Hall of Fame
Throughout the history of the Northwest football program, countless student-athletes have crossed paths through Senatobia on their way to stardom and success. Ricky Blake is no exception.
Hailing from Fayetteville, Tenn., Blake arrived at Northwest after graduating from Lincoln County High School in 1986, where he left as the school's all-time leading rusher.
Blake made an almost immediate impact on the field at Northwest as a freshman in 1986 but it was during the 1987 season where he left his biggest mark, rushing for over 1,500 yards in his sophomore campaign, which remains in the Top 5 all-time in that category. He averaged 166.7 rushing yards per game, good for second all-time.
Blake also holds other notable records and achievements with the Rangers, including 22 rushing touchdowns which remains the most in a single season and third in a career. He received First Team All-MACJC and NJCAA All-American honors for his efforts, while also guiding Northwest to a 10-3 overall record and the 1987Â MACJC Championship. The Rangers would go on to the Jayhawk Bowl where they dropped a close 29-21 decision to Coffeyville (Kan.).
Following Blake's Northwest career, he transferred to Alabama A&M University before signing a free agent deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, making his pro debut in the 11th game of the 1989 season against the British Columbia Lions, tallying 20 carries for 92 yards. He then started six more games with his season-best totals coming against the Edmonton Eskimos, where he registered 17 carries for 107 yards and finished the season second on the team in rushing with 81 carries for 354 yards and a touchdown.
After suffering an ankle injury prior to the 1990 season, Blake was unable to set foot on the field again for Winnipeg. In the spring of 1991, he played for the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football, appearing in nine games while finishing third in the league with 554 rushing yards and five touchdowns. His best performance of that season came against the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks, where he set a single-game record of 140 rushing yards.
On July 18, 1991, Blake was signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. Despite spending the first four weeks of the season on injured reserve with a neck injury, Blake was activated on September 25 to backup future Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. Blake made his NFL debut against Cincinnati, rushing for 38 yards on six carries, which included a 30-yard touchdown run on his first rushing attempt.
Against the Phoenix (now Arizona) Cardinals, Blake posted a season-best nine carries for 42 yards but suffered a season-ending right hip fracture to finish with 80 yards on 15 carries. The injury persisted into the 1992 season where he was waived after missing the first six games of the season.
Blake would get another chance in 1993 after signing with the Seattle Seahawks but was released on August 26 before the start of the regular season. He signed with the Fort Worth Cavalry of the Arena Football League in 1994, spending time as a two-way player at fullback and linebacker. In Fort Worth, he was primarily a backup and rushed for 12 yards on four carries with a tackle.
In 1995, Blake went overseas to join the Barcelona Dragons of the World League of American Football, which would later become NFL Europe. He rushed for nearly 398 yards on 98 carries with the Dragons and tallied six receptions for 51 yards, later signing with the St. Louis Rams as a free agent in 1996.
Blake continued his career in 2002 when he signed with the Colorado Wildcats of the Federal Indoor Football League, spending 15 years with the franchise until his retirement in 2016. He finished as the league's leader in rushing yards, attempts, touchdowns, all-purpose yardage, scoring (non-kicker) as well as receptions and receiving yardage by a running back . He was named to the National Conference All-Pro Team in six consecutive seasons (2004-2009). He received the league MVP Award in 2006. and helped Colorado to a pair of consecutive FIFL Bowl wins (2005-06) and was the FIFL Bowl MVP in 2006. He received 48 Offensive Player of the Game awards and seven Offensive Player of the Week honors over his career.
Today, Blake is an owner-operator truck driver and resides in Murfreesboro, Tenn. with his wife, Tiffany.
