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1958 Topps football card of former Baltimore Colts’ defensive back Milt Davis, who played five seasons for the club from 1957 until 1961. He was originally drafted in 1954 by Detroit, but was drafted into the Army the same year. After serving 2 years in the Army, Davis attempted to resume his NFL career with the Lions, but was told he wouldn’t be able to play for them because they didn’t have another black player on the team to accompany him on the road. The Colts signed him as a free agent in 1957,and he was a ball hawk for them, intercepting 10 passes in his rookie year. He had a total of 27 picks in his five year career, but, angered by the treatment of black players by the league, retired after the ’61 season to pursue a doctorate in education. Eventually, Davis returned to the NFL, working as a scout for several teams, and when he retired he moved to Oregon and raised cattle, sheep and llama.

1966 Topps football card of former Buffalo Bills’ halfback Wray Carlton, who played for the team for eight seasons, starting with their inaugural year in the American Football League in 1960, until 1967. He was a two-time AFL All Star and has the distinction of scoring the first touchdown in team history. Carlton helped the Bills win back-to-back AFL championships in 1964 and ’65, and was the team’s all time leading rusher for their 10 year existence in the AFL.

1952 Bowman football card of a National Football League Hall of Fame legend, former Philadelphia Eagle back Steve Van Buren. One of the All Time Eagle players, he was a five-time all pro during his eight year career, was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1940s, and helped Philly win two NFL titles, in 1948 and ’49. Van Buren also led the league in rushing four times in his career. Knee injuries forced him to retire in 1952, and he was elected to Canton in 1965. Van Buren died of pneumonia in 2012.

1972 Topps football card of former NFL quarterback Dennis Shaw, who played 9 seasons in the league for 4 different teams. Drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1970, Shaw took over the team’s starting job in his rookie year and won the NFL Offensive Rookie of The Year award, making him one of only seven signal callers to win the award. In 1974, following 3 years with the Bills, Shaw was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a receiver named Bobby Moore, who changed his name to Ahmad Rashad and went on to have a terrific career with the Bills and Minnesota Vikings. Shaw never repeated the success he had in Buffalo, and wound up retiring after the 1978 season.

1970 Topps football card of former NFL running back Mel Farr, who played seven seasons in the league for the Detroit Lions. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, and during his playing career, he and teammate Lem Barney, the Hall of Fame cornerback, sang background vocals on Marvin Gaye’s hit song “What’s Going On”. After retiring as a player, Farr opened Mel Farr Ford, a dealership in suburban Detroit that by 1998 grossed almost $600 million , making it the top-ranked African American-owned business in the U.S.

1962 Fleer football card of former defensive back Billy Atkins, who played seven seasons of pro ball, starting in 1958 in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. He jumped to the fledgling AFL when that league began play in 1960, and was an AFL All Star in ’61 while playing for the Buffalo Bills. After retiring as a player, Atkins became head coach at Troy State, and guided the Trojans to an NAIA national championship in 1968. He is still the second winningest coach in that school’s history.

1989 Score football card of former quarterback Doug Flutie, who had a long pro career in the old USFL, Canadian Football League and the NFL. After winning the Heisman Trophy playing for Boston College, he joined Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals in the USFL. After that league folded, Flutie played briefly, and rather unsuccessfully, in the NFL with Chicago and New England. He then moved to the CFL, where he enjoyed an eight year stint with three different teams, winning three Grey Cup championships. That success sparked a comeback in the NFL, where he played eight more seasons, mostly for Buffalo and San Diego. He was a Pro Bowler and NFL Comeback Player of The Year in 1998 with the Bills. Flutie currently works as an analyst on college football broadcasts.

1989 Topps football card of former NFL linebacker Cornelius Bennett, who played for 14 seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills. When he was selected in the NFL draft second overall out of Alabama in 1987, he became the highest selection from the school since Joe Namath in 1965. He was an outstanding player, being elected to the Pro Bowl 5 times. He was also named to the NFL All Decade team for the 1990s and the Bills’ All Time 50th Anniversary team. Bennett was fortunate to play in five Super Bowls, four with the Bills and one with Atlanta, but unfortunately lost all five of them.

1974 Topps football card of former NFL wide receiver Harold Jackson, who enjoyed a 20 year playing career in the league spanning 3 decades. A six-time Pro Bowler, he played for  five different clubs, and did 2 different stints with the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots.  Jackson joined the coaching ranks after retiring as a player, and worked for various pro and college teams over the years as a wide receiver coach and offensive coordinator. In 2014 Jackson was hired as head coach at his alma mater, Jackson State.

1972 Topps football card of former National Football League  linebacker Phil Villapiano, who enjoyed a 13 year career in  the league with the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills. He was a four time Pro Bowler and a key defensive player on the Raiders’ Super Bowl XI championship team. Since retiring, Villapiano has worked in the logistics business and been involved in numerous charitable causes, including helping raise funds to rebuild the Jersey shore following Hurricane Sandy, and fund-raising efforts for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and to help find a cure or ALS.