Lyle Vernon Blackwood (born May 24, 1951) is a former professional football player. He played

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition 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 There are two slightly dif ...

position in 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 ...

(NFL). Blackwood's best season was in 1977, when he intercepted 10 passes for the Baltimore Colts, helping them win their 3rd consecutive AFC East 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. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

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 Dwight Eugene Stephenson (born November 20, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1987. He played college football for the Alabama C ...

, 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, wide receivers

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

and Mark Clayton: "The Marks Brothers" along with coach Don Shula. Blackwood played a total of 14 seasons in the NFL. He was born in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

and attended

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciple ...

. 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 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 {{defensiveback-1950s-stub