rayonsports.com

A pair of classic sports cards of one of the greatest two-sport stars of all time, Bo Jackson. On the left is a 1989 ProSet football card of Jackson as a Los Angeles Raider, on the right a 1987 Donruss baseball card of Jackson during his days as an outfielder for the Kansas City Royals. Jackson is the only pro athlete to be named an All Star in two major sports. He won the Heisman Trophy at Auburn and then focused on playing both sports in the pros, starring for the Royals, and the Raiders for four years before a major hip injury ended his football playing days. He then turned full time to baseball, although the Royals released him rather than pay him while he rehabbed his football injury. He played two more years for the Chicago White Sox.

1984 Topps hockey card of former National Hockey League goaltender Tom Barrasso. Drafted as a teenager  in 1983, he became the first player in history to go directly from high school into the NHL. Amazingly, he won both the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender in his first year. Barrasso wound up playing a total of 18 seasons in the league for six different teams, with his most successful years coming in the early 1990s while playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won a pair of Stanley Cups.

1989 Topps football card of former Chicago Bears’ linebacker Ron Rivera, who played nine seasons for the team. He was a member of the famed 1985 “Super Bowl Shuffle” Bears team, which beat New England 46-10 in the big game. That made Rivera the first Puerto Rican player to play on a Super Bowl championship team. After retiring as a player, Rivera entered the coaching ranks, and currently is the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

1961 Fleer football card of former Baltimore Colts’ receiver Raymond Berry, who played 13 seasons with the club, teaming with Colt QB John Unitas to form the NFL’s first big-time passing combination in a run-first era. Known for his precise route running and great hands, he was said to have dropped only two passes in his entire career. Berry was a six-time Pro Bowler, helped the Colts win a pair of NFL championships, and is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest receivers of all time. After retiring as a player, he entered the coaching ranks and eventually became head coach of the New England Patriots, where he served for 6 years, leading the team to a Super Bowl appearance in 1986. Berry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

1955 Bowman football card of Hall of Famer Emlen Tunnell, a defensive back who played 14 seasons in the NFL, 11 of those with the New York Giants. A ball-hawking defender, Tunnell had 79 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries in his career. He was the first African American to play for the Giants, and also the first to be inducted into Canton when he was elected in 1967. Tunnell was a nine time Pro Bowler and a member of the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1950s. He played on two championship teams, in 1956 for the Giants, and 1961 with Green Bay. Tunnell passed away in 1975.

1957 Topps football card of Hall of Fame end Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, one of the top pass receivers in NFL history. He started his pro football career with three injury-prone seasons in the old AAFC, playing for the Chicago Rockets, but when that league merged with the NFL, he joined the high-powered offense of the Los Angeles Rams in the 1950s. He had been a running back, and with the Rams was alternated between that spot and a wide receiver position, making him perhaps pro football’s first “flanker”. He was a member of the Rams’ 1951 championship team, and was voted to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1950s. After suffering a concussion, Hirsch was the first player to use a plastic molded helmet, which is the industry standard today.

1989 ProSet football card of former NFL back Ronnie Harmon, who played 12 seasons in the league with four different teams. He began his career with the Buffalo Bills, where he spent four years, then moved to San Diego where he had his most success, making the Pro Bowl in 1992 and reaching the Super Bowl with the Chargers in 1995. Although he was a running back, Harmon was known more for his receiving skills than his rushing style.

1967 Philadelphia football card of former NFL fullback A.D. Whitfield, who played four seasons in the league. He spent his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, then was acquired by Washington and finished his NFL career with the Redskins. He played in the Canadian League for a short time, then after retiring from the game, resurfaced four years later to play with the World Football League’s Florida Blazers, finally quitting for good after the 1974 season.

1984 Topps football card of former Buffalo Bills’ defensive end Ben Williams, who played college ball at Mississippi, the first African American to play for the school. Williams was an unsung, hard-working member of the Bills’ defense during his career, although he was rewarded with a Pro Bowl berth in 1982. Nicknamed “Gentle Ben”, he retired in 1985 as the team’s all-time career sack leader with 45.5. Of course, the Bills drafted a guy that same year who would go on to shatter that record – Bruce Smith.

1973 Topps football card of former NFL quarterback Ken “The Snake” Stabler, a veteran of 15 seasons in the league. He gained a reputation for leading late-game comebacks while quarterbacking the Oakland Raiders for 10 of those years. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and was NFL MVP in 1974, and was voted to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1970s. Stabler finished his playing career with stints in Houston with the Oilers and New Orleans. After retiring, he worked in broadcasting as a color commentator for NFL games on CBS, and also on college radio broadcasts for his alma mater, Alabama.