1969 Topps football card of former flanker back and punter Gary Collins, who played his entire 10 year National Football League career with the Cleveland Browns. He helped the Browns win the NFL championship in 1964, and was in fact named the title game’s MVP. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and was named to the league’s All Decade team for the 1960s. Collins served briefly as a college assistant coach after retiring, and also worked in insurance and as a broadcaster.
1970 Topps football card of a former wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL, Gene Washington. Oddly, in the era that he played in the league, there was another player, also a star receiver, with the same name but no relation, who was with the San Francisco 49ers. Washington the Viking played seven years in the league, six with Minnesota before finishing up his playing career with a single season in Denver. Despite the relative shortness of his career, Washington was a two-time Pro Bowler and played in the Super Bowl in 1970.
1988 Topps football card of former NFL tight end Pete Metzelaars, who had a long 16 year career in the NFL with 4 different teams. His playing days spanned most of the decades of the 1980s and ’90s, with his longest stint being in Buffalo, where he spent 10 seasons. Since retiring as a player, Metzelaars has served in various capacities as an assistant coach in the NFL.
1969 Topps football card of former pro player Sam Baker, who played 15 seasons in the NFL for 4 different teams. He was a halfback early on in his career but is mostly known as a longtime punter and placekicker. He began his career in 1953 with the Washington Redskins, then served 2 years in the military before returning to football in ’56. That year, he was a halfback but ended up handling both the punting and kicking duties to an injury to Eddie LeBaron and a car accident that ended kicker Vic Janovicz’s career. He wound up leading the NFL in field goals made and in average yards per punt and was named to the Pro Bowl, earning the nickname “Sugarfoot”. He earned 3 more Pro Bowl berths in his career, and passed away in 2007.
1982 Topps football card of former Dallas Cowboy defensive end Ed “Too Tall” Jones, who played 15 seasons in the NFL, from 1974 to 1989, all with the Cowboys. His years in the NFL were interrupted by a brief “retirement” in ’79 as he attempted to pursue a professional boxing career. He was a three time Pro Bowler, and helped Dallas win the Super Bowl in 1978. He was a durable player, as he never missed a game in his 15 seasons.
1964 Philadelphia football card of former NFL split end Del Shofner, who had an underappreciated 11 year career in the league, split between the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants. He was a five time Pro Bowl selection and was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1960s. Shofner had the good fortune of playing with 2 Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Norm Van Brocklin in L.A. and Y.A. Tittle with the Giants.
1981 Topps football card of former NFL quarterback Steve Grogan, who played 16 seasons in the league, all with the New England Patriots. He didn’t have a stellar career, but is somewhat underappreciated for his longevity and toughness. He did lead the Pats to the playoffs 3 times, including in his second season, 1975, which was the team’s first playoff appearance since their AFL days in 1963. Grogan’s contributions grew to be more appreciated as the years went by after his playing days ended, and he was inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame in 1995.
1954 Bowman football card of one of the greatest players in football history, former Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Otto Graham. He rarely gets a mention in the discussion of top QBs of all time, but Graham guided the Browns to the playoffs in every season of his 10 year career in the old All America Conference and the NFL, winning 7 championships. He also held every passing record during his time, although his records have been surpassed in the modern era. He won 5 MVP awards combined between his AAFC and NFL years, and was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team. He coached at the Coast Guard Academy and briefly with the Washington Redskins after his playing days were over. Graham was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.
2011 Topps football card of former NFL defensive back Ed Reed, who was an All Pro safety for the Baltimore Ravens for 11 seasons before finishing his career with the Houston Texans and New York Jets. A nine time Pro Bowler, he was considered a premier “ballhawk” type of safety, as his 64 career interceptions ranks him sixth on the NFL’s all-time list. Reed helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII and he was named to the league’s All Decade team for the 2000s. He is currently assistant defensive backs coach with the Buffalo Bills.
1956 Topps football card of former NFL offensive tackle Roosevelt “Rosey” Brown, who played 13 seasons in the league for the New York Giants. In an era when African American players were often overlooked by pro scouts, he was drafted in the 27th round of the NFL draft in 1953 out of Morgan State, and went on to excel with the Giants, being named to the Pro Bowl nine times and helping the club win the NFL title in 1956. Brown was selected to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1950s, to the league’s 75th Anniversary team, and was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975. After retiring as a player, he was an early pioneer in the ranks of African American coaches as he served as assistant offensive line coach, then was promoted to O-line coach of the Giants in 1969. He also worked for many years in the team’s scouting department.