RIP: Raymond Blanco

[Duggie35]

I never had any direct dealings with Coach Blanco. However, as a child I would attend USL football games at old McNaspy stadium with my parents when he was an assistant coach under Russ Faulkenberry. Back then, communication between coaches on the sidelines and those in the press box was done by walkie-talkies or other primative means of communication. For those that were not around back then, the football field at McNaspy was surronded by a cinder running track. I can recall Coach Blanco always being very emotional on the sidelines during games. The one thing that I always remembered, and has remained etched in my memory, is during a game (I think against La Tech) he got so pizzed off that he slammed his walkie-talkie or headset down so hard on the track that it shattered into 100's of pieces! I was little at the time, but he always scared me every time I saw him after that!!!! LOL!!!

[CharlieK]

Brand new freshman, getting into trouble on campus. Gave us a scary speech, then a little on campus community service and didn't rat us out to our parents. For whatever other faults he may have had, he was good at that particular job.

[fanof71]

I never had any direct dealings with Coach Blanco. However, as a child I would attend USL football games at old McNaspy stadium with my parents when he was an assistant coach under Russ Faulkenberry. Back then, communication between coaches on the sidelines and those in the press box was done by walkie-talkies or other primative means of communication. For those that were not around back then, the football field at McNaspy was surronded by a cinder running track. I can recall Coach Blanco always being very emotional on the sidelines during games. The one thing that I always remembered, and has remained etched in my memory, is during a game (I think against La Tech) he got so pizzed off that he slammed his walkie-talkie or headset down so hard on the track that it shattered into 100's of pieces! I was little at the time, but he always scared me every time I saw him after that!!!! LOL!!!

Same era, my foggy memory recalls him breaking clipboard on a players helmet...In my USL days, I was a dorm floor counselor, my interactions with him were always positive

[CajunVic]

I never had any direct dealings with Coach Blanco. However, as a child I would attend USL football games at old McNaspy stadium with my parents when he was an assistant coach under Russ Faulkenberry. Back then, communication between coaches on the sidelines and those in the press box was done by walkie-talkies or other primative means of communication. For those that were not around back then, the football field at McNaspy was surronded by a cinder running track. I can recall Coach Blanco always being very emotional on the sidelines during games. The one thing that I always remembered, and has remained etched in my memory, is during a game (I think against La Tech) he got so pizzed off that he slammed his walkie-talkie or headset down so hard on the track that it shattered into 100's of pieces! I was little at the time, but he always scared me every time I saw him after that!!!! LOL!!!

No kid ever trusts a guy who breaks his walkie talkie . . .

[CajunAmos]

I also remember a summer weekend orientation in 1974 where he spoke to the group in the union ballroom after our host took us to Uncle Pete's for an early afternoon beer & a game of pool. He said we might have heard that the university had been listed by Playboy as one of the top party schools in the country, but that wasn't important..........even though if you walked out the front of the union and followed Girard Park Drive across University to McKinley Street you'd find a number of establishments along the strip.

[KajunKrazy]

RIP. Never had any personal dealings with him, but I appreciate the contributions he and our late Governor gave to our university and area.

Anyone else got some stories to share like Boomer?

Here is one as told by my late father.

Back in Coach's days of coaching at CHSNI they lost to Abbeville in a game. The Abbeville coach back then was a Scelfo father of current SELU head coach Frank Scelfo. It was a game CHS was not expected to lose. After the game Blanco told his team to go and shake hands and show good sportsmanship. Blanco himself darted across the field straight to Scelfo and said you no good mother _____ing ______ ______ Dago you will never beat me again as long as live. And walked away.