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Justin Christopher Blalock (born December 20, 1983) is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...
who played eight seasons with the Atlanta Falcons of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
(NFL). He played college football for the
University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, where he earned All-American honors. The Falcons chose him in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft.


Early years

Blalock was born in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...
. He attended
Plano East Senior High School Plano East Senior High School (commonly known as East, Plano East, or PESH) is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas (USA) serving high school juniors and seniors, as well as freshmen and sophomores as a part of the IB World School (begin ...
in the Dallas suburb of
Plano Plano may refer to: Native Americans * Plano cultures, the Late Paleo-Indian hunter-gatherer societies of the Great Plains of North America ** Plano point, the chipped stone tools of the Plano cultures Places in the United States * Plano, Califo ...
. He was three-year starter at offensive guard, but also saw playing time at defensive tackle. As a sophomore in 1999, Blalock was named second-team all-district after recording 151
pancake block The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see ''Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...
s, as he helped lead Plano East to an 11–3 record and the Texas 5A Division II state quarterfinals that season. The offensive lineman was named all-district and all-area as a junior after registering 130 knockdowns. In 2001, Blalock posted 134 knockdown blocks, did not allow a sack and opened holes for an offense that averaged nearly 300 rushing yards per game. His top game of season was a 21-pancake performance vs.
Plano Senior High School Plano Senior High School (commonly Plano, Plano Senior High, or PSHS) is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas, serving students in grades 11– 12. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primari ...
. Blalock was also an outstanding
track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
athlete in the
shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
and
discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by t ...
, where he was selected all-state. He captured the Region II-5A shot put title with a toss of 58-8½ in 2002 and finished fourth (55-2½) at the 2002 UIL Championships (Class 5A). He also registered the third-best throw (63-2½ or 19.28m) in the state as a senior (all classes) and placed fifth in the shot (61-6) at the 1999 Texas 5A Championships. Blalock was selected to play in the 2002
U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...
. He also earned first-team All-American honors from ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...
'' as a senior, and was also a first-team Class 5A All-State, all-area and all-district selection. The ''
Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' rated him as the nation's top offensive lineman prospect as well as the No. 15 high school prospect overall.


College career

Blalock attended the University of Texas, where he played for coach
Mack Brown William Mack Brown (born August 27, 1951) is an American college football coach. He is currently in his second stint as the head football coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels football, University of North Carolina, where he first coached fro ...
's
Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin (variously Texas or UT) in the sport of American football. The Texas Longhorns, Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Football ...
team from 2002 to 2006. As a redshirt freshman in 2003, Blalock started all 13 games at right tackle and was named first-team Freshman All-America by the Football Writers Association of America and The Sporting News. He also started all 12 games his sophomore year at right tackle and was named first-team All-Big 12 by the Big 12 coaches and the Austin American-Statesman. Blalock again manned the right tackle position in 2004. He was chosen first-team All-Big 12 Conference by the league's coaches and the Austin American-Statesman, adding second-team accolades from The Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and San Antonio Express-News. He led an offensive line that cleared the way for Texas to rank second in the nation in rushing (299.2 ypg), seventh in total offense (464.4 ypg) and 12th in scoring (35.3 ppg). Texas' 3,590 rushing yards that season was the third-highest total in school history. As a junior in 2005, he again started all 13 games at right tackle and was named
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
by
College Football News ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includ ...
and a third-team All-America by The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...
. Also named first-team All-Big 12 by The Associated Press, Austin American-Statesman, Big 12 Coaches, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Kansas City Star. He was part of the NCAA National Championship Football team and contributed to the now legendary victory at The Rose Bowl in January 2006. As a senior during 2006 Blalock was voted team captain and continued to lead the Texas Longhorns in exemplary leadership and athletic consistency. He was a unanimous
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
All-America choice in 2006. On November 24, 2006, Blalock became the first Longhorn in school history to start 50 consecutive games. An excellent student, Blalock was a member of the UT Athletics Director's Honor Roll in fall 2004. He was also one of five finalists for the 2002 Watkins Award, which is presented to the nation's top African-American high school scholar-athlete. Blalock graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in December 2006 with his degree in youth and community studies and a minor in business.


Professional career

Blalock scored a 41 on the
Wonderlic The Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test (formerly Wonderlic Personnel Test) is an assessment used to measure the cognitive ability and problem-solving aptitude of prospective employees for a range of occupations. It is a proprietary ...
, the highest score of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was one of seven Longhorns selected by professional football teams in the draft. The others were Michael Griffin (number 19 overall),
Aaron Ross Aaron Jermaine Ross (born September 15, 1982) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He won Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI with the Giants, twice over the ...
(number 20 overall),
Tim Crowder Timothy C. Crowder (born June 30, 1985) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas. Crowder has also played for the Tampa Bay ...
(number 56 overall),
Brian Robison Brian Gale Robison (born April 27, 1983) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft and played for the team for 11 seasons. In 173 NFL games, he recorded 289 ta ...
(number 102 overall),
Tarell Brown Tarell Lameek Brown (born January 6, 1985) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Texas. High school caree ...
(number 147 overall),
Kasey Studdard Kasey Studdard (born July 1, 1984) is a former American football offensive guard who played in the National Football League (NFL). The son of former Denver Broncos tackle Dave Studdard, he was drafted by the Texans in the sixth round (183rd over ...
(number 183 overall).
Lyle Sendlein Lyle Sendlein (born March 16, 1984) is a former American football center. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Texas. Early years Coached by Ron Estabrook at Chaparral High S ...
and
Selvin Young Selvin Young (born October 1, 1983) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Texas. Early years A three-year starter at Jersey Village ...
were not drafted but signed with NFL teams as free agents. On July 31, 2011, Blalock agreed to a six-year contract extension with the Falcons. On February 27, 2015, Blalock was released by the Falcons becoming a free agent. On June 15, 2015, Blalock retired.


Personal life

Blalock resides in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
, where he is active in community service projects. He is a cousin of
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
center Jonathan Goodwin and NFL coach Harold Goodwin. He is also a cousin of Aubrey Gibson, shareholder/partner at the law firm
Polsinelli Polsinelli is an AmLaw 100 firm with more than 1,000 attorneys in 23 offices nationwide. History Polsinelli is an Am Law 100 firm with more than 1,000 attorneys in 23 offices nationwide. The firm’s attorneys focus on health care, finance, re ...
and Kourtney Gibson, president of Loop Capital.


See also

*
List of Texas Longhorns football All-Americans This is a list of college football All-Americans who have played at the University of Texas at Austin. Key ''* Denotes Consensus All-America Selection'' ''‡ Denotes Unanimous All-America Selection'' All-Americans {{DEFAULTSORT:Texas Longh ...


References


External links


Justin Blalock Longhorn Bio

Justin Blalock's Official Website


{{DEFAULTSORT:Blalock, Justin 1983 births Living people All-American college football players American football offensive guards Atlanta Falcons players Plano East Senior High School alumni Players of American football from Dallas Texas Longhorns football players