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1968 Topps football card of former NFL receiver Howard Twilley, who played his entire 11 year career in the league for the Miami Dolphins. He was an original member of the team, as he was chosen in the 14th round of the NFL draft by the Dolphins in their inaugural season in 1966. Twilley was the only remaining original player from that ’66 team to play for Miami’s back-to-back Super Bowl championship clubs in the early 1970s. After his playing days ended, Twilley considered a run for Congress in Oklahoma, but instead decided to back another former player – Steve Largent – for the seat.

1983 Topps football card of former NFL defensive back Dennis Thurman, who played nine seasons in the league, mostly for Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys. He split his time in Dallas between playing safety and cornerback, and his best year came in 1981, when he intercepted 9 passes and made his only Pro Bowl, as a cornerback. Thurman never missed a game in his career, and went into coaching after his playing days ended. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills.

1965 Philadelphia football card of former NFL receiver and kick return specialist Walt “The Flea” Roberts. He played the first 3 seasons of his 6 year career with the Cleveland Browns, 1964 to 1966, helping the Browns win the league championship in his rookie campaign. He was left unprotected in the 1967 expansion draft to stock the new New Orleans franchise, and was grabbed by the Saints. Roberts finished his playing days with 2 seasons in Washington. A college track star at San Jose State, he picked up his nickname for his tremendous speed and diminutive size.

1965 Topps baseball card of one of the game’s true legends, former infielder, coach and manager Don Zimmer. Zimmer spent 65 years in the game, beginning in 1949 with the Brooklyn Dodgers until his death in 2014. He played for 5 different teams and coached or managed in 9 different organizations. Although he was mainly a utility player throughout his career, he was a part of six World Series-winning clubs in some capacity over the years.

1979 Opeechee hockey card of Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne, who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League with three different franchises, most notably the Los Angeles Kings. In L.A., he was a member of the “Triple Crown” line along with Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer. Dionne, nicknamed “Little Beaver”, was the third player in NHL history to reach the 700 goal plateau for his career. He was a two-time winner of both the Lester B. Pearson Award as the outstanding regular season player and the Lady Bing Trophy for sportsmanship, and won election to the Hall of Fame in 1992.

1987 Fleer basketball card of former NBA player Michael Cooper, who played his entire 12 year career in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. Known for his tenacious defense, he was a key player on the Lakers’ “Showtime” championship teams of the 1980s, helping the franchise win 5 titles. A 6’5 “swingman”, who could play both guard and forward, Cooper also had a knack for adding a touch of offense, especially when his team needed it most. After retiring as a player, he went into coaching, serving as an assistant in the NBA but having tremendous success as a head coach in the WNBA, where is currently coach of the Atlanta Dream. His WNBA coaching resume includes 2 championships while guiding the Los Angeles Sparks.

1959 Topps football card of former NFL offensive lineman Jim Ray Smith, who had a solid nine year career in the league that included five Pro Bowl selections. Smith began his playing days with the Cleveland Browns in 1956 and played 7 seasons for them, then finished his career with a two year stint as a Dallas Cowboy. This card is another  “error” card, which I like to feature on this blog. The team logo shown on the top left of the card is that of the Detroit Lions, and of course Smith never played for that franchise.

1966 Topps hockey card of legendary former Montreal Canadiens’ captain Jean Beliveau, who played 20 seasons for the NHL’s most storied franchise. Individual honors that he earned during his career include 2 Hart Trophies as league MVP, a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and an Art Ross Trophy as the league’s high scorer for a season. His real accomplishments, however, were always team-oriented, as he played on 10 Stanley Cup champion teams in Montreal, then served in a front office capacity as the franchise won 7 more titles. Beliveau was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 and passed away in December of 2014.

1960 Fleer football card of former pro football player, and the first head coach in Buffalo Bills’ history, Garrard “Buster” Ramsey. He coached the Bills in their first 2 seasons of existence, in 1960 and ’61. Ramsey enjoyed a six year playing career in the 1940s and ’50s with the Chicago Cardinals, but his greatest success came in the ’50s when he served as chief defensive assistant coach with the Detroit Lions, helping them win 3 NFL championships. Ramsey is credited with devising the 4-3 defense, which is a standard scheme in today’s NFL, and also being the first coach to blitz linebackers, a tactic he called the Red Dog. His defensive prowess got him the head job in Buffalo, and after he was fired from that post he returned to the NFL and coached the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense from 1962 until 1964. Ramsey passed away in 2007.

1974 Topps football card of former pro football linebacker John Skorupan, who played eight seasons in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. He was a starting ‘backer for the Bills immediately after being drafted out of Penn State in 1973, when the school was known as “Linebacker U.” due to the large number of stars they turned out at that position. He played for the Bills for 5 seasons before moving on to New York, where he played on the outside for 3 years before giving his starting spot over to a young player named Lawrence Taylor.