiana Gordeeva.
Listen to the twenty-second episode of the program with Galina Krugovoi, the mother of the Zenit football player and the Russian national team Danil Krugovoi, in our podcast on the Youtube channel or read the broadcast transcript on the RFU website.
T. GORDEEVA: Hello everyone. The most family-friendly sports program is back on Avtoradio. We are talking about how the fate of future champions depends on the degree of trust they have from their parents and on the level of their support.
It is incredibly interesting and touching to immerse yourself in home stories, using access to the most important person - mom.
K. GAYSINA: Today we are allowed to see Galina Nikolaevna Krugovoi, the mother of a young, but already very famous football player in the country, a player of the Zenit football club and the Russian national team Danil Krugovoy. Hello.
D. CIRCUIT: Hello.
T. GORDEEVA: Our program was created on the initiative of the Russian Football Union with the support of Gazprombank. The studio hosts Tatyana Gordeeva and Katrina Gaysina. Galina Nikolaevna, today we will talk about your son. At the very beginning, we noted that Danil Krugovoi is currently part of the Russian national team. But this event happened quite recently, last fall, right?
D. CIRCUIT: Right.
T. GORDEEVA: Who was more delighted, you or Danil?
D. CIRCULAR: Of course, Danil. This information reached me after it was approved.
K. GAYSINA: Is it a legend or is it true that Danil found out that he was expected in the national team literally two hours before he was supposed to be there?
G.
CIRCULAR: Yes. He called and said: "Mom, I'm packing my suitcase, I'm going to the assembly."
K. GAYSINA: The fact remains that your son, who is currently 23 years old, is a player in the Russian national football team.
T. GORDEEVA: Galina Nikolaevna, what did you do, where did you work, do you work?
D. CIRCULAR: It's funny, but by education I am a teacher of chemistry and biology.
T. GORDEEVA: What's funny about that? It's honorable!
D. PIR: No, it's not honorable, because I haven't worked as a teacher for a single year. It was enough to do an internship at the institute, after which I said: “No, this is not mine, I will not return to school.” Initially, I wanted to be a doctor, apparently because my mother is a doctor. I entered the medical institute for two years, at that moment it was difficult (however, as now). In the interval between admissions, she completed pedagogical courses and worked as an educator. And when once again I failed the admission, I thought: “If it’s not honey, let it be ped.
” I went to the Herzen Institute, chose the faculty, where there was the smallest number of points. It was chemistry and biology. It turned out that by the end of the institute I had my first child, and then I went into tourism, which I still do.
K. GAYSINA: According to all reference data, Danil Krugovoi started studying at the Smena school at the age of six, which was later renamed the Zenit Academy. How far did you live from the academy then?
D. CIRCULAR: Far away. It took 40-45 minutes to get to the subway. The history of the formation of our football player was as complex as, probably, for everyone who started from a young age. We didn’t have football from the very beginning, we tried to occupy Danil everywhere - in taekwondo, and in basketball, and in swimming. But our dad was a football lover, in his youth he was called “Maradosha”, because he once wrote “Maradona” on his T-shirt (and with a mistake). And so the nickname stuck. And so he calls me and says: “There is a recruitment in the “Change”, let's try.
” I say: "Come on..."
T. GORDEEVA: But did you understand that Smena is a status school, not an easy one?
D. CIRCUIT: No, I didn't understand.
T. GORDEEVA: Oh, so let's go.
G. CIRCULAR: Yes. There had to be something to keep the child busy. It is impossible not to borrow, children need to be more loaded so that they understand for themselves what they want. Therefore, we downloaded it with everything we could, and went to this school to watch.
T. GORDEEVA: Did Danil get in the first time?
CIRCULAR: Yes. There were three groups of children, we were in the third, the weakest. But we didn't stay there long.
T. GORDEEVA: That is, the boy's ability to work with the ball appeared before the age of six, right?
D. CIRCULAR: You know, I think he was born with a ball. Because we have balls everywhere and always, until now. They are in the apartment, in the cars, in the beds, they were everywhere.
T.
