George Blanda

“I make more money in the off-season than I do playing football.”

“If people can identify with me in a good way and get some inspiration out of what I've done, that's good. Then football's all worthwhile.”

“No one ever dreams about being a backup quarterback.”

“I knew I would be cut one day. But I never thought I would retire.”

“People watch TV and think a two-foot putt is the greatest thing in the world when a guy knocks it in. But nobody is rushing you. You don't have a center, you don't have a holder. You don't have 100,000 people screaming at you.”

“The boos and critical words from sports writers affect pros more than anyone else.”

“When I look back on my nine years with the Raiders, what comes to mind first is my great association with Al Davis. If it had not been for him I may not have done the things I did once I left Houston. I may not have even kept playing if it weren't for Al. I respected him highly.”

“Anything I do, I want to win.”

“The world is not going to come to an end because I'm not going to play football anymore.”

“I came from a poor Pennsylvania coal mining family and the only way I was going to get an education was through an athletic scholarship.”

“It's no big deal, starting a game.”

“The Super Bowl wasn't that big. It was just a game.”

“I learned a long time ago that you only have a few friends in this world - your wife and family and a very few friends.”

“I wish I could have played more.”

“We did all the strategy right on the field. Today, the coaches call all the plays, so all the quarterbacks have to do is perform. They are more or less programmed.”

“Playing on the same team with Sid Luckman and Bulldog Turner and against people like Sammy Baugh, those were nostalgic days for me.”

“I work hard and relax a lot, too.”

“It tickles me to beat George Allen.”

“When I signed with the Oilers, I felt like a rookie. I was 33.”

“I've always had a strong desire to prove myself against odds.”