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1955 Topps All American football card of the first player ever chosen in an NFL draft, halfback Jay Berwanger. He was the star player for the University of Chicago Maroons and also achieved another first – the first winner of the Heisman Trophy (then known as the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy) awarded to the top college player. He was drafted by the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles in the league’s first-ever draft in 1936, but his rights were traded to the Chicago Bears, who couldn’t reach a contract agreement with him. Berwanger took a job with a Chicago-based rubber company instead and never played pro football. He died of lung cancer in 2002 at the age of 88.

1979 Topps football card of former pro cornerback Mario Clark, who played 9 years in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. He was a stalwart in the secondary as a starting cornerback for the Bills from 1976 through 1983, and collected 26 interceptions in his career. He finished his career with the Super Bowl winning 49er team of 1984.

1982 Topps football card of former pro running back Curtis Brown, who played seven years in the National Football League, mainly for the Buffalo Bills. His best season was in 1978, when he finished second on the team in rushing yards, to Terry Miller, and also had a 102 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Brown, who suffered from dementia in his later years believed to be a product of his playing days, died of a heart attack in 2015 at the age of 60.

1964 Topps football card of a recently deceased former player, Elbert “Golden Wheels” Dubenion, who played 9 seasons in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills. He was a star flanker for the team and the main receiver for quarterback Jack Kemp. Dubenion was a major part of Buffalo’s back-to-back AFL championship teams in the mid-1960s. A three-time AFL All Star, he still ranks in the top 10 of Bills’ career receiving yards. After retiring as a player Dubenion worked as a scout for many years with the Bills, Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons.

2019 Donruss football card of recently retired linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, who enjoyed a 14 year career in the NFL with 4 different franchises. He was mostly a special teams player but in his last stint in Buffalo became a starting linebacker and valuable leader on the defense. Alexander was a two-time Pro Bowler and has been nominated for the prestigious Walter Payton Man of The Year Award numerous times in his career, including the current season with the Bills.

1955 Bowman football card of former pro kicker Ben Agajanian, who kicked for 10 different teams for a total of 13 seasons spanning 19 years and 3 decades. He is one of only 2 players who played in the All America Football Conference, the American Football League and the NFL. After having four of his toes crushed and amputated in a work accident in college, “The Toeless Wonder” went on to become one of pro football’s first kicking specialists. He was a member of championship teams in 1956 with the Giants and 1961 with Green Bay. After retiring at age 45 Agajanian worked as the Dallas Cowboys’ kicking coach for 20 years.

1973 Topps football card of former pro football defensive back Emmitt Thomas, who enjoyed a 13 year career in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl following the 1969 season, and holds the franchise record for career interceptions. After retiring as a player, he went into coaching and worked at Central Missouri State for 2 years before beginning a coaching career in the NFL that spanned 38 years with 7 different teams, including a pair of champion Washington Redskin clubs. Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame by the Seniors Committee in 2008.

1985 Topps football card of former wide receiver Cliff Branch, who played 15 seasons in the NFL for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. A former college track star, he held the NFL records for career playoff receptions and receiving yards until Jerry Rice broke them in the 1990s. Branch, who passed away in 2019, was a four-time Pro Bowler and a major contributor to 3 Raider Super Bowl titles.

1968 Topps football card of former NFL flanker/punter Bob Scarpitto, who played eight seasons of pro ball in the American Football League for 3 different teams, most notably the Denver Broncos. He was an AFL All Star in 1966 and was named to the AFL’s All Time second team. He still holds team records for punting, including most punts in a game and a season, a reflection of how bad the 1960s Denver teams were.

1958 Bowman football card of former pro football end/fullback Leon Hart, who played eight seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions. He was the top choice of the 1950 college draft, the year the NFL absorbed teams from the AAFC. Playing during the last Lions’ glory era of the 1950s, Hart was a Pro Bowler in 1951 and helped the Lions win 3 NFL championships during the decade. After retiring from football, he ran a manufacturing business that made equipment for balancing tires.