Blaine Nye
Encyclopedia
Blaine Francis Nye is a former American football
offensive lineman in the National Football League
and founder and president of Stanford Consulting Group, Inc. http://www.scginc.com, a firm specializing in economic research and providing expert opinions in business litigation.
at Servite High School
in Anaheim , CA , and college football
at Stanford University
.
In 1967 he was a First-Team All-Pac-8 selection and made All-AAWU Athletic Association of Western Universities Honorable Mention, while earning a B.A in physics.
He was inducted into the Stanford
Athletic Hall of Fame and was also named to the Stanford
's All-Century football
team and to Orange County Sports Hall Of Fame.
by the Dallas Cowboys
in the fifth round of the 1968 NFL Draft
as a defensive tackle. During the 1970
, the Cowboys needing help at the offensive line, he was switched to offensive guard. He played right guard between Hall of Famer offensive tackle Rayfield Wright
(1970–1976) and Dave Manders
(1970–1972) or John Fitzgerald
(1973–1976) at center and helped anchor a dominant offensive line that led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl
s in that time. He played in 125 games during his nine year career with the Cowboys, including the three Super Bowls and two Pro Bowls. Nye retired at the end of the 1976 season
after the 1977 Pro Bowl
and was replaced by Tom Rafferty
.
Nye was widely considered one of the smartest players in the NFL. Amidst the time and pressures of the regular season play, he managed to earned two master's degrees. Inside the team, he founded the "Zero Club" which prided itself on performing behind the scenes. Their first rule, "Thou Shalt Not Seek Publicity", kept their members (Nye, Larry Cole
and Pat Toomay
) out of the limelight. Although he didn't seek publicity, he is also known for providing some of the team's famous quotes:
and an M.B.A. from Stanford University
in 1974. After retiring from football in 1976, he earned a Ph.D. in finance in 1981 from Stanford Business School. His dissertation was titled "Demand and Pricing for Health Care and Guaranteed Insurability."http://searchworks.stanford.edu/vufind/Record/5605177
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive lineman in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and founder and president of Stanford Consulting Group, Inc. http://www.scginc.com, a firm specializing in economic research and providing expert opinions in business litigation.
Early years
Nye played high school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Servite High School
Servite High School
Servite High School is an all-boys, Roman Catholic college preparatory high school operated by the Order of Friar Servants of Mary . Located on a campus in Anaheim, California, USA, as of 2011 it had an enrollment of about 985 and about 9200 alumni. Its mascot is the Friar and its colors are black...
in Anaheim , CA , and college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
In 1967 he was a First-Team All-Pac-8 selection and made All-AAWU Athletic Association of Western Universities Honorable Mention, while earning a B.A in physics.
He was inducted into the Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Athletic Hall of Fame and was also named to the Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
's All-Century football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team and to Orange County Sports Hall Of Fame.
NFL career
Nye was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the fifth round of the 1968 NFL Draft
1968 NFL Draft
The 1968 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players on January 30–31.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
as a defensive tackle. During the 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, the Cowboys needing help at the offensive line, he was switched to offensive guard. He played right guard between Hall of Famer offensive tackle Rayfield Wright
Rayfield Wright
Larry Rayfield Wright is a former American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.-High school and college years:...
(1970–1976) and Dave Manders
Dave Manders
David Francis Manders was an American football center in the National Football League from 1964 through 1974. He played college football at Michigan State University...
(1970–1972) or John Fitzgerald
John Fitzgerald
-American football:*John Fitzgerald , former Dallas Cowboys center*John Fitzgerald , former quarterback with the af2's Austin Wranglers* John Fitzgerald , former University of Central Oklahoma lineman...
(1973–1976) at center and helped anchor a dominant offensive line that led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s in that time. He played in 125 games during his nine year career with the Cowboys, including the three Super Bowls and two Pro Bowls. Nye retired at the end of the 1976 season
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
after the 1977 Pro Bowl
1977 Pro Bowl
The 1977 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on January 17, 1977 at the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington. The final score was AFC 24, NFC 14. Mel Blount of the Pittsburgh Steelers was the game's MVP....
and was replaced by Tom Rafferty
Tom Rafferty
Thomas Michael Rafferty is a former American football offensive lineman in the NFL. He attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Manlius, New York, and went on to start four years for coach Joe Paterno at Penn State University earning All-American honors in 1975.-Early years:Rafferty attended...
.
Nye was widely considered one of the smartest players in the NFL. Amidst the time and pressures of the regular season play, he managed to earned two master's degrees. Inside the team, he founded the "Zero Club" which prided itself on performing behind the scenes. Their first rule, "Thou Shalt Not Seek Publicity", kept their members (Nye, Larry Cole
Larry Cole
Larry Rudolph Cole is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League who played his entire professional career with the Dallas Cowboys. He played in five Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl VI and XII...
and Pat Toomay
Pat Toomay
Patrick Jay Toomay was an American football defensive end who played 10 years in the National Football League for four different teams: the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Oakland Raiders...
) out of the limelight. Although he didn't seek publicity, he is also known for providing some of the team's famous quotes:
- "Offensive linemen are like salt. Nobody ever remembers the brand they buy".
- After Clint Longley's famous comeback win on thanksgiving day in 19741974 NFL seasonThe 1974 NFL season was the 55th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl IX when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings...
, a reporter asked him what the game meant, his answer was "This game represents the triumph of the uncluttered mind".
Life after Football
During the off-season Nye earned a M.S. in physics in 1970 from University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and an M.B.A. from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1974. After retiring from football in 1976, he earned a Ph.D. in finance in 1981 from Stanford Business School. His dissertation was titled "Demand and Pricing for Health Care and Guaranteed Insurability."http://searchworks.stanford.edu/vufind/Record/5605177