 Blades in 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 36 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1966-09-03)September 3, 1966 (age 59) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 221 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Piper (Sunrise, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Miami (1984–1987) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1988: 1st round, 3rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Horatio Benedict Blades Sr. (born September 3, 1966) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety in theNational Football League (NFL). A three-time All-Pro, Blades was named to both theDetroit Lions 75th Anniversary Team and theDetroit Lions All-Time Team. He playedcollege football for theMiami Hurricanes.
Blades played a big part in theUniversity of Miami's winning the 1987NCAA National Championship. He also won theJim Thorpe Award in that year and, in 2006, was named to theCollege Football Hall of Fame for his play with theMiami Hurricanes. He shares the University of Miami single season interception record with fellow Miami HurricaneSean Taylor.
During his play at the University of Miami, he and the defensive secondary were nicknamed "Bennie and the Jets," a reference tothe song byElton John, for their speed, power, ability, and stand-out defensive play. Blades also was known for taunting and intimidating opposing players.
Blades was interviewed about his time at the University of Miami for the documentaryThe U, which premiered December 12, 2009 onESPN.
| Height | Weight | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) | 4.53 s | 1.64 s | 2.70 s | 4.18 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) | 15 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[1] | ||||||||||||
Following his graduation from theUniversity of Miami, Blades entered the1988 NFL draft and was selected in the first round with the third overall pick.[2] He spent ten seasons in the NFL. He played for theDetroit Lions from 1988 to 1996 and the 1997 season with theSeattle Seahawks, teaming up with his older brother,wide receiverBrian Blades, who also played collegiate football at the University of Miami.
During his time with the Lions, Blades was considered one of the most physical defensive backs in the NFL, even playing as a linebacker in certain passing situations toward the end of his career. Blades is widely considered to be one of the greatest defensive backs in Lions' history.
The Lions selected Blades with the third overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft, and he went on to earn NFL All-Rookie honors for the 1988 season. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1991 - in addition to receiving First-team All-NFL and First-team All-NFC honors. He was the Lions’ Defensive MVP in 1992 and led the team with 78 tackles in 1996.[3] He had two 100-tackle seasons in is first two seasons in Detroit.
An underrated professional player, Blades was a key component to the Lions’ defense that helped the team claim twoNFC Central titles, and a berth in the 1991 NFC Championship game. He was a defensive captain for five years in Detroit and his 815 career tackles place him second on the Lions’ all-time list.
| Interception Stats | Defense Stats | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Games | INTs | Yards | TD | FF | FR | Yards | TD | Sacks | Tackles | Safety |
| 1988 | Detroit Lions | 15 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 1.0 | 102 | 0 |
| 1989 | Detroit Lions | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 100 | 0 |
| 1990 | Detroit Lions | 12 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 83 | 0 |
| 1991 | Detroit Lions | 16 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 0.0 | 93 | 0 |
| 1992 | Detroit Lions | 16 | 3 | 56 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 95 | 0 |
| 1993 | Detroit Lions | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 23 | 0 |
| 1994 | Detroit Lions | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 71 | 0 |
| 1995 | Detroit Lions | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 69 | 1 |
| 1996 | Detroit Lions | 15 | 2 | 112 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 78 | 0 |
| 1997 | Seattle Seahawks | 10 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 58 | 0 |
| Totals | 136 | 14 | 230 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 43 | 0 | 5.0 | 772 | 1 | |
Blades' has a blended family of eight children, including three boys:Horatio (H. B.), Jaylen and Tylan, and five girls: Elice, Ashley, Amber, Bianca and Alyssa.
On September 25, 2015, Blades was inducted into GridIron Greats.[4]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)