Blaine Nye

Last updated

Blaine Nye
Dr Blaine Nye PhD 12 2008.jpg
Nye in 2008
No. 61
Position Guard
Personal information
Born (1946-03-29) March 29, 1946 (age 79)
Ogden, Utah, U.S.
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight251 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school Servite (Anaheim, California)
College Stanford
NFL draft 1968: 5th round, 130th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Games played125
Games started96
Fumble recoveries3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Blaine Francis Nye (born March 29, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, known then as the Indians.

Contents

Early life

Nye was born March 29, 1946, in Ogden, Utah. [1] His father Blaine Sr. was a career United States Marine, who served as a gunnery sergeant at El Toro Marine Air Station in Nye's youth. [2]

Nye played football at Servite High School in Anaheim, California, and graduated in 1964. [3] He was a two-way player on the school's football team for three years. He was a 170 lb (77.1 kg) or 190 lb (86.2 kg) starting tackle as a sophomore in 1961. [4] [5] He was a 210 lb (95.3 kg) tackle as a junior in 1962, and was named first-team All-Angelus League at both offensive tackle and defensive tackle. [6] By his senior year (1963) he was 230 lb (104.3 kg). Servite had an 8–1 record, losing only to the Angelus League champions (Mater Dei). [2] That year he was first-team All-Angelus League at defensive tackle and second team All-Orange County at offensive tackle. [2] [7] He was also lineman of the week five times with Servite. [8] He appeared in the August 1964 Orange County Prep All-Star Game at tackle. [9]

Nye also played center on Servite's basketball team, that won a championship. [10] [9] As a 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) senior at center, he was named second-team All-Angelus League. [11] He was also an over .300 hitter on the school's baseball team, playing first base. [2]

Nye was an honor student, and graduated as his class valedictorian in 1964, No. 1 in his class. In 1979, Servite honored him with a Blaine Nye Night. [12] [2]

College career

Nye was pursued by the United States Naval Academy and other colleges, but he accepted an academic scholarship from Stanford University, where he would also play football under head coach John Ralston. [8] [2] He was a starting tackle on the freshman team in 1964. [13] As a 235 lb (106.6 kg) sophomore in 1965, Nye began the season at defensive end, but Ralston moved him to offensive tackle as part of an effort to improve the offense. [14] [15] He played at both tackle and end on the offensive line, and played more minutes than any other Stanford sophomore. He had five pass receptions for 67 yards that season. [16] In an October 1965 game against the Oregon Ducks, Nye caught a touchdown pass on a tackle-eligible play (one of two such touchdown plays in that game), helping Stanford upset Oregon to win, 17–14. [17]

As a junior, Ralston originally planned to use Nye at right offensive tackle. [18] He believed Nye had the strength and speed to become a top offensive tackle, while recognizing Nye had the ability to fill in at other positions if necessary; though Ralston preferred him on the offensive line. [16] An early season injury affected Stanford's lineup, and after the Cardinals first game against San Jose State Ralston made Nye Stanford's starting defensive left tackle. [19] [20] [21]

As a junior in 1966, Nye led the team with 104 tackles and received honorable mention All-Pac-8 honors.[ citation needed ] United Press International (UPI) named him All-Pacific Coast honorable mention at offensive tackle, in 1966. [22] The Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) likewise named him honorable mention All-Conference in 1966, but at defensive tackle. [23] As a junior, he missed two or three games with a leg injury, before rejoining the team at defensive tackle. [24] [25]

As a senior in 1967, UPI named Nye first-team All-Pacific Eight Conference at defensive tackle. [26] The Associated Press (AP) named him an honorable mention All-American. [27] Nye also was honorable mention All-AAWU in 1967. [28] He was named Northern California's top defensive lineman in 1967. [29] In the December 1967 Hula Bowl, Nye was a starting defensive end for the South college all-stars. [30] That same December, he also was a starting defensive tackle in the East West Shrine Game in San Francisco. [31]

Nye earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Stanford. [28] He also played rugby at Stanford. [32] [13]

Professional career

Nye was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (130th overall) of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft as a defensive tackle. [33] Nye played in 27 games during his first two seasons with the Cowboys (1968 and 1969), but did not start any games. [1] He barely made the team as a rookie guard in 1968. Most of his play was on special teams during those two seasons, playing guard for only a half-dozen plays in two years. [34]