GORDEEVA: Excellent. Now we will find out a professional point of view about the boy's talents. We are in touch with the first coach Danila Krugovoy, Alexander Borisovich Kolodkin.
A. KOLODKIN: Hello.
K. GAYSINA: Alexander Borisovich, of course, you can't remember everyone, and a lot of time has passed, but can you still remember how the six-year-old boy Danil came to you?
A. KOLODKIN: Why, I remember very well, because the group was very strong. It was probably 2006. We had a very developed system of tests, views, which were combined with games. We analyzed, tried to predict the future of the players. Danya got into a group that had been studying for six months and it was very difficult for him. If you characterize him - he was very mobile, hard-working, always in the center of events, his eyes burned. And although, perhaps, at first there were not enough skills, compared to those guys who had been studying for half a year, but thanks to perseverance and discipline, he began to progress very quickly.
T. GORDEEVA: And did you transfer him from group to group according to the skills that he quickly mastered?
A. KOLODKIN: You know, there was a very important role for parents, including mothers. Because he got to the training camp at the very last moment. We had one place (we refused someone) and suddenly Galina Nikolaevna came up and asked if there was a place. He got into this clip and showed himself so well over the summer that he was transferred from the third squad to the first and further steadily progressed.
T. GORDEEVA: Galina Nikolaevna, one place! This is a significant moment, I think.
A. KOLODKIN: Yes. Some of the parents were shy, but Galina Nikolaevna took the initiative and it turned out great. And everything could be different.
D. CIRCUIT: It's true.
T. GORDEEVA: This is the role of mother.
K. GAYSINA: Alexander Borisovich, do you think a children's coach should be a strict mentor for boys, or is it important to have a warm, somewhat domestic relationship? How were you?
A.
KOLODKIN: And now, and always, an individual approach has been very important, because children are different. Of course, they love praise, encouragement. Well, if some kind of pranks happen, then here you should not scold, but direct, using examples. By the way, Danya was one of those guys who was very disciplined and educated. Maybe he lacked playing arrogance at first, but the discipline instilled at home showed up very well at the training camp.
T. GORDEEVA: Galina Nikolaevna, what did Danya say when he returned from the training camp?
D. CIRCUIT: We never talked about it. I just want to express my gratitude to Alexander Borisovich and his wife Svetlana Vasilievna. They were always together and therefore, when we sent the children somewhere (whether they were business trips or training camps abroad), we were absolutely calm that the children would be supervised.
T. GORDEEVA: Under a reliable wing.
D. CIRCULAR: Yes, yes. It was like a second family, or something.
T. GORDEEVA: Alexander Borisovich, does the boys have competition within the team since childhood?
A. KOLODKIN: At first, the guys don't quite understand. Let's say there are 18 players in a group and they play fours, sixes, then eights. Some kind of subordination is gradually being built up and when they go to tournaments (and after 2-3 years we began to go to serious international tournaments), they begin to understand this, they want to play more. Their success is manifested, they begin to compete. And parents sometimes create an atmosphere of competition, they say: “Don’t give him a pass, otherwise you won’t score goals, but they will put him in.” Sometimes it happens.
D. CIRCUIT: No, I didn't say that.
A. KOLODKIN: It was very interesting to follow his progress. We often traveled to the Moscow region, to Bronnitsy, to the base of the Russian national teams. We held training camps there, played with Moscow teams, in good conditions, accumulated experience.
In the evenings I showed them videos of great footballers on the big screen. And I always showed Dana Roberto Carlos, left-back and midfielder of the Brazilian national team.
T. GORDEEVA: Who developed incredible speed on the field?
A. KOLODKIN: Yes. I set him as an example of what one should be. And now in what Danil does on the field, I see some features of this great football player. I don’t want to over-praise, but something is a little bit present - speed, pressure, power, shots on goal. I don’t know if he remembers or not, but I always set this player as an example for him and showed him how he should act. And these raids of his in the penalty area along the flank, this power - a little from there, from his childish perception. Maybe he remembered it.
