Place of birth: Kaneohe, Hawaii Role American football player College: Hawaii Height 1.83 m | Undrafted: 1981 Weight 84 kg Name Blane Gaison Positions Defensive back | |
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Date of birth: (1958-05-13) May 13, 1958 (age 57) Education University of Hawaii at Manoa | ||
Blane Keith Gaison (born May 13, 1958 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is a former professional American football player. He played in the National Football League, with the Atlanta Falcons (1981–1985). As a defensiveback he played at both the safety and cornerback positions.
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Early years
Gaison was raised in Kaneohe, Hawaii on the windward side of Oahu. He attended the Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Hawaii and is a 1976 graduate. At Kamehameha, he was an All-State quarterback leading the Warrior football team to consecutive state titles in 1974 and 1975 also known as the Oahu Prep Bowl and Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship games.
University of Hawaii
Blane Gaison played college football at UH from 1976 to 1980, starting at quarterback and defensive back. He was the University of Hawaii's Most Valuable Player in 1979 and 1980 and was included on the University of Hawaii Centurion's list with the description, "Steering the defense from his safety position, Gaison was a coach on the field. Number 11's intelligence and versatility provided Rainbow Warriors fans with some of their greatest memories. He received All America, All Western Athletic Conference and Academic All Western Athletic Conference honors in 1979 and 1980. Gaison was also recognized with Most Valuable Player honors at the 1981 Hula Bowl along with Kenny Easley. He was inducted into the University of Hawaii's Circle of Honor in 1999.
NFL career
In the 1981 NFL Draft, Gaison was picked by the Atlanta Falcons where he played in the defensive secondary as a safety and cornerback. He became close friends with teammates Steve Bartkowski, Bob Glazebrook, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, and June Jones.
Career in education
Gaison's Bachelor's degree is in Pre-Law with a minor in Secondary Education. For a combined 25 years, he served as the Director of Athletics at the Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus and the Kamehameha Schools Maui Campus. In 2015 Gaison became the third Executive Director of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) and serves as an Executive Board Member with the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA). Gaison is a recipient of the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Citation Award as well as the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Distinguished Service Award for his contribution and services to high school athletics on the state, local and national levels.
Family
Blane Gaison is married to Donnalei, and the couple have four children: Pilialoha, Kapulani, Iokepa and Kona.