Although Nye had played principally at defensive tackle his last two years at Stanford, in drafting him the Cowboys believed that he lacked the speed and quickness to play on defense. They instead believed he could become an offensive guard in the NFL. Cowboys' offensive line coach Jack Myers said Nye's high intelligence, along with his great strength and balance were the qualities the team saw that led them to this conclusion; and in fact, those qualities later made Nye a successful guard for the Cowboys. Myers also found that the coaches never had to repeat themselves with Nye, he did not make mistakes, and he was highly consistent as a player. [34]

In 1968 and 1969, John Wilbur had been the Cowboys' starting right guard. [35] Wilbur was a 1966 Stanford graduate, and had been Nye’s college teammate. [36] [37] Going into the 1970 season, the Cowboys planned to move 1969 All-Pro Ralph Neely from tackle to guard and move future Hall of Fame tackle Rayfield Wright [38] into Neely's old tackle spot. Originally, Wilbur and 1969 All-Pro guard John Niland were available to play the other guard position, with Tony Liscio to play the other tackle position. [39] Coach Tom Landry traded Wilbur to the Washington Redskins in late August, before the season started, intending to start Wright and Liscio at tackle and Neely and Niland at guard. [40] [41]

Early in the 1970 season, Neely was injured. Landry chose Nye to replace Neely as the Cowboys' starting right guard. Tackle Liscio was subsequently injured, and once Neely recovered he was used at tackle to replace Liscio, with Nye remaining as a starting guard. [34] [42] Nye started 12 games that season, and went on to start every Cowboys' game at right guard from 1971 through 1976, when he retired. [1] In 1970, Nye played between Wright at tackle [38] and center Dave Manders. [43] Nye played next to Wright for the remainder of Nye's career. [44] In 1971, Neely went to left tackle where he was a Cowboys starter until he retired in 1977; and Niland remained the team's starting left guard from 1971 to 1975. [45] [46]

In 1970, the Cowboys led the NFL in total rushing yardage. [47] After winning the first National Football Conference (NFC) championship after the 1970 season, [48] the Cowboys reached Super Bowl V on January 17, 1971, losing to the Baltimore Colts, 16–13. Nye started at right guard in the Super Bowl. [49] The Cowboys reached the Super Bowl again the following season, this time defeating the Miami Dolphins, 24–3. [50] In 1971, they had led the NFL in points scored and total yards. [51] In Super Bowl VI, the Cowboys had 252 rushing yards against the Dolphins, often gained behind the "devastating sweeps" of Nye and Niland; bringing the two guards to national attention. [34]

In 1972, Nye was named to the first-team Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) All-Pro team. [52] The 1972 Cowboys went to the NFC championship, losing to the Washington, 26–3; again with Nye at starting right guard. [53] In the 1973 season, the Cowboys once again reached the NFC championship game, losing to the Minnesota Vikings, 27–10. Once more Nye started at right guard. [54] Nye was selected to play in the 1974 Pro Bowl. [55] The following season (1974), the Cowboys missed the playoffs, [56] but still led the NFL in total yards and rushing yards. [57] They reached the Super Bowl again in the 1975 season, losing Super Bowl X to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21–17; Nye starting in his final Super Bowl appearance. [58] [59]

In 1976, Nye's final season, he was named to the All-NFC team and the Pro Bowl. The January 17, 1977 Pro Bowl game would be his last game in the NFL. [60] [61] [62] Nye announced his retirement on July 23, 1977. [63] He was replaced by Tom Rafferty. [64]

Legacy and honors

During his seven years as a starting guard (1970–1976) Nye helped anchor a dominant offensive line that led the Cowboys to five NFC championship games and three Super Bowls. [49] [50] [59] [65] He played in 125 games during his nine-year career with the Cowboys, starting 96. He played all of his games under future Hall of Fame head coach Tom Landry. [66] [67] Jim Myers was Nye's offensive line coach during his first two seasons, and then Nye's offensive coordinator for the remainder of Nye's career. [68]

Nye was widely considered one of the smartest players in the NFL. Amidst the time and pressure of regular-season play, he earned two master's degrees. Inside the team, he founded the "Zero Club", which prided itself on performing behind the scenes. Its first rule, "Thou Shalt Not Seek Publicity", kept its members (Nye, Larry Cole, and Pat Toomay) out of the limelight. [69] [70] Although he did not seek publicity, he is also known for providing some of the team's famous quotes:

Nye was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame, named first-team on the Stanford All-Century Football Team (1991) and inducted into the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame. [3] [73] [74] [75]