T. GORDEEVA: Alexander Borisovich, thank you very much. It was very interesting and pleasant to talk with you. Once again, we note that the first coach of Danila Krugovoy, Alexander Borisovich Kolodkin, was on the air with us.
There would be more such coaches and more young novice football players.
G. CIRCULAR: Thank you very much, Alexander Borisovich.
A. KOLODKIN: Thank you, see you soon.
*****
T. GORDEEVA: Galina Nikolaevna, in addition to football, there was also a music school. Piano class?
CIRCULATOR: Piano class.
T. GORDEEVA: Surely it was your whim for your son to also go to a music school?
D. CIRCULAR: No, it was not my whim, it was the desire of our grandmother and great-grandmother. They really wanted the boy to be comprehensively developed, to be able to listen to music and reproduce it. We have completed 7th grade.
T. GORDEEVA: This is a full course of the children's music school.
CIRCULATOR: Two more classes were added by the time of graduation from the music school. And when the question arose about continuing, Danya said: “No, mom.” It was a shame that, having finished 7 classes, we received not a diploma, but an ordinary certificate.
That was embarrassing.
T. GORDEEVA: This is the program “Mom knows everything”, where they talk about their children and are proud of them. It is very nice to dive into these emotions, but now we have a short break. We'll continue soon.
*****
T. GORDEEVA: Danil Krugovoi is the focus of our attention today as a national champion with the Zenit team, twice winner of the Super Cup with the same Zenit.
K. GAYSINA: We met with his mother, Galina Nikolaevna, and we are asking her questions. And she kindly answers us.
T. GORDEEVA: "Mom knows everything" - the RFU project with the support of Gazprombank, we continue. Galina Nikolaevna, and after all, your son is the same chubby, serious boy whom Andrei Arshavin led out onto the field by the hand. Or was it Krugovoi who took Arshavin to the UEFA Cup match? How to place accents here?
G. CIRCULAR: You know, our children have always led Zenit, whose players were a standard for them. And one fine day Danya brought Arshavin out.
T. GORDEEVA: It is interesting that both football players presented this picture in their accounts in social networks two years ago. Arshavin signed: "With Krug, when he still believed in Santa Claus." And Danil answered: "With Shava, before he began to practice stand-up on Match TV." Do you remember this moment when your son took Arshavin by the hand?
D. CIRCUIT: Of course.
T. GORDEEVA: So you were at the stadium at that moment?
G. CIRCULAR: Mandatory.
T. GORDEEVA: Tell me.
D. CIRCULAR: I won't really tell you anymore, because we were at all the games and at all the stadiums where our children played. At that time, Andrei was not yet so famous.
T. GORDEEVA: Not so Arshavin yet? Such, "Arshavin as Arshavin."
D. CIRCULAR: Yes, yes. It was very nice to see that it was the children of our year who brought out Zenit.
K. GAYSINA: Were there any footballers whom Danil wanted to be like?
D.
CIRCUIT: If I'm not mistaken, he always liked Marcelo. Probably because of his playing style.
T. GORDEEVA: Yes, I also heard something in his interview. Danil said that their styles are similar.
K. GAYSINA: We have already discussed that before football Danil played both basketball and wrestling. And who in the end finally and irrevocably instilled in him a love of football?
CIRCULAR: Dad. He was involved in amateur football at the level of the school, the yard.
K. GAYSINA: Did you support Zenit, of course?
D. CIRCUIT: Of course.
K. GAYSINA: Was he an ardent fan, did you go to the stadium?
G. CIRCULAR: Yes. I went, both in my youth, and when Danka was already with us.
T. GORDEEVA: The father dreamed of a bright football future for his son, but, alas, he did not catch those moments when Danya began to succeed, when his football career became obvious. Galina Nikolaevna, what happened to your husband? Sorry, we'll ask this question.
CIRCULAR: History is silent until now.
T. GORDEEVA: But he is gone, and has been dead for a long time.
CIRCULAR: 9 years.
T. GORDEEVA: How old was Danilo when his father passed away?
PIR: It was 2013, 15 years. The most serious age for a boy is when a dad is needed.
