Lyle Vernon Blackwood (born May 24, 1951) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Blackwood's best season was in 1977, when he intercepted 10 passes for the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

, helping them win their third consecutive

AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in th ...

division title. He later became known for teaming alongside his brother, Glenn Blackwood with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

as part of the notorious " Killer B's" defense. The two Blackwoods referred to themselves as "The Bruise Brothers." While a Dolphin, Blackwood played alongside greats such as hall of famer Dwight Stephenson, Bob Baumhower, Bob Brudzinski, A. J. Duhe and his brother Glenn. This formidable team won several division titles (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985) and made two Super Bowl appearances (1982, 1984). A similar Dolphin team with the "Killer B's" and company upset the 1985 Chicago Bears (15–1) and kept them from an undefeated season. With Blackwood on defense, the "Killer B's" complemented Miami's strong offensive unit guided by hall of fame quarterback

Dan Marino Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. ( ; born September 15, 1961) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He played college f ...

, wide receivers

Mark Duper Mark "Super" Duper (born January 25, 1959) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1992. He played college football ...

and Mark Clayton: "The Marks Brothers" along with coach

Don Shula Donald Francis Shula ( ; January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American professional American football, football player, coach and executive who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. He played seven s ...

. Blackwood played a total of 14 seasons in the NFL. He was born in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

and attended Texas Christian University. He finished his career with 35 interceptions and 9 defensive fumble recoveries. In 1977, he led the NFL interceptions with 10. Blackwood was a member of the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

during their inaugural season.

References

1951 births Living people Players of American football from San Antonio American football safeties Blinn Buccaneers football players TCU Horned Frogs football players Cincinnati Bengals players Seattle Seahawks players Baltimore Colts players Miami Dolphins players 20th-century American sportsmen {{defensiveback-1950s-stub