AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: The video above was published in 2019.
Former Texas A&I (now Texas A&M University - Kingsville) football player and seven-year NFL running back, Sidney Blanks, died Sunday evening in his home in Webster, Texas near Houston at 80 years old.
Blanks, born in Del Rio in 1941, is the father of former University of Texas basketball player Lance Blanks, and upon accepting his football scholarship to play at Texas A&I University in 1960, became the first African American to play at an integrated school on a football scholarship in the state of Texas.
Sidney Blanks played for Texas A&I University from 1960 to 1963 and was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1964. He spent seven years in the NFL, playing for both the Oilers and then later for the New England Patriots.
Sidney Blanks was also inducted into the Texas A&I Hall of Fame in 1981, the Lone Star Conference Hall of Fame in 2002 and Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
In 1997, Sidney Blanks was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. It's believed to be related to head injuries from football.
In 2019, Lance Blanks teamed up with Michael Butterworth, the director of the Center for Sports Communication and Media at the University of Texas, for a symposium about head trauma and football. Riley Blanks, Sidney Blanks' granddaughter, produced a video on YouTube called "Love and Parkinson's."
The video documents how this disease affects loved ones and those who care for a loved one battling Parkinson's Disease.
Texas Athletics officials said that in lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Sidney Blanks can be made to the nonprofit Ron Brown Scholar Program (RBSP). RBSP is a national college scholarship and leadership program for African American students. Donations can be made online at www.ronbrown.org or by check made payable to the Ron Brown Scholar Fund and mailed to 485 Hillsdale Drive, Suite 206, Charlottesville, VA 22901. Please designate your gift "In Memory of Sidney Blanks."
Friends and family interested in information on Sidney Blanks' celebration of life are encouraged to follow Sid’s granddaughter Riley Blanks Reed’s Facebook or Instagram.
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