George Blanda, the Hall of Fame quarterback and kicker who played a record 26 seasons of professional football and once almost single-handedly won five consecutive games for the Oakland Raiders, has died. He was 83. More>>

Blanda played so long that he had what amounted to three N.F.L. careers. He spent 10 years with the Chicago Bears, but retired when they tried to make him solely a kicker, and then seven more with the Houston Oilers of the upstart A.F.L. When the Oilers decided he was finished in 1967, he joined the Raiders and played nine more seasons. He wound up in the Hall of Fame with a reputation as one of the greatest clutch performers in football history. More>>