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1969 Topps football card of former pro football running back Willis Crenshaw, who played seven seasons as a hard-running fullback in the National Football League, all but one for the St. Louis Cardinals. He played his final season in the NFL in 1970 for the Denver Broncos, and had the honor of scoring the first touchdown at Mile High Stadium. After his playing days ended, Crenshaw carved out a career as a Manhattan-based financial planner, advising clients on long term financial planning and managing investments.

1984 Topps football card of former NFL fullback Matt Suhey, who played 10 seasons in the league for the Chicago Bears. His main role was to serve as a blocking back for Walter Payton during his career. They became close friends, and Suhey has been the executor of Payton’s estate since his death. He was a key member of the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl-winning team.

1951 Bowman football card of former pro football fullback and linebacker Marion Motley, who played in the old All America Conference and the National Football League for 9 seasons, all but one with the Cleveland Browns. Along with Bill Willis, he became one of the first African American players to break the color line in pro football when he signed with the AAFC Browns. He was a major part of a Browns’ team that won the AAFC championship all 4 years of the league’s existence, and which also won the NFL title in 1950 when they were absorbed into that league. Motley was named to the All Decade team for the 1940s, the NFL 75th Anniversary team and it’s 100th Anniversary team. He became the  second black player to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he was enshrined in 1968.

1999 Donruss football card of former pro quarterback Kurt Warner, who played 12 seasons in the NFL for 3 different teams. He was a Cinderella story in that he became the St. Louis Rams’ starting QB in 1999 due to injury, then led his team to a Super Bowl victory and was the game’s MVP. He got the Rams to another Super Bowl and later in his career directed the Arizona Cardinals to the big game also. Warner was a four-time Pro Bowler, a two-time NFL MVP and won the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award in 2008. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and currently works as a studio analyst for the NFL Network.

1951 Bowman football card of former pro football back Elmer “Bud” Angsman, who played seven seasons in the NFL for the Chicago Cardinals. He was a member of the last Cardinal team to win a championship, way back in 1947, and was selected to the first ever Pro Bowl in 1950. Angsman was a color analyst on both radio and television after his playing days ended, working both college and pro games for CBS Radio, ABC’s telecasts of the AFL and NBC. He died of a heart attack in 2002.

1974 Topps football card of former pro football defensive end L.C. Greenwood, who was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ famous “Steel Curtain” defense in the 1970s. He was a two-time All Pro and a six-time Pro Bowler, despite playing in the shadow of his more famous teammate Joe Greene. He was known for wearing gold football spikes when he played, was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1970s, and helped Pittsburgh win four Super Bowl titles in that decade. Greenwood died of kidney failure in 2013 at the age of 67.

1963 Topps football card of former tight end Ron Kramer, who enjoyed a 10 year career in the NFL, mostly with the Green Bay Packers. He was a Pro Bowler in 1962 and helped the Packers win a pair of championships in the early 1960s. In college at Michigan, Kramer was an All American in football but also starred in basketball, and was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1957. He missed the 1958 season in Green Bay due to serving in the Air Force. Kramer was successful in the steel business after his playing days ended. He passed away in 2010.

1981 Topps football card of former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver John Stallworth, who played 14 seasons in the NFL, all for the Steelers. He was a major part of 4 Super Bowl winning teams and was a three-time Pro Bowler, despite playing in the shadow of Lynn Swann. He was successful in business after his playing career ended, and in 2009 became a minority owner in the Pittsburgh franchise. Stallworth was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

1982 Topps “All Pro” football card of the greatest quarterback in pro football history, Joe Montana. “Joe Cool” had a legendary 16 year career in the NFL, mostly with the San Francisco 49ers before closing out his playing days in Kansas City. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler, six-time All Pro, two time league MVP, four-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Super Bowl MVP. Montana also was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1980s and the NFL 75th Anniversary All Time team. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2000.

1968 Topps football card of former wide receiver George Sauer Jr., who played for the New York Jets for six seasons, mostly in the American Football League. His father, George Sr., played for the Green Bay Packers in the 1930s. Sauer was a four-time AFL All Star in the 1960s, teaming with Don Maynard as favorite receiving targets for Joe Namath. He retired at the peak of his career following the 1970 season, as he had become disillusioned with the game. He pursued writing after retiring and wrote a novel. Sauer passed away of congestive heart failure in 2013, while also suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.