K. GAYSINA: Danil told me that he even had to go to a psychologist.
D. CIRCUIT: You know, yes. And when it happened, I asked the guys to help. It was very difficult because the boy became isolated. The history of the search for our dad was long, and everyone lived in hope.
T. GORDEEVA: That he will be found, that everything will be fine?
D. CIRCULAR: But this did not happen, and the boy went into himself. I was scared. He was silent, did not speak. I asked the guys to talk to him, to pull him out somewhere.
T. GORDEEVA: Guys from the team, football boys?
G. CIRCULAR: Yes, he already studied at the Smena school then, they had a very good class, friendly.
Little by little, things stabilized. Most likely, if there was no desire to engage in this sport ... He all went to football. The year was very difficult also because it was the end of 9th grade, stupid exams. There were a lot of experiences, both for passing exams and for the psychological mood of the child. Thank God we got through it all together.
T. GORDEEVA: By the way, we talked about those boys who were nearby.
K. GAYSINA: Yes, I propose to include our childhood friend Danil Vasily Zapryagaev in our conversation.
G. CIRCULAR: Vasily, hello.
V. ZAPRYAGAYEV: Hello.
K. GAYSINA: Vasily, tell us how your friendship with Danya began.
V. ZAPRYAGAYEV: We played in the same team at the Zenit Academy since we were 10, and we met there.
T. GORDEEVA: What kind of son and football player Danil we are slowly getting to know today, but what kind of friend is he?
V. ZAPRYAGAYEV: I can say that Danya is very kind, sympathetic, always ready to help.
T. GORDEEVA: And how attentive is he to the events that take place in the lives of his friends? Yours, for example.
V. ZAPRYAGAYEV: Let me give you an example: in the summer I got a cruciate ligament injury. I think athletes, football players understand how hard it is. And Danya - one of the first who supported in difficult times, offered his help. He moved me to his place, and for the first month I lived with him, because I practically could not move, only on crutches. He was on his way to his practice and picked me up along the way. I am very grateful to him for his help.
K. GAYSINA: What a fine fellow, a true friend. Did he have situations where he would need your support?
V. ZAPRYAGAYEV: Of course. Especially at first after he moved to Zenit. There was not much playing time and Danya was very worried about this, because he wanted to play. I did my best to support him, found some motivating words. And, as we see now, Danya has earned a place in the starting lineup, plows the left curb, benefits Zenit, earns points for himself and the team.
K. GAYSINA: Vasily, and now about the good. If Daniel is in a great mood, how does he behave? Maybe he gives gifts, goes to clubs, arranges parties? How does he rejoice?
V. ZAPRYAGAYEV: When the team wins, of course, he is very pleased, he is in a good mood. He doesn’t go to clubs much, he’s a professional. I don’t know if I’ll reveal a secret - Dani has his own physiotherapist at home and after the game he is recovering.
T. GORDEEVA: Well, we will continue to follow the stereotypes, but we need to check and refute them. Successful football players are often associated with expensive cars, branded items, luxury accessories. How important this kind of material values is for Danila.
V. ZAPRYAGAYEV: You know, I think that every person wants to look like expensive things and have an expensive car, as you say. And if Danya achieved this, then why not? Why can't he buy himself an expensive thing or an expensive car? He has come a long way, and I think he deserved it like no other.
T. GORDEEVA: Galina Nikolaevna, what wonderful words. This is what it means when people have been friends for a long time and are on the same level. It is very felt. Once again, we say a big thank you to our friend, Vasily Zapryagaev. Good luck to you too, good health, take care of yourself on the field.
V. ZAPRYAGAYEV: Thank you very much. Galina Nikolaevna, goodbye.
D. CIRCUIT: Goodbye.
*****
T. GORDEEVA: Danil graduated from the football school, and what happened next?
G. CIRCULAR: He got into the youth team of Zenit, they signed the first contract. All sorts of people began to approach me, apparently agents. We didn’t have a dad then, but he did all this, I was passive in this sense, I only went to the games. Yes, I liked it, but I did not understand anything. I knew that my child plays on the left side, that he is a defender, and all these offsides and so on were incomprehensible to me. Here he is playing, I see him, and it's good.
