1968 Topps football card of former NFL quarterback Frank Ryan, who played 13 seasons in the league, most notably for the Cleveland Browns. His seven years with the Browns included 3 Pro Bowl appearances, with his best year coming in 1964 when he led the club to the NFL championship. After retiring he embarked on a successful academic career. His wife Joan is a retired sportscaster, one of the first female sportscasters in the business.
1955 Bowman football card of Hall of Fame halfback Charley Trippi, whose entire nine year career was spent with the Chicago Cardinals. He helped the Cardinals win the NFL championship in his rookie season in 1947. Trippi was a two-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1940s. He is the oldest living member of the Hall of Fame.
1960 Fleer football card of a pro football and political legend, quarterback Jack Kemp. He was the QB for the Chargers in their inaugural American Football League season, when they played in the city they are now returning to, Los Angeles. Kemp guided the Chargers to the AFL title game, but they lost to George Blanda and the Houston Oilers. He would go on to lead the Buffalo Bills to a pair of AFL titles, then became a Western New York congressman after retiring. The pinnacle of his political career came in 1996, when he was Bob Dole’s vice presidential candidate on the Republican ticket. His son Jeff played in the NFL, mostly as a backup quarterback, for 10 seasons.
1984 Topps football card of former Chicago Bear defensive back Leslie Frazier, who played 5 seasons in the NFL, helping the Bears win the Super Bowl in 1985. Frazier is now a well-regarded coach in the league. He was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for 4 years, and has been a defensive coordinator for various clubs, currently serving in that role for the Buffalo Bills.
1965 Topps football card of former AFL and NFL defensive back Willie Brown, who is one of only 16 undrafted players who went on to have Hall of Fame careers. Brown originally signed with the Houston Oilers, moved on to Denver, and had his most success in his 12 years spent with the Oakland Raiders, helping them win 3 Super Bowl titles. He was voted to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1970s and was inducted into Canton in 1984.
1968 Topps football card of former pro football running back Floyd Little, who was a star player for the Denver Broncos during some of their lean years in the old American Football League. He played 9 seasons for the Broncos and was a two-time AFL All Star, then carried that success into the NFL after the leagues merged, being named to the Pro Bowl 3 times. Little was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
1989 Topps football card of former NFL running back Ickey Woods, who had a short but memorable four year career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He burst onto the scene in his rookie year of 1988, when he rushed for over 1,000 yards and was a major factor in the Bengals winning the AFC Championship. Woods made a name for himself with his whimsical “Ickey Shuffle” touchdown dance, which he reprised in recent a Geico commercial while ordering cold cuts at a deli. Woods has served as owner/coach of a women’s full-contact football team, the Cincinnati Sizzle, whose roster included Woods’ ex-wife.
1955 Bowman football card of former Detroit Lion lineman Dick Stanfel, who was a standout guard for the Lions in their last dominant period in the NFL, which was way back in the 1950s. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and helped the Lions win NFL championships in 1952 and ’53. He was also named to the league’s All Decade team for the 1950s. After his playing career ended, Stanfel spent over 35 years as an assistant coach, mostly an offensive line coach, and won a Super Bowl ring as O-line coach for the Chicago Bears in 1985. After being overlooked for decades, he was finally elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, posthumously, by the Veteran’s Committee in 2016.
1968 Topps football card of former NFL defensive end Lamar Lundy, who played 13 seasons in the league, all for the Los Angeles Rams. He was the least-known member of the Rams’ famed “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line, which also included Deacon Jones, who invented the term “sack” and is widely regarded as the top pass rusher of all time, and Merlin Olsen and Rosey Grier, who both went on to careers in television and movies. Lundy didn’t need to take a back seat to any of them, however, as he was a force in his own right. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, and one amazing statistic of his career is that he garnered 3 interceptions, and returned all 3 for touchdowns. Lundy was hired as an assistant coach with the San Diego Chargers when he retired, but illness kept him from pursuing that avenue. Lundy passed away in 2007 at the age of 71.
1969 Topps football card of former pro football quarterback Norm Snead, who played 16 seasons in the NFL for 5 different teams. His most successful stint was a seven year run with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1960s. Snead was a four-time Pro Bowler, including his first 2 seasons, in 1961 and ’62, with the Washington Redskins. After retiring as a player, he coached at The Apprentice School, a small college football program at a school that trains students for careers in shipbuilding.