| No. 14 | |||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1961-02-25)February 25, 1961 (age 64) Canton, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Hoover (North Canton, Ohio) | ||||||||
| College | Penn State (1979–1982) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1983: 1st round, 7th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Todd Alan Blackledge (born February 25, 1961) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for thePenn State Nittany Lions, leading them to a national championship. He was selected by theKansas City Chiefs with the seventh pick in the1983 NFL draft and also played for thePittsburgh Steelers. Blackledge is a college football television broadcaster, working forABC Sports from 1994 through 1998, forCBS Sports from 1999 to 2005,ESPN from 2006 through January 2023, andNBC since February 2023.
Blackledge's family moved toPrinceton, New Jersey, where his father worked as offensive coordinator for thePrinceton Tigers football team and Blackledge attendedPrinceton High School from 1975 to 1976.[1] He returned to the Canton area to finish his high school career atNorth Canton Hoover High School inNorth Canton, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1979.[citation needed]
Blackledge was a three-yearstarter atPenn State, under CoachJoe Paterno, where he guided theNittany Lions to a 31–5 record including anational championship in 1982.
Following the 1982 season, Blackledge won theDavey O'Brien Award for best quarterback in the nation. As a senior, Blackledge threw for 2,218 yards with 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while also rushing for three touchdowns.[2][3]
Blackledge led the Nittany Lions to the national championship with a 27–23 victory overHerschel Walker-led Georgia Bulldogs in the1983 Sugar Bowl. Blackledge was the MVP of the game, throwing for 228 yards and a 4th-quarter 47-yard touchdown toGregg Garrity.[4]
Blackledge was the seventh pick and second quarterback selected in the first round of the1983 NFL draft, chosen by theKansas City Chiefs. He was picked behindJohn Elway (#1, Baltimore) but ahead ofDan Marino (#27, Miami), astounding both Marino (who believed that he was better than Blackledge) and Blackledge himself (who had expected to be picked in the middle of the round).[5] He was also drafted ahead ofHall of FamerJim Kelly (#14 Buffalo), as well asTony Eason (#15, New England) andKen O'Brien (#22, New York Jets).[6] He was the last quarterback drafted in the first round by the Chiefs untilPatrick Mahomes three decades later.
Blackledge was a Chief for five seasons (1983–1987) before ending his career with thePittsburgh Steelers (1988–1989). He served mainly as a back-up toBill Kenney in Kansas City[7][8] starting only 24 of 40 possible games[9] and completing just 49% of his passes for 4,510 yards, 26 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.[10]
Blackledge was the backup toBubby Brister in Pittsburgh his final two seasons, going 2–3 in games started due to Brister's injury.[7]
Blackledge went on to hostradio sports talk shows inCleveland (WKNR) and Canton, Ohio (WHBC). He also did analyst work for theBig East Network,Indianapolis Colts preseason games, andESPN.
From 1994 to 1998, he worked as a college football analyst forABC Sports. In 1999, Blackledge joinedCBS Sports as the lead analyst for the network's college football coverage. On September 10, 2000, he called the Oakland Raiders and Indianapolis Colts game withGreg Gumbel as he filled in forPhil Simms who underwent an emergency appendectomy. In 2006, he began serving on the first team alongsideMike Patrick forESPN College Football Saturday Primetime onESPN. As part of his duties he is featured on "Todd's Taste of the Town", a segment where he visits a local restaurant and samples its fare. Blackledge has facetiously stated this is the most difficult part of his broadcasting experience.[citation needed]
Blackledge was teamed withBrad Nessler and sideline reporterErin Andrews for the 2009 season, while Patrick was teamed withCraig James and sideline reporterHeather Cox.
In the late 2010s, Blackledge was paired withSean McDonough, who returned to calling games at the college level after spending two seasons withMonday Night Football, andHolly Rowe, whom he had teamed with over the previous three years.Todd McShay joined their crew for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, withMolly McGrath joining for the latter season, and eventually replacing McShay for the 2022 season.
For the 2023 season,NBC Sports signed Blackledge as the color analyst on the newBig Ten Saturday Night package, partnering withNoah Eagle. The duo was also the #2 broadcast team for NBC'sNFL broadcasts, calling the Week 16 Bengals-Steelers game and the Browns-Texans Wild Card game on NBC in 2023, and the Week 1 Packers-Eagles game inSão Paulo, Brazil onPeacock in 2024.
In April 2014, Blackledge was hired as the head varsity basketball coach at Hoover High School in North Canton, Ohio.[11]
Blackledge is the son ofRon, a former NFL assistant coach.
Blackledge earned aBachelor of Arts in speech communication from Penn State in 1983, graduatingPhi Beta Kappa with a 3.8grade point average. Named a first-team AcademicAll-American, he was also awarded the Eric Walker Award, given to the Penn State senior student who has most "enhanced the esteem and recognition of the University." Blackledge was inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1997. He sits on theBoard of Visitors for Penn State's Center for Sports Journalism.[12]
Blackledge was selected to receive the prestigious 2008NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, recognizing former student-athletes who excelled both in their collegiate and professional careers.[12] On June 5, 2009, Blackledge received Penn State's prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award.[13]