And when all these people began to approach, they say, your child needs an agent, a manager, the first coach Alexander Borisovich Kolodkin played his role. I called him and asked: “What to do, what to do? Offers are coming." He told me: “Galina Nikolaevna, he has a valid contract. Let him work, strive and show himself. This was probably the decisive point, I calmed down a bit.
T. GORDEEVA: Then there was a double of Zenit, Zenit-2.
G. CIRCULAR: Yes.
T. GORDEEVA: In fact, did he progressively go through all the stages?
D. CIRCULAR: We have gone through all the stages, starting from the little ones.
T. GORDEEVA: That is, every cell is saturated with Zenith!
D. CIRCULAR: Absolutely.
T. GORDEEVA: As far as I understand, you were by his side all the time and were present at almost all of his games?
CIRCULAR: Yes.
T. GORDEEVA: Do you like the atmosphere of the stadium?
D. CIRCULAR: Very.
Only now I'm not allowed there.
T. GORDEEVA: Why?
D. PIR: Because he says: “Mom, I can feel you on the field, I will be nervous. Watch better on TV
T. GORDEEVA: When did it start?
CIRCULATOR: It started after he returned from Ufa. When he left, of course, I couldn’t go to the games there and watched on TV.
K. GAYSINA: Have you tried it in secret?
D. CIRCULAR: I really wanted to secretly, but you know, after all, the connection between the son and mother probably exists, it exists. Why would I tempt fate?
T. GORDEEVA: That is, he feels your presence at the stadium, a certain psychological field arises and this to some extent distracts him from the game, does not allow him to fully work out?
D. CIRCULAR: He literally said this at a mature age: “I didn’t like it when you and dad came to the games.”
T. GORDEEVA: And he was silent all his life!
D. CIRCULAR: And he was silent all his life, yes.
So now it's taboo. But I really want to. Now my daughter has begun to walk, she is still allowed.
T. GORDEEVA: But watching TV is not the right thing, is it?
D. CIRCULAR: Well, of course I'm watching, but what should I do? If I'm on the road, I look on my phone, I constantly listen to Zenith radio.
K. GAYSINA: Everything went forward: the Zenit football school, the youth team, then the double, that is, Zenit-2. It is logical to assume that the next stage is the main composition. But Danil Krugovoy failed to climb this step on the first attempt, so he left to play in Ufa. However, we will talk more about this with my mother a little later, literally in a few minutes.
*****
T. GORDEEVA: Danil Krugovoy is a footballer who played in all leagues in Russia, he went through everything. Now, as we have already said, he plays in the main team of Zenit, he is called up to the national team and in general, attention to this player is quite close.
K. GAYSINA: We continue the program "Mom knows everything", a project of the RFU with the support of Gazprombank. This is Katrina Gaysina, Tatyana Gordeeva and mother of Danila Krugovoy, Galina Nikolaevna.
T. GORDEEVA: Galina Nikolaevna, there is a moment that, it seems to me, also characterizes Danil very much - as a man, as a real football player who is ready for both victories and defeats. Not so long ago, Danil apologized to the fans for the unrealized penalty in the ¼ final match of the Russian Cup against Alania Vladikavkaz. I'll quote Danil's words, if you don't mind. “I want to apologize to each of you. Alas, this happens sometimes. Thank you everyone for your support." This is for the fans. Do you think fans are cruel people? Love today, hate tomorrow?
D. CIRCULAR: Probably, if the fans are real, then no. And there are couch fans who grind everything and seem to rummage through dirty laundry. Therefore, I think that the real ones are not, they understand everything and also experience it, of course.
And the game with Alania went well, and everything would be fine if ... I don’t like to watch penalties at all. We watched the match with a friend and when the penalty shootout started, I just listened to who. And suddenly she told me: “Galya! Danya! My Danya never took a penalty, for me it was very scary. And that's how it turned out, unfortunately.
