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'''Acrux''' ([[alpha (letter)|α]] Crucis) is a [[star]] in the [[constellation]] [[Crux]], the Southern Cross. Since the Southern Cross is roughly 60 degrees below the [[celestial equator]], Crux is only visible south of the [[Tropic of Cancer]] and therefore didn't receive an ancient proper name; "Acrux" is simply a combination of the A in Alpha plus Crux. Acrux has a [[stellar magnitude]] of 0.77, and is the twelfth brightest star in the sky. It is the southernmost first magnitude star, just beating out [[Rigil Kentaurus]] (α Centauri).
<div style="float:left">[[Image:GeorgeBlanda.jpg]]</div>'''George Blanda''' (born [[September 17]], [[1927]]) was an American football player. He was a prime example of players who were called ''"[[NFL Rejects]]"'' by some. The [[NFL]] Bears thought the University of Kentucky's Blanda wasn't good enough to be a quarterback and wanted him to be a place kicker only. But in [[1960]], the formation of the [[American Football League]] led to Blanda's signing by the [[Tennessee Titans|Houston Oilers]] as a quarterback and kicker. He went on to lead the Oilers to the first two league titles in AFL history, and he won AFL Player of the Year honors in [[1961]]. Blanda once passed for 7 TDs in one game, and 36 in a season, 1961. Thirteen times he threw four or more touchdown passes in a game, and once he unleashed 68 passes, for Houston against Buffalo on Nov. 1, 1964. For three staight years, [[1963]] through [[1965]], he led the league in passing attempts and completions, and was in the top ten for attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns for seven straight years. He was a four-time member of the American Football League All-Star team. In [[1967]], when Blanda was almost 40, he left the Oilers but the [[Oakland Raiders]] saw him as a contributing backup passer and a dependable kicker so they picked him up. At Oakland, he was a clutch kicker and a valuable "reliever" who pulled games out if fellow Hall of Famer [[Daryle Lamonica]] was unavailable or ineffective. He was especially successful in this role in [[1970]], when he was named the NFL's MVP.
Acrux is a [[trinary star]] located 320 light years from the solar system. Only two components are visually distinguishable, α<sup>1</sup> and α<sup>2</sup>, separated by 4 [[arcsecond]]s. α<sup>1</sup> is magnitude 1.33 and α<sup>2</sup> is magnitude 1.73, both hot [[stellar classification|class B]] (almost [[stellar classification|class O]]) stars, with surface temperatures of about 28,000 and 26,000 Kelvin respectively; their respective luminosities are 2,500 and 1,600 times that of the Sun. α<sup>1</sup> and α<sup>2</sup> orbit over such a long period that motion is only barely seen. From their minimum separation of 430 [[astronomical unit]]s, the period is at least 1500 years, and may be much longer.
Blanda went on to become the oldest quarterback to start a title game, and the oldest professional football player, with the longest career, 26 years. He remains a strong supporter of the AFL heritage, recently saying: ''"That first year, the Houston Oilers or [[San Diego Chargers|Los Angeles Chargers]] (24-16 losers to the Oilers in the title game) could have beaten the NFL champion (Philadelphia) in a Super Bowl,"'' Blanda said further: ''"I think the AFL was capable of beating the NFL in a Super Bowl game as far back as [[1960]] or '61. I just regret we didn't get the chance to prove it."''
α<sup>1</sup> is itself a [[spectroscopic binary]] star, with its components thought to be around 14 and 10 times the mass of the Sun and orbiting in only 76 days at a separation of about one astronomical unit. The masses of α<sup>2</sup> and the brighter component of α<sup>1</sup> suggest that the stars will someday explode as [[supernova|supernovae]]. The fainter component of α<sup>1</sup> may survive to become a massive [[white dwarf]].
<div style="float:left">[[Image:AFLRedraw80high.jpg]]</div>He is the placekicker on the [[All-time All-AFL Team]]. Blanda was one of only 20 players to play all ten years of the AFL, one of only three who were in every AFL game their teams played, and is a member of the [http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLHallofFame.htm American Football League Hall of Fame], the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]], and the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame..
Another class B subgiant lies 90 arcseconds away from triple Acrux and shares Acrux's motion through space, suggesting it may be gravitationally bound to Acrux. However, if it is indeed located near Acrux, it is under-luminous for its class. It is probably just an optical [[double star]], most likely lying over twice as far away from the solar system as Acrux.
==Links==
*[[List of American Football League players|Other American Football League players]]
[[Category:Stars]]
== External links ==
[[de:Acrux]]
*[http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLdotcom.htm American Football League Website]
[[ja:アクルックス]]
*[http://www.conigliofamily.com/Raiders.htm#GeorgeBlanda Blanda's citation on the AFL Hall of Fame website]
*[http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLAllTimeTeam.htm American Football League All-time Team]
*[http://www.uky.edu/Education/hofamers/blanda.html Blanda's citation in the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame]
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