Edward Homer Blaine (January 30, 1940 â March 22, 2026) was an American professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, earning first-team All-American honors in 1961. After his football career, he became an honorary professor and investigator at the University of Missouri.
Blaine was born in Farmington, Missouri, on January 30, 1940. He attended the University of Missouri, where he played offensive guard for the Tigers while a pre-med student there. Blaine was named All-Big Eight Conference and All-American in 1961.
Blaine was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round (28th overall) of the 1962 NFL draft, and was also selected by the New York Titans in the fourth round (29th overall) of the American Football League (AFL)'s 1962 draft.
He played professionally in the NFL with the Packers in 1962, winning an NFL Championship under legendary coach Vince Lombardi as a rookie, and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1963-66. He was named All-Pro after the 1964 NFL season. Blaine was inducted into the University of Missouri Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
Blaine was the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center Director and continued as a Dalton Development officer and Investigator and Professor in the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology with the University of Missouri. He was not only successful on the football field but also as one of the nation's foremost pharmaceutical researchers with an interest in hypertension and heart failure.
In November 2009, Blaine was recognized as a Distinguished Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts of America. This recognition is held with other greats such as astronaut Neil Armstrong, former President Gerald Ford, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Blaine died on March 22, 2026, at the age of 86.