[citation needed] Blackledge was a three-year starter at Penn State, under Coach Joe Paterno, where he guided the Nittany Lions to a 31–5 record including a national championship in 1982.
[2][3] Blackledge led the Nittany Lions to the national championship with a 27–23 victory over Herschel Walker-led Georgia Bulldogs in the 1983 Sugar Bowl.
[5] He was also drafted ahead of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly (#14 Buffalo), as well as Tony Eason (#15, New England) and Ken O'Brien (#22, New York Jets).
On September 10, 2000, he called the Oakland Raiders and Indianapolis Colts game with Greg Gumbel as he filled in for Phil Simms who underwent an emergency appendectomy.
In the late 2010s, Blackledge was paired with Sean McDonough, who returned to calling games at the college level after spending two seasons with Monday Night Football, and Holly Rowe, whom he had teamed with over the previous three years.
For the 2023 season, NBC Sports signed Blackledge as the color analyst on the new Big Ten Saturday Night package, partnering with Noah Eagle.
Blackledge earned a Bachelor of Arts in speech communication from Penn State in 1983, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a 3.8 grade point average.
[12] Blackledge was selected to receive the prestigious 2008 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, recognizing former student-athletes who excelled both in their collegiate and professional careers.