PHOENIX — Phillip Blanks caught countless passes during his playing days as a wide receiver in football. However, there was no grab that will surpass the diving catch he made last week.
As a fire raged through a Phoenix apartment building on July 3, Blanks said his instincts kicked in as a mother dropped her toddler from the balcony to save his life. Sadly, she was not so fortunate.
“Ultimately, this is my job,” Blanks, a former U.S. Marine who now works as a body guard, told MLive.com. “It was all fast, it was a blur. It was tunnel vision as I was running. I didn’t see anything but the baby.”
Heart-wrenching video of the save shows Blanks, 28, rush in and dive to grab the child just before he nearly hit the gravel below the balcony. The 3-year-old and an 8-year-old girl survived the flames but were hospitalized with injuries. The children’s mother died in the fire.
Blanks told KABC-TV that he heard a commotion outside last Friday when he went to look, not even taking the time to grab his shoes.
When he realized there was a fire, he saw the child was about to be thrown and knew he had to swoop in.
“He was twirling in the air like a propeller,” he told the TV station. “I just did my best. His head landed perfectly on my elbow. His ankle got twisted up as I was diving. The guy who was there with me — it looked like he wasn’t going to catch him. So that’s why I stepped in. I just wanted to make a better catch.”
Blanks played high school football at Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan then Kalamazoo Valley College before heading to Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California.
He also served in the Marines and told the Washington Post that his training taught him to “always be on high alert, not be complacent and to have discipline.” His profile on Saddleback College’s website says he served in 12 countries after high school.
Incredible video: Former @KCentral_Sports WR Phillip Blanks dives to catch a 3-year old boy dropped from a burning, 3rd floor Phoenix apartment. I just spoke to the former @USMC Marine who says he was "put on this earth to protect people". His story tonight on @wwmtnews pic.twitter.com/Y4qDvMFEwV
— Andy Pepper (@APepperWWMT) July 6, 2020