George Currier Blanch
Born February 18, 1938, Hamshire, Texas
Died May 10, 2021, Nixon, Texas
6'1“, 195 lbs
University of Texas

George Blanch was among the first players assigned to Oakland after having been drafted by the abandoned Minneapolis/St. Paul franchise. Blanch grew up in Nixon, Texas and was a three-year letter winner at the University of Texas under head coach Darrell Royal. He was a starter in both 1957 and 1958, earning second-team All-Southwest Conference honors his junior year, but in his senior year he was relegated to a defensive specialist role.

He joined the Raiders’ 1960 training camp when it opened in July, but left less than two weeks later for “personal reasons.” What followed was a peripatetic career coaching and teaching at various high schools in Texas. He rarely lingered at one location for more than a couple of years, though he did stay at Nixon High, his old school, from 1970 to 1975 as head football coach.

His last stint as a football coach came in 1985 at Hawley High near Abilene, after which he took a series of school district superintendent positions. He finally retired in 2003 after having spent three years as the head of the Schleicher County Independent School District. He returned only a year later to fill in on an emergency basis before finally leaving for good in 2005. He died in 2021 in his hometown at the age of 83. His wife, Maria, had died two years earlier. He left behind four children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

November 22, 1959 - Selected by Minneapolis/St Paul in the 1960 AFL draft.

January 4, 1960 - Signed by Houston between this date and January 30.

January 30, 1960 - AFL awarded his league signing rights to Oakland, potentially nullifying his contract with Houston.

March 3, 1960 - AFL transferred his contract from Houston to Oakland.

July 18, 1960 - Left training camp voluntarily.