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Tom Bland

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Tom Bland
Born:(1937-07-02)July 2, 1937
Wheeling, West Virginia
Died:March 8, 2021(2021-03-08) (aged 83)
Career information
StatusRetired
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)WR
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight170 lb (77 kg)
CollegeWest Liberty
High schoolWheeling High School
Career history
As coach
1979–1980UCF (OA)
1991–1992Orlando Predators (WR)
As player
1962–1964Wheeling Ironmen
1965Fort Wayne Warriors
1966–1969Orlando Panthers
1970Toronto Argonauts
Career highlights and awards
  • All-UFL (1963)
  • All-COFL (1969)
Career stats
Receptions29
Receiving yards480
Receiving touchdowns5

Thomas Robert Bland Sr. (July 2, 1937 – March 8, 2021) was an American football wide receiver who played in the Canadian Football League and several minor leagues.

College career

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Bland played both basketball and football at West Liberty College. He was inducted into West Liberty's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.[1]

Professional career

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After graduating from West Liberty, Bland joined the Wheeling Ironmen of the United Football League.[2] In 1963 he was named All-UFL after catching 55 passes for 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns.[3] Bland was signed away from Wheeling in 1965 by the Fort Wayne Warriors of the Continental Football League, which was founded after the UFL folded.[4] After one year in Fort Wayne he joined the Orlando Panthers. Bland was the Continental League's all-time leading receiver with 5,418 yards and 60 touchdown receptions.[5] In eight minor league seasons Bland had 455 receptions for 8,563 yards and 90 touchdowns.[6] Bland was inducted into the Minor League Football Hall of Fame in 1982.[7]

In 1970 he was signed by the Toronto Argonauts along with Orlando quarterback Don Jonas.[8] In his only CFL season, Bland caught 29 passes for 480 yards with 5 touchdowns.[9]

Post-playing career

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After his playing career ended, Bland returned to Florida and became a high school teacher and football coach. In 1979, he was hired as a member of his former teammate Don Jonas's coaching staff for the newly formed football program for the University of Central Florida and was an offensive assistant coach for the team's first two seasons.[10] Bland worked as the assistant director of football operations for the Tampa Bay Bandits and later was the player personnel director of the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League.[11] Bland became a collections agent after the USFL folded.[12] He later served as the receivers coach for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League in their inaugural season in 1991 before leaving the team after the 1992 season.[13]

Bland died on March 8, 2021.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Thomas Bland (1992)". hilltoppersports.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "A Moment of Glory: The Wheeling Ironmen" (PDF). Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  3. ^ "Bland Decides to Stay with Wheeling Pros". The Weirton Daily Times. April 28, 1964. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "Ground Battle Eyed With Ft. Wayne". Charleston Gazette. September 8, 1965. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Kubak, Ed (June 29, 2011). "Celebrating the Continental Football League". Sports Collectors Digest. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  6. ^ "Tom Bland". ProFootballArchives.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  7. ^ "Hall of Fame".
  8. ^ "Rookies Dominate Scoring in the EFC". Winnipeg Free Press. September 15, 1970. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  9. ^ Wallace, Craig (2005). A Slip in the Rain, the True Story of the 1967-72 Toronto Argonauts and the Fumble That Killed Canada's Team. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781411613928. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Thomas Robert Bland Sr". Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  11. ^ Clark, N. Brooks (November 29, 1982). "THIS SCOUTING COMBINE LOOKS OVER THE OVERLOOKED FOOTBALL PLAYERS". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  12. ^ Schmitz, Brian (August 24, 1986). "RECALLING ORLANDO PANTHERS: THEIR LEGEND IS QUITE MAJOR". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  13. ^ "1970 receiver Tom Bland passes away". argoalumni.com. Toronto Argonauts Alumni Association. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
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