T. GORDEEVA: But what? One of the game episodes in a great football career.
D. CIRCULAR: Naturally. And this also needs to be learned. So, we will take the penalty further.
T. GORDEEVA: If we continue about the fans, have you ever personally encountered a negative attack from them, towards you or towards your son? So that you can be a personal witness to this.
D. CIRCULAR: No, I didn't have that.
T. GORDEEVA: Well, now they don't let you on the field either.
D. CIRCULAR: Of course, I'm behind the field.
K. GAYSINA: Let's continue studying your son's biography. After the football school, playing in the youth team and the Zenit-2 team, Danil left for Ufa.
Were you then upset that you did not immediately manage to get into the main team of blue-white-blue?
D. PIR: Upset is not the right word. I would have known this almost as about the national team. He put me before the fact: "Mom, I'm leaving for Ufa." What is it like when the child who is always with you leaves? Of course, it was a shock for me.
K. GAYSINA: It was you who got upset because he went far away. But there was no frustration due to the fact that he did not get into the main team of Zenit? You, he, maybe.
D. CIRCULAR: Of course he had a disorder. I was upset too, of course. But I was more depressed by the fact that he was leaving for Ufa. I felt good when he was next to me, under my wing. How will he be alone? It was the first time the child left me.
T. GORDEEVA: So, the Ufa football club, the city of Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan. Have you been there?
D. CIRCUIT: Of course.
T. GORDEEVA: Did you plan to move?
CIRCULATOR: You know, I really liked this city.
Of course, the first trip there was not very pleasant. They called me and said: “Galina Nikolaevna, something needs to be done. Danya is depressed, his weight is growing, his fat coefficient is growing. At that time, I worked two jobs, because I had to somehow raise children, but that call decided everything. I wrote a statement, said: “It doesn’t matter to me whether you fire me or not. I have a problem's". The next day I was in Ufa. The city is beautiful, the people are wonderful, I really liked it.
During the week I spent there, we did the best we could. If a child has depression, then, accordingly, depression at home too. When you come to a child's house and see empty refrigerators, a bad mood, and so on ... We went to a psychologist, a nutritionist, we were given a meal plan. During the period while I was there, there were two trips, that is, there was not much time for communication. But when it was, we talked, walked a lot. At home, he had a sauna, and when my son came back from training, I evaporated him, as they say, “they melted fat.
”
T. GORDEEVA: Plus, they organized proper nutrition.
D. CIRCULAR: Naturally. When my mother left, the refrigerator was full of food, ready-made meatballs, which had only to be taken out and fried. Of course, the heart was out of place.
T. GORDEEVA: And how long did you stay there?
CIRCULAR: 6 days.
T. GORDEEVA: And in 6 days such a grandiose work was done. In principle, you have already turned everything in the right direction.
CIRCULATOR: And then, when they got a new coach, Vadim Evseev, maybe with his suggestion, Danya somehow became... He said to me: “Mom, I don’t care where I play, I will play for youth." He played for the youth. I already heard from his conversation, from his voice, that my child was coming to life. He began to eat right, run, play. He can't play. In the team on his left side there was a very serious competitor, Bojan Jokic, there was someone to look up to. I have seen my child learn from older athletes.
He adopted their experience, nurtured character, and slowly moved forward there too.
T. GORDEEVA: But then everything went fine, and with weight, and with the game, and with the mood.
D. CIRCUIT: Yes, everything is fine.
T. GORDEEVA: How did you get back? Was everything okay at work?
D. CIRCULAR: They had no choice but to take me back. That's the way I am.
T. GORDEEVA: Mom went, quickly saved her son and returned to her normal work duties. Wonderful. And after this moment, as I understand it, Danil went to proper nutrition, to a complete healthy lifestyle, he does not eat Olivier, and so on.
D. CIRCULAR: Well, there he wasn't very on the right diet anyway, this is how he is now. Everything is very strict.
T. GORDEEVA: And no concessions?
D. CIRCULAR: Maybe someday he gives himself some indulgence, but for some reason I sometimes want to feed him something tasty.
T. GORDEEVA: He refuses?
D.
CIRCULAR: Never from my mother's borscht.
