Blanford leaves Eagle legacy

Gabriel “Gabe” Blanford, 17, who signed as an official member of the Chadron State men’s basketball team on Oct. 21, 2019, died Friday, of complications of Trichothiodystrophy (TTD), nearly a year after his signing. 

Since his signing last October through Team IMPACT, an organization that matches children facing serious and chronic illnesses with college athletics, Blanford was a mainstay of the men’s basketball team. He attended practices, and could be found on gameday near the Eagle’s bench. His teammates would also visit him at school or hang out during physical therapy. 

“The way Gabe treated us all of the time is how we wish we treated each other half the time,” Houston Reed, who coached the Eagle’s men’s basketball team but has since moved on to coach at the University of Northern Colorado, said. 

Reed describes Blanford as being as tough, mindful, accepting and energetic as any young person he’s had the opportunity to work with. “Gabe became a member of our team and I viewed him as one of our players and I still do today,” Reed said.

Reed also credits Blanford with making him a better man and coach.

“In leaving his time on Earth he left his community, family, school and all those around him in a better place because of who he was,” Reed said. “That’s called a legacy.”

Blanford was diagnosed with TTD when he was 11. In the early years he could stand, walk, and hold things in his hands, but those abilities were slowly torn away from him by the illness, according to his mother Angie Flesner. 

“I hope that his legacy is resilience and that you can still find joy in the small things,” she said. 

During his time as an Eagle, Blanford left a lasting impact on his teammates, including senior Brady Delimont of Ainsworth who said everyone on the team was left with a better perspective on life since meeting Blanford.

“He gives me motivation even though he’s gone,” Delimont said. “As much as I hate running suicides in practice, he would have loved to do that stuff. You just can’t take it for granted.”

According to his teammates, Blanford always brought energy and a smile when he came to the gym. 

“He was excited to be there and it changed my outlook,” teammate Devin Buderus, junior of Scottsbluff, said. “It made me more grateful for the position I’m in.” 

Members of CSC’s men’s basketball team said though they knew it could happen, Blandford’s death on Friday came as a surprise. 

“You’re sad, but you’re glad he’s not in pain anymore,” Delimont said. “He’s free and I think he’s in a good place watching over everyone.”

Blanford’s mother isn’t surprised his teammates learned from him or felt a connection with him. “I appreciate all of those guys for being so open minded and open hearted, because they really had an impact on his life,” she said. 

In his later years, Blanford didn’t express through words as much as he did when he was younger, so Flenser said she can’t say verbatim how he felt about being part of the team. 

“I know in his actions and his smile that it really brought joy to his soul to have that social stimulation, attention and love,” she said. He always thrived on that.

“When I think about it, it blows my mind how much (the CSC men’s basketball team) cared about him. They just wrapped him up and it was so genuine and real.”

Gabe Blanford was born on Aug. 2, 2003 in Denver, Colorado to Flesner and to his father Jason Blanford. Gabe was a lover of music and enjoyed the mountains of Wyoming, and any body of water he could throw rocks into, according to his obituary. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, bowling and golf. In addition to being a member of the Eagle’s football team, he was also an honorary captain of the football team and was a well-known member of the Chadron community.