Former NFL kicker Cary Blanchard from Hurst L.D. Bell and Oklahoma State died at age 47

Oklahoma State announced in a press release that former star kicker Cary Blanchard passed away suddenly Tuesday. Blanchard, who played at Hurst L.D. Bell and in the NFL, was 47 years old.

A three-time All-Big Eight selection (1988-90), Blanchard finished his collegiate career with 331 points (56 field goals and 163 extra points). He ranks in the top five in school history in scoring and made field goals. He scored 100 points in 1988, a mark that ranked 10th in the NCAA and sixth among all kickers nationally that season.

After his career at OSU, Blanchard spent eight seasons in the NFL and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 1996 after he made 36 of 40 field goal attempts for the Colts. Blanchard's time in the NFL included stops with the New York Jets (1992-93), the Colts (1995-97), the Washington Redskins (1998), the New York Giants (1999) and the Arizona Cardinals (2000).

He is survived by the mother of his children, Mindi Blanchard, his son, Blake and Blake's wife, Tia, his daughter, Bayli, and his son, Braeden.