Tom Blake obit

TOM BLAKE Has Died

 

He was not on the list.

Thomas Clinton Blake (July 19, 1927 – September 29, 2020) was an American professional football tackle who played for the New York Bulldogs. He played college football at the University of Tennessee and the University of Cincinnati, having previously attended Middletown High School in Ohio.

Blake, a 1945 Middletown High School graduate, returned to his hometown roots after a short professional football career, founded Blake Steel in 1965, served three terms on Middletown City Commission and chaired the commission from 1976-1981 and volunteered on numerous boards.

 

Thomas Clinton Blake made Middletown better.

 

Thousands of words have been used to describe Blake — some from his business competitors and those who lost to him at Gin probably not suited for a family newspaper — but “the perfect role model” best illustrates what Blake has meant to his family and community.

After high school, Blake, an offensive tackle, attended the University of Tennessee and graduated in 1949 from the University of Cincinnati, which inducted him into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

 

He played for the New York Bulldogs professional football team, and he was one of the oldest living professional football players.

 

No one outside his family probably knows Blake better than Dennis Vitori, who after a 30-year business association still meets Blake once a week for lunch. They have been friends for 50 years.

 

No. 64

Position           Offensive tackle

Personal information

Born    July 19, 1927

Bushton, Illinois, U.S.

Died    September 29, 2020 (aged 93)[1]

Middletown, Ohio, U.S.

Listed height   6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

Listed weight  220 lb (100 kg)

Career information

High school     Middletown (Ohio)

College            Tennessee (1945)

Cincinnati (1947–1948)

NFL draft        1950: 30th round, 379th overall pick

Career history

Erie Vets (1949)

New York Bulldogs (1949)

 

Position:

Football

Inducted:

1998

Stalwart offensive lineman on the successful UC teams of the late 1940s.

After playing as a freshman at Tennessee during World War II, he joined the UC varsity in 1946 and became the starting left tackle on the team that posted a 9-2 record and defeated Virginia Tech in the Sun Bowl.

Switched to right tackle for his final two seasons and earned a reputation for his hard-nosed play.

Team captain as a senior.

Inducted into the Sigma Sigma honorary.

UC Athletic Hall of Fame 1998