J.T. "Blondy" Black

Position(s) Fullback
Born	August 20, 1920(1920-08-20) Philadelphia, Mississippi
Died	May 4, 2000 (aged 79)
Career information
Year(s)	1946–1947
NFL Draft	1943 / Round: 2 / Pick: 13 (By the Brooklyn Dodgers)
College	Mississippi State University
Professional teams
Buffalo Bisons (1946) Baltimore Colts (1947)
Career stats
Rushing attempts-yards	6-49
Receptions-yards	2-28
Touchdowns	0
Stats at NFL.com
Career highlights and awards
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (1976)

John Thomas "Blondy" Black (August 20, 1920 – May 4, 2000) was a professional American football player.

Black was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He attended Mississippi State University from 1939 to 1942, where he played football and ran track. He was the offensive cornerstone of MSU's only undefeated football team in 1940. While competing for MSU, he held a school record for running the 100 yard dash in 9.6 seconds in 1941. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry during his varsity football career. Black holds the MSU record for highest yards per rush average in a single game (19.5) and in a season (6.9), both set in 1942. He was a two-time All-SEC selection in 1941 and 1942 and was a UPI All-American in 1943. He also was a three-year letterman in track.

While serving in the military during World War II, Black played professional football under the assumed name of Mike Matiza. In 1946, he played for the Buffalo Bisons, and in 1947 for the Baltimore Colts.^[1]

Following his football career, Black was a land developer and businessman and owned an automobile dealership in Yazoo City in the 1950s.^[2]

He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.msfame.com/hof_inductees.html Retrieved 2008-11-30.
2. ^ http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/alumnus/fall00/44obit.html Retrieved 2008-10-18.

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