Neal S. Blaisdell (1998) - Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame

Neal S. Blaisdell

Induction:
1998
Class:
1927

A three-year football letterman on teams that had a combined 19-10-2 record, Neal Blaisdell made his mark at Bucknell and in the world beyond the campus. A standout in the backfield for "Uncle Charlie" Moran's brilliant 1924 team, Blaisdell was a leader as Bucknell posted an 8-2 record that year, including back-to-back victories over Navy and Rutgers. He had transferred to Bucknell from the University of Hawaii and sandwiched a fling as a professional baseball pitcher between his two gridiron careers. Following graduation and before returning to his native Hawaii, Blaisdell assisted Moran with coaching the Bison in 1926 and also coached at Lewisburg High School that year. He was a highly successful high school coach and athletic director for many years in Hawaii and was mayor of Honolulu from 1954 to 1968. The Neal S. Blaisdell Convention and Entertainment Center opened in the 50th state's capital city in 1964. Blaisdell, who served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and on the President's Advisory Committee on Intergovernment Relations, received Bucknell's Alumni Award for Meritorious Achievement in 1968.
(Bucknell Hall of Fame Class of 1998)