Eddie Blair

Eddie Blair

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Personal information
Date of birth: (1871-08-05)August 5, 1871
Place of birth: Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Date of death: March 8, 1913(1913-03-08) (aged 41)
Place of death: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Career information
College: Penn, Saint Vincent College
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
*Latrobe Athletic Association (1895–1897)
Career highlights and awards
N/A

James Edward Blair (August 5, 1871 – March 8, 1913) was an early professional football player with the Latrobe Athletic Association. He was also a skilled surgeon. He later relocated to Burlington, New Jersey. He took a prominent part in the city council for a time and was a surgeon for the Third Battalion of the New Jersey National Guard. He was a charter member of the Burlington Elks Lodge and was a thirty-second degree Mason. He also was affiliated with the Sons of Veterans.

Football

Blair began his career with the Latrobe A. A. in 1895 as an amateur player. However, his major claim to fame came when a scheduling conflict led to him being replaced by John Brallier, who became the first openly professional football player.

In 1895 Blair found himself in a scheduling conflict. Edward, who also played baseball in nearby Greensburg, discovered it that the team's first football game against the Jeannette Athletic Association conflicted with a prior baseball commitment. Latrobe manager David Berry, who was now seeking a replacement for Blair, had heard of Brallier's performance as the Indiana Normal quarterback and signed him to play in the game for $10 plus expenses.

Blair coached the Sewanee: The University of the South team in 1896.

College

Blair attended Saint Vincent College, located in Latrobe. He graduated from that school in 1892. Afterwards he attended the University of Pennsylvania where he played college football and college baseball. During his time at Penn, Blair played halfback on the football team and was a three year varsity player on the baseball team.

Family

Edward was born in 1871 to Mr. and Mrs. John C. Blair, both of whom outlived him. He had two brothers, both of whom he outlived: Charles Richard Blair and Paul Blair, who also played on the Latrobe team. He had a wife and a son, who was seven at the time of his death.^{[citation needed]}

Sources

• Van Atta, Robert (1980). "Latrobe, PA: Cradle of Pro Football". Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association) 2 (Annual): 1–21. Archived from the original on 2009-03-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20090326165729/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-An-052.pdf.
• "Dr. J. Edward Blair Dies In Phila. Hospital". The Latrobe, PA "Bulletin (March 9). 1913.

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