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2005 Topps First Edition 50th Anniversary football card of former NFL quarterback David Carr, who played a total of 11 seasons in the league for 4 different teams. He was the first overall pick of the 2002 draft and also the first pick in the history of the expansion Houston Texans that year. He never quite lived up to the lofty expectations of being a high draft choice, but managed to carve out a long career for himself as a backup QB. Carr also won a Super Bowl ring as Eli Manning’s backup with the New York Giants. His brother Derek is currently the quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders.

1963 Topps football card of former pro football receiver Buddy Dial, who played 9 seasons in the NFL, splitting time between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. His best years were with the Steelers, as he was a two-time Pro Bowler and an All Pro in 1963 while playing for them. A devout Christian, Dial recorded an album of inspirational songs and also a single that was a regional hit in Dallas while he was with the Cowboys. He died in 2008 of prostate cancer at the age of 71.

1970 Topps football card of former running back Bo Scott, who played 6 seasons in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns. Originally drafted by the Browns in 1965, he chose to sign with the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Rough Riders instead, where he became a two-time CFL All Star and helped the Rough Riders win the Grey Cup in 1968. After retiring as a player Scott worked for a juvenile court and was assistant director of a juvenile detention center for 28 years before retiring.

1960 Topps football card of former pro football running back John David Crow, who enjoyed an 11 year career in the NFL, with his playing days split between the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. The 1957 Heisman Trophy winner, once he reached the pros, was twice named an All Pro, played in 4 Pro Bowls and was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1960s. He remained involved in football long after his playing career ended, serving in coaching and administrative positions at both the college and pro level. He died in 2015 at the age of 79.

2015 Topps football card of former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who played 10 seasons in the NFL, mostly for the Denver Broncos. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl title with Denver in 2015. He holds many Bronco receiving records, and last played in 2019 for the New York Jets. He is currently a free agent.

1982 Topps football card of former NFL running back Pete Johnson, who played 8 seasons in the league, primarily for the Cincinnati Bengals. The bruising fullback was the Bengals’ leading rusher in all 7 seasons he played for them, and was a Pro Bowler and named All Pro in 1981. Johnson had issues with drugs at the end of his career, but today is retired and runs camps for autistic children throughout the country.

2002 Bowman football card of former NFL running back Travis Henry, who played 7 seasons in the league for 3 teams. He was a Pro Bowler while with Buffalo in 2002, and spent a total of 4 years with the Bills. Henry is reported to have fathered 11 children by 10 different women, and unfortunately in 2009 was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for financing a cocaine trafficking operation.

1999 Topps football card of former NFL wide receiver Peerless Price, who played 9 seasons in the league for 4 different franchises. He had 2 separate stints in Buffalo, where he had his most success as the Bills’ second option behind Eric Moulds. His career stats included 403 receptions for over 5,000 yards and 31 receiving touchdowns, so he had a decent career. Moulds recently returned to the University of Tennessee to earn his degree.

2012 Topps Triple Thread football card of former pro football running back Fred Jackson, who played 9 seasons in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and retired as the team’s third all-time leading rusher. He was undrafted out of Coe College and played in an arena league and NFL Europe before Bills’ GM Marv Levy, a Coe alumnus, gave him a shot at making the team’s roster. He made the most of that opportunity and carved out a nice career, even becoming a fan favorite in Buffalo. He finished his career in Seattle before retiring after the 2015 season.

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.