Personal life

During the offseasons, Nye earned a M.S. in physics from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1970, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University in 1974. [76] [34] After retiring from football in 1976, he earned a Ph.D. in finance from Stanford in 1981. His dissertation was titled "Demand and Pricing for Health Care and Guaranteed Insurability". [77]

In 1981, Nye founded Stanford Consulting Group, Inc. [78] [77] He performs numerous economic analyses and research, and provides expert testimony in multiple areas including securities litigation, intellectual property, business litigation, damages, and insurance economics. [78]

His son Blaine played college football at the United States Air Force Academy and his son Zachary played college football at Princeton University, both at offensive tackle. [79] Zachary went on to earn a Ph. D., and to work with Nye at the Stanford Consulting Group. [78]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Blaine Nye Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 West, Eddie (April 30, 1964). "West Winds, Stanford Gets Servite's Blaine Nye". The Register (Santa Ana, California). pp. B14.
  3. 1 2 "Blaine Nye". Anaheim, California: Servite High School. Alumni Spotlight. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ Lucero, John (October 26, 1961). "Mater Dei, Servite Clash For First Time At Bowl". The Register (Santa Ana, California). pp. B14.
  5. ↑ "Servite Battle St. Paul Tonight". Anaheim Bulletin (Anaheim, California). October 21, 1961. pp. C-2.
  6. ↑ "Mater Dei Puts 11 On All-Angelus". The Register (Santa Ana, California). November 29, 1962. pp. B14.
  7. ↑ "Carrillo, Lawrence Named County's Top Players". The Bulletin (Anaheim, California). November 22, 1963. pp. C-3.
  8. 1 2 "Studying The Stars". The Register (Santa Ana, California). July 23, 1964. pp. B13.
  9. 1 2 West, Eddie (August 13, 1964). "West Winds, Expect 8000 For All-Star". The Register (Santa Ana, California). pp. B12.
  10. ↑ Vollman, Tim (December 13, 1963). "Orange Defeats Servite, Friars Fight For Third". The Bulletin (Anaheim, California). pp. C2.
  11. ↑ "Juniors Dominate All-Angelus Team". The Bulletin (Anaheim, California). February 28, 1964. pp. C2.
  12. ↑ "Servite-St. Paul Vie on Blaine Nye Night". The Los Angeles Times. October 18, 1979. pp. 18, Part III.
  13. 1 2 Johnson, Pitch (January 8, 1965). "Injuns host rugby clinic Saturday". Palo Alto Times (Palo Alto, California). p. 25.
  14. ↑ Gamage, Walt (October 1, 1965). "Cards expect aerial attack". Palo Alto Times (Palo Alto, California). p. 24.
  15. ↑ McAllaster, Alan (November 27, 1965). "Big Grid Year For Tribe Forecast". Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California). pp. 16B.
  16. 1 2 Ralston, John (August 16, 1966). "Ralston presents: Blaine Nye". Palo Alto Times (Palo Alto, California). p. 22.
  17. ↑ "Tackle-Eligibles Help Indians Upset Oregon in PAC; 17–14". Daily News-Post (Monrovia, California). October 11, 1965. p. 8.
  18. ↑ Daniel, Bob (September 8, 1966). "From the Sidelines". Citizen News (Hollywood, California). pp. B-3.
  19. ↑ "Washington named player of the week". Palo Alto Times (Palo Alto, California). September 21, 1966. p. 47.
  20. ↑ "Stanford Soph Has Surgery". Gazette-Times (Corvallis, Oregon). United Press International. September 21, 1966. p. 16.
  21. ↑ "1966 Stanford Cardinal Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Trojans still strong on All-Coast team". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. United Press International. November 29, 1966. p. 8.
  23. ↑ "Troy Dominates Coast All-Stars". San Francisco Chronicle. December 9, 1966. p. 54.
  24. ↑ "Cal. Back Hurt Out For Season". San Francisco Chronicle. November 9, 1966. p. 55.
  25. ↑ West, Eddie (November 10, 1966). "West Winds, The Stanford Story". The Register (Santa Ana, California). pp. B14.
  26. ↑ "Beban Heads AAWU Team". The Times (San Mateo, California). United Press International. December 6, 1967. p. 38.
  27. ↑ "Complete Grid Selections". The Idaho Daily-Statesman (Boise, Idaho). Associated Press. December 8, 1967. pp. 5-C.
  28. 1 2 Noland, Dave (November 19, 1990). "Physics and football were his fortes". Sports Illustrated. p. 140. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Beban Gets '2nd Chance' Today In East-West Game". Anaheim Bulletin (Anaheim, California). December 30, 1967. pp. C1.
  30. ↑ "Beban heads Hula South squad". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. December 20, 1967. pp. C-8.
  31. ↑ "West Shrine Selections Announced". The Waco News-Tribune (Waco, Texas). Associated Press. December 5, 1967. pp. 2-B.
  32. ↑ "Blaine Nye - 1967-68 - Men's Rugby". Stanford Recreation. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  33. ↑ "1968 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 Gustkey, Earl (December 21, 1973). "Blain Nye: Dallas' Cool Intellect". The Los Angeles Times. pp. 12, Part III.
