‘Mr. Inside’ Doc Blanchard: SC native, Heisman winner

Flex “Doc” Blanchard was one of the first Heisman Trophy winners and remains the only one born in the state of South Carolina.

Blanchard, who earned his nickname because his father was a doctor, was born in McColl and then moved to Bishopville. He played his high school football in Mississippi before going on to play at Army, where he formed the legendary backfield tandem with Glenn Davis.

Blanchard was nicknamed “Mr. Inside” and Davis “Mr. Outside” for the Cadets who went 27-0-1 during Blanchard’s three years. He was the seventh Heisman Trophy winner and first junior to win the award in 1945. That year, he also won the Sullivan Award for the nation’s top amateur athlete.

Blanchard, who also excelled in track and field, finished his Army career with 38 touchdowns and 1,908 yards rushing and appeared on Time Magazine with Davis.

“Doc Blanchard was the best-built athlete I ever saw,” former Army coach Red Blaik, said in his book, “You Have to Pay the Price.” “Six feet and 208 pounds at his peak, not a suspicion of fat on him, with slim waist, Atlas shoulders, colossal legs.”

Blanchard was a first-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1947 but never played and became a fighter pilot in the Air Force. He earned the rank of colonel and flew 84 missions in the Vietnam War before retiring in 1969.

The intersection of I-20 and Highway 15 is the Felix A. ‘Doc’ Blanchard Interchange. Blanchard died in 2009 at the age of 84.

About this series: The inaugural edition of The State newspaper was published Feb. 18, 1891. In anticipation of the 125th anniversary, the Palmetto section and this section at thestate.com are recounting each day how The State covered newsmakers and events vital to South Carolina’s history.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "‘Mr. Inside’ Doc Blanchard: SC native, Heisman winner."