Doc Blanchard

Felix Anthony "Doc" Blanchard (December 11, 1924 – April 19, 2009) was an American football player and serviceman who became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, and was the first football player to win the James E. Sullivan Award, all in 1945.

He played football for the Army Cadets, where he was known as "Mr. Inside".

Because his father was a physician, Felix Blanchard was nicknamed "Little Doc" as a boy.

Blanchard was born on December 11, 1924, in McColl, South Carolina.

His father was a doctor and had played college football at Tulane University and Wake Forest University.

The Blanchards moved from McColl, South Carolina, to Dexter, Iowa, in 1929.

Two years later, they settled in Bishopville, South Carolina.

Blanchard, nicknamed "Little Doc", attended high school at Saint Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Also appearing as themselves are 1940 Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon and sportscasters Bill Stern and Harry Wismer.

The screenplay was written by Tom Reed based on a story by Mary Howard.

Ralph Murphy directed.

He led the school's football team, the Rockachaws, to an undefeated season during his senior year in 1941.

Blanchard was recruited to play college football by Army, Fordham University and the University of Notre Dame, among others.

In 1943 after the United States became one of the Allies in World War II, Blanchard enlisted in the U.S. Army.

He was stationed in New Mexico with a chemical-warfare unit until enrolling at West Point in July 1944 in an appointment his father secured.

After his 1944 team lost to Army by a score of 59–0, McKeever said, "I've just seen Superman in the flesh. He wears number 35 and goes by the name of Blanchard."

An all-around athlete, Blanchard served as the placekicker and punter in addition to his primary roles as an offensive fullback and a linebacker on defense.

He soon teamed with Glenn Davis on the 1944–45–46 teams (Davis won the Heisman in 1946, the year after Blanchard won it).

They formed one of the most lethal rushing combinations in football history.

In his three seasons at West Point Blanchard scored 38 touchdowns, gained 1,908 yards and earned the nickname "Mr. Inside."

Teammate Davis earned the nickname "Mr. Outside" and in November 1945, they both shared the cover of Time magazine.

In addition to football, Blanchard was also a member of the Army track and field team, with a shot put championship and a ten-second 100-yard dash in 1945.

During his three years of playing football at West Point, his team under coach Earl "Red" Blaik compiled an undefeated 27–0–1 record – the tie being a famous 0–0 game against Notre Dame in 1946.

Notre Dame coach Edward McKeever was amazed by Blanchard.

In 1946, Blanchard missed the first two games of the season due to an injury to his knee.

In June 1946 his class was divided into two classes (1947 and 1948) to transition back to a peacetime four-year curriculum from the wartime three-year curriculum instituted in October 1942.

Blanchard had the opportunity to play professional football after being selected third overall in the 1946 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After football, he was a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, and served from 1947 until 1971, when he retired with the rank of colonel.

Both Blanchard and Davis were placed in the final three-year group, the Class of 1947 (Davis had entered West Point in July 1943 but was turned back a year in 1944 for a deficiency in mathematics).

In 1947, Blanchard played himself in the movie The Spirit of West Point.

His West Point teammate Glenn Davis also played himself in the film.

Other cast members include Robert Shayne as Coach Colonel Earl "Red" Blaik, Anne Nagel as Mrs. Blaik, George O'Hanlon as Joe Wilson, Michael Browne as Roger "Mileaway" McCarty, Tanis Chandler as Mildred, Mary Newton as Mrs. Mary Blanchard and William Forrest as Doc Blanchard's father, Dr. Felix Blanchard.

In 1947, Blanchard graduated from West Point, 296th in order of merit among 310 graduates, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.

He coached Army's freshman team in the 1950s, but he never played professional football, choosing a military career instead.

In 1984, at the awards ceremony marking the 50th Heisman Trophy presentation, Blanchard took the occasion to recall, in comparison to the big glitzy shows for the ceremony today, how he learned of his Heisman selection in 1945.

He said, "I got a telegram. It said, 'You've been selected to win the Heisman Trophy. Please wire collect.'"

Blanchard said in 1985 that he had been contacted about going to West Point when he was in high school.

He said, "At that point in time, I really wasn't interested. Academically, I never was too hot, so I never had any idea I would pass the entrance examination and go to West Point."

Instead, Blanchard chose to play for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, in part because its coach, Jim Tatum, was his mother's cousin.

Because NCAA rules at the time did not allow freshmen to play varsity, Blanchard played with the freshman team.