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1989 Score football card of long-time NFL quarterback Steve DeBerg, who carved himself out a 21 year career in the league that spanned three decades. He played for six different franchises, and was the ultimate backup quarterback. Although almost always used in a reserve role, his longevity allowed him to compile some decent career numbers, and his one niche as a player was his ability to fake handoffs on play-action passes. DeBerg had the bad fortune of being with the 49ers when they drafted Joe Montana, with the Broncos when they picked John Elway, and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they had Steve Young on their roster.

1973 Topps football card of a former NFL player, defensive end Phil Olsen. He played six seasons in the league as a defensive lineman and center for the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos. He is the younger brother of Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, a member of the famed Fearsome Foursome. He played alongside Merlin in 1971 and ’72, while in 1976 a third brother, Orrin, played for the Kansas City Chiefs, giving the Olsen family three NFL players in the era.

1998 Bowman football card of former wide receiver Randy Moss. This was Moss’s rookie card, printed in his first year in the NFL, playing for the team that drafted him, the Minnesota Vikings. He played 14 seasons in the NFL, half of them for the Vikings and was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a member of the NFL All Decade team for the 2000s. His 156 career receiving touchdowns rank second all time to Jerry Rice. Also, his 23 TD catches in 2007, while playing for New England, are a league record. After retiring, Moss dabbled in broadcasting and briefly was involved with a NASCAR truck racing team.

Today’s Classic Sports Card of The Day is actually four football cards – a 1959 Topps card of split end/back R.C. Owens, a 1961 Fleer card of fullback J.D. Smith, a 1954 Bowman card of quarterback Y.A. Tittle and a 1962 Topps card of fullback C.R. Roberts. Together, this quartet formed the famous “All Alphabet” backfield of the San Francisco 49ers of the late 1950s and early 1960s.  Tittle and Owens were known for connecting on high-arcing end zone pass completions that became known as the “Alley Oop” pass, while Smith and Roberts were stalwarts in the run game, with Smith totaling 46 career touchdowns in 10 NFL seasons.

1972 Topps football card of former NFL quarterback Bill Nelsen, who played 10 seasons in the league for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. He was known mostly for his toughness as he lasted as long as he did despite suffering numerous serious knee injuries. He had limited success in 5 years with a lowly Steeler club, but after being traded to the Browns he took over as the starter when injuries sidelined Frank Ryan and guided the Cleveland club to the postseason 3 times. He served as an assistant coach with various NFL clubs after retiring as a player.

1972 Topps football card of former Oakand Raider safety George Atkinson, who played ten seasons of pro football. He was an American Football League All Star in his first 2 years, 1968 and ’69, and was a solid and dependable player in the Raiders’ secondary for a decade, helping them win a Super Bowl in 1977. Atkinson currently works on Oakland game broadcasts, and his son, George Atkinson III, had a brief stint with the Raiders in 2014 as a running back.

1973 Topps football card of former NFL running back Eugene “Mercury” Morris, who played eight seasons in the league, seven of them for the Miami Dolphins. He was part of Miami’s three-headed backfield monster, along with Jim Kiick and Larry Csonka, and was the speedy outside running threat of the trio. He was a three time Pro Bowler and helped the Dolphins win a pair of Super Bowls in the 1970s. His nephew, Alfred Morris, is currently a running back for the Washington Redskins.

1961 Fleer football card of former pro football fullback Jack Spikes, who played eight solid seasons in the American Football League, mostly for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs franchise. He helped the Texans win the AFL title in 1962, and played in the 1966 league championship, between the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, which decided which AFL team would represent the league in the very first Super Bowl. However, at that point he was playing for the losing team in that game, the Bills.

1954 Bowman football card of former pro football defensive back Warren Lahr, who played 11 seasons for the Cleveland Browns in both the old All America Football Conference and the National Football League. He is second in Browns’ franchise history in career interceptions, was a four-time All Pro and helped the club win 4 championships. After retiring as a player, Lahr served as an analyst on Browns’ television broadcasts from 1963 until 1967, teaming with Ken Coleman. He passed away in 1969 at age 45 of a heart attack.

1989 ProSet football card of former pro football coach Chuck Knox, a long-time NFL coaching stalwart who guided the Los Angeles Rams (2 different stays), Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. A three-time NFL Coach of The Year, he guided all 3 of those franchises to playoff status, but never had much success once in the playoffs, posting an overall 7-11 record and never reaching the Super Bowl. Still, his clubs achieved winning records 14 times in his 22 years as a head coach.