K. GAYSINA: Galina Nikolaevna, let's go back to the period when Danil was sad in Ufa and, apparently out of loneliness, bought himself a Jack Russell dog.
D. CIRCULAR: No, it was further, already when we embarked on the true path, when everything was wonderful with us.
K. GAYSINA: So, the dog didn't come out of sadness?
D. CIRCULAR: Maybe she appeared from sadness. Somehow he calls me and says: “Mom, I feel so bad alone. I decided ... "And then my mother's heart drops, I think - now he will say:" I decided to get married.
T. GORDEEVA: But it passed!
D. CIRCULAR: And he says: “I decided to buy a dog. I want to buy a pug." I think - no, you need to change the breed. I began to throw photos to him, the choice did not last long. The next day, a comment on a photo with a Jack Russell: "What a cutie." Soon the call: “Mom, are you home? Turn on video." And I see this monster. My second trip to Ufa was just for this dog.
In the fall, he took it, and I took it in the spring. There was no upbringing, zero. The dog was accustomed to the bed, now it cannot be weaned, she sleeps in the bed. The dog was left to its own devices, and when the son left for the training camp, he said: “Mom, something must be done with Bruce.” Well, mom needs to go again.
T. GORDEEVA: So, the dog lives with you now?
D. CIRCUIT: Of course.
*****
K. GAYSINA: Let's continue the conversation. Our program was created on the initiative of the RFU with the support of Gazprombank.
T. GORDEEVA: Danil Krugovoi, aka Denzel, aka Krug. Question to Galina Nikolaevna: how do you feel about the fact that your son has “Circle” printed on his game jersey? Are you not offended that they sequestered your own surname?
D. CIRCUIT: Of course. I told him: “Why not your last name? You must be Circular!" "Mom, well, I want to be the Circle." Well, if you want, be the Circle.
T. GORDEEVA: It's not in honor of a famous singer, is it? "Northern wind", "central", - that's all.
D. CIRCUIT: Of course not.
T. GORDEEVA: Has he been called that for a long time? He constantly appeals to the fact that everyone calls him that for a long time.
D. CIRCULAR: From childhood, when they played in Smena. When they were small, they called him Bear cub, then he became the Circle. Probably, so the Circle remained.
K. GAYSINA: What is the number on his T-shirt?
D. CIRCULAR: Four.
K. GAYSINA: I read somewhere that he wanted to replace it with the 98th one. Why?
Y. PIR: Because this is the year of his birth, he thinks that these are his lucky numbers. He has 98 98 on his phone and in his car number.
T. GORDEEVA: Again, the number of the region, St. Petersburg. Does he do his own hair before entering the field or do they do it in the salon?
D. CIRCULAR: I don't know if he does his hair before the game, but always looking after his head, yes.
T. GORDEEVA: Do you generally take care of your appearance? As far as I can see, football players are now very sensitive to their appearance, since they are public personalities.
D. CIRCULAR: Of course he's watching. For appearance, for clothes.
T. GORDEEVA: Tattoos are next on the agenda. With your approval, they appeared on Danil's body?
D. CIRCUIT: No, of course not.
T. GORDEEVA: Didn't you ask?
D. CIRCULAR: He asked when he was making some kind of little booger, I don't remember, some Chinese characters were drawn. Then everything was already done. I say: "Son, well, nothing beautiful." But then we decided to make a beautiful hand. I was always categorically against it, but he said: "Mom, but I'm already an adult, I can do what I want."
T. GORDEEVA: Are there many tattoos now?
CIRCULAR: No. Hand and something on the leg. He wanted to do the back, but I said: "Son, don't." I don't think it's "needed" for long.
T. GORDEEVA: Do you understand the meaning, the aesthetics of these tattoos, or do you not accept it at all?
D. CIRCULAR: The only thing that surprised me was when he filled in my date of birth and the date of my father's birth.
He has a tiger, our dates of birth, a guardian angel, some roses are also present. People who understand are probably reading this. For me, of course, it was very surprising that my dad and I were there.
