National Award Winners: No. 36 Bennie Blades

1987 JIM THORPE AWARD WINNER

•  Awarded the Jim Thorpe Award for the best defensive back in college football, which was created in 1986. It was conceived by former Oklahoma City talk show host Ed Sossen and W. Lynne Draper, the Jim Thorpe Association executive director. 

•  Led the ’87 Hurricanes to the national championship and a 12-0 record 

•  Made 124 tackles and intercepted five passes

•  Named a consensus First-Team All-America and ended his career as UM’s all-time leader for interceptions (19) and interception return yards (305). He also set UM records for consecutive games with an interception (5); total tackles by a safety (286) and unassisted tackles by a safety (155). 

•  Led the nation in interceptions in 1986 (.91 per game) and became a first-round draftee of the Detroit Lions (the 3rd pick overall) in the 1988 NFL Draft.

•  Shared the Thorpe Award with Oklahoma’s Rickey Dixon. Both finished with 144 points in balloting by a 15-member committee. Florida State’s Deion Sanders was third in the voting with 125 points.

Blades’ 1987 Game-By-Game Stats