  35. ↑ "John Wilbur Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  36. ↑ Loverro, Thom (January 6, 2014). "Remembering an American original in former Redskin John Wilbur". The Washington Times. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  37. ↑ "1965 Stanford Cardinal Roster". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  38. 1 2 "Rayfield Wright | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Dallas Still Fights For 'Big One'". Green Bay Press-Gazette (Green Bay , Wisconsin). Associated Press. August 22, 1970. pp. B-1.
  40. ↑ Fite, Ed (August 26, 1970). "Dallas Cowboys hope to rope Super Bowl berth". The Columbus Telegram (Columbus, Nebraska). United Press International. p. 25.
  41. ↑ Buttram, Bill (January 3, 1973). "Wilbur gets his revenge". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. p. 8. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  42. ↑ "1970 Dallas Cowboys Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  43. ↑ "1970 Dallas Cowboys Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  44. ↑ "Rayfield Wright Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  45. ↑ "Ralph Neely Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  46. ↑ "John Niland Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  47. ↑ "1970 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  48. ↑ "Championship - Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers - January 3rd, 1971". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  49. 1 2 "Super Bowl V - Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Colts - January 17th, 1971". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  50. 1 2 "Super Bowl VI - Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins - January 16th, 1972". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  51. ↑ "1971 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  52. ↑ "1972 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  53. ↑ "1972 Dallas Cowboys Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  54. ↑ "NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys - December 30th, 1973". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  55. ↑ "1974 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  56. ↑ "1974 Dallas Cowboys Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  57. ↑ "1974 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  58. ↑ "1975 Dallas Cowboys Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  59. 1 2 "Super Bowl X - Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - January 18th, 1976". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  60. ↑ "1976 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  61. ↑ "1976 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  62. ↑ "Steelers 'Steal' The NFC Blind". Post-Bulletin (Rochester, Minnesota). January 18, 1977. p. 23.
  63. ↑ "Blaine Nye Is Retiring". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. July 24, 1977. p. 29. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  64. ↑ "1977 Dallas Cowboys Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  65. ↑ Spagnola, Mickey. "For All The Skill Players, Cowboys' Offensive Success Relies On The 'Engine'". www.dallascowboys.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  66. ↑ "Tom Landry Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  67. ↑ "Tom Landry | Pro Football Hall of Fame | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  68. ↑ "Jim Myers Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  69. ↑ Chick, Bob (October 4, 1977). "To be dull is the thing". St. Petersburg Independent. Florida. p. 1C. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  70. ↑ "Cole steps into limelight with retirement". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. March 28, 1981. p. 24. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  71. ↑ "Blaine Nye Quote: "Offensive linemen are like salt. Nobody ever remembers the brand they buy."". quotefancy.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  72. ↑ "Greatest 25: The Mad Bomber Strikes, 1974". www.dallascowboys.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  73. ↑ Penner, Mike (November 16, 1983). "The County's Biggest Star Wore One On His Helmet". The Los Angeles Times. pp. 10, Part III.
  74. ↑ Willse, Hudson (January 9, 1992). "Pete, Pat picks for All-Cardinals". The Montana Standard (Butte, Montana). p. 9.
  75. ↑ "Plunkett elected as Stanford's Player of the Century". Oakland Tribune. November 24, 1991. pp. C-3.
  76. ↑ "Stanford GSB Athletic Champions". Stanford Business. September 25, 1980. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  77. 1 2 Noland, Dave (November 19, 1990). "Blaine Nye Was Always A Standout Student". Sports Illustrated.
  78. 1 2 3 "Experts". Stanford Consulting Group. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  79. ↑ Herrin, Rick (November 9, 2005). "Former guard now fights his battles in courtroom". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 5-B.
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