Of course, Blanchard never got the chance to play for Tatum because freshmen couldn’t play on the varsity at that time. Thus, what little we know about Blanchard’s lone year in Chapel Hill is that he played football for the freshman team and he joined Sigma Nu.
After enlisting in the Army in 1943, Blanchard was stationed in New Mexico for a time before arriving at West Point a year later.
The rest is history. Combined in the backfield with Glenn Davis, Blanchard became “Mr. Inside” to Davis’ “Mr. Outside.” In three seasons together, Blanchard and Davis led the Cadets to an overall record of 27-0-1, with the only blemish being a 0-0 draw with Notre Dame in a legendary 1946 game at Yankee Stadium. Army won the national championship all three seasons.
In 1945, Blanchard won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first junior to do so. That same season, he also won the Maxwell Award – given to college football’s best player – and the Sullivan Award, given to the best amateur athlete in America. “Mr. Inside” became the first college football player to earn the Sullivan Award.
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1946, Blanchard attempted to get a furlough to play professionally. It was not granted, and he became a fighter pilot in the Air force. He flew missions during the Vietnam War before retiring in 1971.