- published: 01 Oct 2010
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The Blanda is a river in Iceland which flows northwards from the northwest side of the Hofsjökull glacier into Húnaflói bay at Blönduós. The Blanda is one of the longest rivers in the country, with a length of about 125 km, and has a catchment area estimated at 2370 km². Its source is calculated to lie at a height of 800 m. The river is one of the main salmon rivers in Iceland and has often yielded a catch of almost 3000 salmon in one summer. Before the river was dammed in 1990 the salmon spawning grounds reached almost to the foot of the glacier. Blanda hydrolelectric power station uses the drop of the river to generate up to 150MW of power.
Mouth of Blanda river emptying into Húnaflói, November 2007
Blanda river flowing through Blönduós
Blanda river, flowing beneath Langadalsfjall
Coordinates: 65°39′40″N 20°18′00″W / 65.66111°N 20.3°W / 65.66111; -20.3
George Frederick Blanda ("The Grand Old Man") (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker. The son of a Slovak-born Pittsburgh-area coal miner, Blanda has the distinction of having played 26 seasons of Professional Football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement. Blanda retired from pro football in 1976. He was one of only three players to play in four different decades, and he holds the record for most extra points kicked. He was married to Betty Harris from December 17, 1949 until his death on September 27, 2010. He had two children.
Blanda was a quarterback and kicker at the University of Kentucky. Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who later won fame and set countless records at conference rivals Alabama, arrived in his sophomore year, following a 1–9 season. The Wildcats lost three games in each of the next three years.
When, years later on a return to the University of Kentucky, recalling the time he met Bryant, Blanda said: "I thought this must be what God looks like."