Doc Blanchard

Football Player

• Born: December 11, 1924
• Birthplace: McColl, South Carolina
• Died: April 19, 2009
• Place of death: Bulverde, Texas

Sport: Football

Early Life

Felix Anthony Blanchard, Jr., was born on December 11, 1924, in McColl, South Carolina, the hometown of his mother, Mary. His father, Felix Anthony Blanchard, Sr., was a physician. A few years after the birth of Felix, Jr., the family moved to Iowa, thinking that life in the Midwest would be easier during the Great Depression. However, the family soon became homesick for South Carolina, and they returned to Bishopville, South Carolina. In Bishopville, Felix, Sr., continued his medical practice and was known as “Doc.” To the townspeople Felix, Jr., soon became known as “Little Doc.”

Felix, Sr., had been an outstanding football player while he was a student at Tulane University. Therefore, he introduced his son to sports at an early age. Little Doc’s football lessons began as soon as he could walk. While growing up in Bishopville, Little Doc was always seen carrying a football. His boyhood was typical: He enjoyed playing sports, especially football and baseball, and had numerous part-time jobs to earn spending money. One thing was unusual about Little Doc though—at the age of fourteen, he weighed 180 pounds.

The Road to Excellence

The first team for which Doc—at 180 pounds he was no longer Little Doc—played was Bishopville High School. Because of his size he was assigned to play the line. After a season at Bishopville, he was sent to St. Stanislaus Prep School, a private Catholic school in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. His father had attended this school and thought it would be good for his son. At St. Stanislaus the coaching staff let Doc carry the ball, and he did so with great success. He was chosen to numerous all-star teams, and a long line of colleges traveled to the prep school to offer Doc college scholarships. He finally chose the University of North Carolina (UNC), where a cousin was the athletic director and football coach.

At UNC, Doc continued to live up to his potential as a first-rate football player. He was a punishing runner who hit would-be tacklers with tremendous force. The United States had recently entered World War II, though, and Doc desired to enter the Naval Reserve unit at the university, but was rejected because of his weight and poor eyesight. At the end of his first year at North Carolina, he left school to enter the Army.

The Emerging Champion

Doc’s father always wanted his son to enter the United States Military Academy at West Point (Army) and was able to get him an appointment. In July, 1944, Doc became a West Point cadet. It took very little time for Doc to impress the coaching staff at West Point. Now weighing close to 220 pounds, he continued to run over defenses. He was blessed not only with great size and strength but also with amazing quickness. He was able to change directions quickly, and tacklers were often left trying to grab him from behind. Doc was compared to a charging wild buffalo.

In 1944 and 1945, Doc helped lead the Army team to two undefeated seasons. He did have help, though. Glenn Davis, Doc’s running mate in the Army backfield is considered one of the best runners in the history of the game. Davis was capable of outrunning the defense as he ran around the end. Soon, the duo became known as “Mr. Inside,” Doc, and “Mr. Outside,” Davis.

At the end of his first season, Doc was selected by the Associated Press, United Press International, Sporting News, and others as all-American. His second season was even better. He scored 13 touchdowns in nine games and was awarded the Heisman Trophy. His third season was marred by injuries, but he still led his team to its third consecutive win over archrival United States Naval Academy (Navy) and to its third national championship. Doc was elected to the Associated Press All-American team for the third time.

Continuing the Story

Together, Doc and Davis scored 97 touchdowns and 585 points. The 1944 Army team averaged 56 points per game; the 1945 team averaged 7.64 yards per rushing play. In 1959, in recognition of his accomplishments, Doc was elected to the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame. After graduation from West Point, Doc turned his football equipment in for the gold bars of a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He went on to have a distinguished career in the military. In 1971, he retired as a brigadier general and served as commandant at the New Mexico Military Institute.

Summary

Asked about his keys for success, Doc Blanchard had a simple answer: “I have always enjoyed what I was doing, especially football. That made the hard work easy.” There is no doubt that the hard work made Doc into one of the most proficient runners in the history of college football. His name remains legendary along the banks of the Hudson River.

Bibliography

Bradley, Michael. Big Games: College Football’s Greatest Rivalries. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, 2006.

Fimrite, Ron. “Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside.” Sports Illustrated 69, no. 23 (November 21, 1988): 76-87.

Wilner, Barry, and Ken Rappoport. Gridiron Glory: The Story of the Army-Navy Football Rivalry. Lanham, Md.: Taylor Trade, 2005.