rayonsports.com

1974 Topps hockey card of former NHL star winger Rene Robert, who passed away recently. He played 12 seasons in the league for 4 different teams, with his most successful years coming while a member of the Buffalo Sabres. In Buffalo, he teamed with Gilbert Perreault and Richard Martin to form the famed French Connection line. Robert was a two-time NHL All Star and after retiring as a player served as president of the NHL Alumni Association. His jersey number 14 has been retired by the Sabres’ franchise, and hangs in the rafters of Buffalo’s arena along with those of Perreault and Martin.

1984 Topps football card of former NFL linebacker Eugene Marve, who enjoyed an 11  year career in the league with 3 different teams, most notably with the Buffalo Bills. He was the first player ever drafted from Saginaw Valley State, and was a productive middle linebacker for the Bills in the early to mid 1980s. His son Robert was a college quarterback at Miami of Florida and Purdue. Marve passed away recently at the age of 60.

1997 Pacific Philadelphia football card of former NFL offensive lineman Justin Strzelczyk, who played 9 seasons at tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He attended West Seneca West High School, where he starred in football and basketball. He also played hockey as a youth. Strzelczyk died tragically in a car accident at the age of 36 in 2004.

1963 Fleer football card of former pro football cornerback Booker Edgerson, who played 9 seasons in the AFL, mostly for the Buffalo Bills. A key member of the Bills’ back-to-back AFL titles in the mid-1960s, he was the embodiment of a “lockdown corner” before that term was popular. Edgerson was a track star as a sprinter and long jumper in college. He was a two-time AFL All Star, is a member of the Bills’ Wall of Fame, and has been active in charitable endeavors through the Bills’ Alumni group.

2010 Score football card of NFL placekicker Ryan Succop, who has enjoyed a  12 year career in the league with 3 different teams. He is perhaps the most successful of the NFL Draft’s “Mister Irrelevant” class, a name given to the last player chosen on the draft’s final day. Succop holds 2 NFL placekicking records – highest single season field goal percentage by a rookie (86%) and most consecutive field goals made inside 50 yards (56). He earned a Super Bowl ring kicking for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

1977 Topps football card of former NFL defensive tackle Mike Kadish, who spent 10 years in the league, mostly with the Buffalo Bills. He was a first round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1972 and spent that year on the team’s taxi squad as they completed their undefeated season. He was traded to the Bills and was a main fixture on their defense until his final season in 1981.

1976 Topps football card of former pro football defensive lineman Earl Edwards, who played 11 seasons in the NFL for 4 different teams. After playing 2 years with Edmonton of the CFL, he joined the San Francisco 49ers in 1969 and finished second in the voting for Defensive Rookie of The Year to Pittsburgh legend Mean Joe Greene. He helped the Niners win the NFC West from 1970 to 1972, then was traded to Buffalo. He finished up his NFL career with stops in Cleveland and Green Bay. Edwards is currently a substitute teacher in Arizona.

2019 Score football card of one of the bright young stars of today’s NFL, Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen. Drafted in the first round out of Wyoming in 2018, he has improved vastly in his 3 years in the NFL, to the point where he was considered a serious MVP candidate in 2020. His family owns a cantelope farm in the rural northern California town of Firebaugh.

1995 Topps football card of former pro football defensive end Mark Pike, who enjoyed a 13 year career in the NFL, all with the Buffalo Bills. Despite his longevity, he was never a full time starter for the Bills, but like his teammate Steve Tasker was a valuable member of the special teams units. The “bomb squads” were a point of emphasis for Bills’ coach Marv Levy, and he valued players who helped the team in that third phase of the game. Pike has served as an instructor at Jim Kelly’s football camps, and helped his son Zeke open a sober living home for recovering addicts.

1997 Fleer football card of former pro football running back Karim Abdul-Jabbar, who played 5 seasons in the NFL, mostly for the Miami Dolphins. He led the Dolphins in rushing yardage his first 2 seasons with the team, and also led the NFL in touchdowns in 1997 when he scored 16 times. Born Sharmon Shah, the devout Muslim had his name changed by his Imam, but confusion with the famous basketball player led to controversy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar eventually sued the Miami back. He changed his name again, and now goes by Abdul-Kareem al-Jabbar.