Born June 26, 1939 in Salt Lake City, Blaine grew up in Chesterfield, Utah and began playing sports to honor his twin brother who was killed when they were nine. Blaine attended Cyprus High School where he was an all-state football player and undefeated in the high and low hurdles with four state titles.

After graduating in 1957, Blaine attended the University of Utah where he joined the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and earned All-American honors before graduating in 1962. Following college, Blaine continued competing for the United States as a 110-meter-high hurdler before winning the Gold medal at the Pan Am Games in 1963 with a new record. After placing third in the Olympic Trials, at age twenty-five Blaine competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games where he won the Silver medal in a photo finish.

After retiring from the banking industry, Blaine resided in Salem, Utah. He remained a member or board member of local and national sports committees and organizations throughout his life, including the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. With a passion for sport, Blaine refereed high school and college football for over 35 years and influenced thousands of young athletes during his career.

Blaine received many accolades and was inducted into several Halls of Fame including those at Cyprus High School, West Valley City (1990), Utah Summer Games (1991), U of U Crimson Club (1986), Utah Sports Hall of Fame (1972) and the National High School Hall of Fame (2006). In December of 1999, Sports Illustrated listed him as being #10 in The 50 Greatest Sports Figures From Utah.