K. GAYSINA: “Good left foot,” that's what they say about Danil Krugovoy in football. Has Daniel always been left-handed?
T. GORDEEVA: Is he left-handed on the field and in life?
D. CIRCULAR: Yes, since childhood. We did not retrain him, he was always left-handed. I've always wondered how you can write with your left hand?
T. GORDEEVA: Draw with your left hand, eat with your left hand.
D. CIRCULAR: He eats with different hands, he doesn't care at all.
T. GORDEEVA: Galina Nikolaevna, how many countries has your son visited thanks to football?
D. CIRCUIT: Oh, I don't know. Lots of!
T. GORDEEVA: Did you mark it on the map?
D. CIRCULAR: At first I tried, and then everything. I say: “Son, you have already traveled half the world!”
T.
GORDEEVA: Do they manage to see countries and cities at all?
D. CIRCULAR: When they were in England, I said to him: “Son, I so want to visit England… Is it a beautiful city?” “Yeah. Now I’ll take a picture of him from the window.” And even from the window the city was beautiful.
T. GORDEEVA: What country would he like to work in? If we imagine that now is not the current time, but the time when there is an opportunity to travel, choose, and so on.
D. PIR: To be honest, I don't know what country he would like to work in. For some reason, I've always been drawn to Spain.
T. GORDEEVA: We remember Marcelo, again.
D. CIRCULAR: Well, yes, probably.
K. GAYSINA: Danil Krugovoi is already the national champion. What do you personally, as a mother, want for him in the future?
D. CIRCULAR: I only want to move on, not to stop in any case. We have to work, move forward, because the life of a football player is short and there is still a lot to be done.
I want him to become a famous football player, so that our surname sounds. Therefore, he needs to work, let him strive.
K. GAYSINA: And when, in your understanding, will the time for a wife and children come?
D. CIRCUIT: I don't know.
T. GORDEEVA: Look, now the guy is 23 years old. From your point of view, as a person who has been in football for almost half his life, understands everything, understands everything (I think you have already dealt with offsides and other rules), how much more should he play and what, perhaps, to focus on?
D. CIRCULAR: Let him play as long as his health and desire allow. And he has a desire.
T. GORDEEVA: Did he ever get tired of football?
D. CIRCULAR: I don't think so. Never ever. For him, football is everything. Let the boy play, move forward. What's next, how it will be - I do not know.
T. GORDEEVA: What about some parallel specialty, additional profession, education, business?
CIRCULATOR: We graduated from the Institute.
Lesgaft, Faculty of Physical Education, Department of Football. I asked him: “Maybe some other higher education, in another field?” To which he replied: “Mom, when I was at school, you said:“ If only you finished school. I finished school. Then you said: "You need to go to college, because higher education is necessary in our time." I entered the institute. Now I finished it, and you say: “Maybe we can go further?” No, Mom, let me rest a little, understand what I want and then I will move on. When it will be his "next" - it is not clear.
T. GORDEEVA: I just listened to you and once again noted how important you are to him and how much he listens to your opinion. If only now, being already a completely adult, it allows you to correctly answer that “mom, maybe already after all ...”. And so, it turns out: "Mom, you wanted - I did." Obedient, beloved and loving son. I think it's wonderful. With your permission, I would like to quote one more words of Danil. “I want to develop as a footballer.
I don’t want expensive cars anymore, I don’t need it anymore. I want to provide for my family, so that my mother is happy, so that she has everything. Buy her a house, as she wanted. And then move on in the right direction.” Have you heard these words, seen this quote?
CIRCULATOR: The house is a long story. When he was still small, for some reason, dad madly believed in him. That it simply could not be otherwise, he must grow and must be a football player. And my father always said: “Son, when you become a footballer, you will buy your mother a house in Spain (and I really want to live on the sea), we will live there, and you will come to visit us.” This is the house, probably from here. Of course, today, the son is my hope and support. He tries to do everything to make life easy for his mother. Makes gifts, takes care of me, heals me.
K. GAYSINA: That's great. "Mom knows everything." All episodes of the program are available on the Yandex. Music”, Apple Podcasts and VKontakte podcasts, as well as on the website avtoradio.
