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1979 Topps hockey card of former NHL defenseman Jim Shoenfeld, who played 14 seasons in the league, mostly for the Buffalo Sabres. He was a prototype defensive defenseman, and was a major part of a young Sabre team that made the playoffs in only its’ third season of existence in 1973, then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals the following year. He was head coach of 4 different teams, including the Sabres, after his playing days ended, and gained notoriety for a confrontation with referee Don Koharski when he yelled, “Have another doughnut, you fat pig!” while arguing with him. Speaking of doughnuts, Shoenfeld’s first defense partner in the NHL was Tim Horton.

1978 Topps baseball card of a gritty former player and manager in the major leagues, Lou Piniella. “Sweet Lou” kicked around the majors with Cleveland, Baltimore and the Kansas City Royals before finding his niche as a regular player for the New York Yankees. He was a major part of back-to-back Yankee championship teams in 1977 and ’78. After finishing up his playing career with 11 seasons in the Bronx, Piniella embarked on a highly successful managing career, piloting 5 different major league clubs and winning 3 Manager of the Year awards. He managed the 1990 Cincinnati Reds to a surprising World Series sweep over the heavily favored Oakland A’s. He is currently an analyst on Yankee telecasts for the team’s YES network.

Courtesy of www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1985 Fleer baseball card of former major league outfielder Jose Cruz, who is a member of a royal baseball family. He is the brother of former major leaguers Hector and Tommy Cruz, and his son, Jose Jr., also was a star major leaguer. Cruz had a long career spanning 19 seasons with 3 teams, primarily the Houston Astros. Aside from Roberto Clemente, he is the most famous Puerto Rican-born player. His 6 career walk-off home runs are still an Astro team record, and he had an outstanding NLCS playoff series in a losing cause in 1980, batting .400 in the dramatic five-game series loss to the Phillies.

1964 Topps baseball card of former major league player and manager Tony LaRussa, who retired after guiding the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title in 2011. He had been involved in major league baseball since 1963, when he began his playing career as a utility infielder for the Kansas City Athletics. He was mostly a mediocre player, finishing in 1973 with a .199 career batting average. His managerial career was legendary, however, as he piloted 3 different franchises, the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A’s and the Cardinals, for a total of 33 years. He won 3 World Series championships and is third on the all-time list for wins by a manager, behind Connie Mack and John McGraw.

1975 Topps basketball card of former National Basketball Association player Jack Marin, who played 11 seasons in the league for 4 different teams. He was once traded from the Baltimore Bullets to Houston for Elvin Hayes, a move that helped the Bullets become a powerhouse. The left-handed Marin was a pure shooter and one of the NBA’s top free throw shooters during his career. He became a lawyer after his playing days ended, and currently serves as outside counselor to the NBA Retired Players’ Association, as well as representing players performing abroad. Marin is active in the Hope For Warriors campaign, which teaches golf and other sports activities to severely wounded U.S. Marines.

1989 Topps football card of former NFL defensive end Bruce Smith, a stalwart of the Buffalo Bills’ defense for 15 seasons. After being released by the Bills in 1999, he finished his career in Washington, where he became the all-time career sack leader in league history. Smith is arguably the best defensive lineman in NFL history, as he was an 11 time Pro Bowler and a member of the Buffalo teams that played in 4 consecutive Super Bowls in the 1990s. Smith was voted to the NFL’s All Decade teams for both the 1980s and ’90s. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility.

1958 Topps football card of a former Pittsburgh Steeler defensive back who was just elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jack Butler. Playing in an era when the NFL draft was 30 rounds long, Butler went undrafted, after a stellar college career at St. Bonaventure, but signed with the Steelers and carved out a sold nine year stint, making the Pro Bowl 4 times and grabbing 52 total interceptions. In 2008, he was named one of the top 33 Steelers of all time, quite an accomplishment considering the talented players who’ve played for the franchise over the years.

1989 Topps football card of former Washington Redskins’ quarterback Mark Rypien. He was the first Canadian-born player to start at QB in the NFL, and was mostly a journeyman in his long career. His best year was 1991, when he guided the Redskins to a Super Bowl championship, and was named the game’s MVP, the first foreign-born player to win the award. After his football career was over, Rypien was involved in NASCAR as a team owner of the #97 car.

1966 Topps football card of former New York Jet fullback Matt Snell, who was a star runner for the team for 9 seasons. Although Joe Namath gets the lion’s share of credit for the Jets’ collossal upset win over the Colts in Super Bowl III, mostly due to delivering on his guarantee of a victory, it was Snell who was the major offensive factor in the win. The Jets played a ball control offense that day, mixing in play action passes by Namath with a good running game, keyed by Snell’s 121 yards rushing. He also scored the Jets’ only touchdown in the game on a four yard run. After retiring, he appeared in the first Miller Lite beer commercial, and currently owns a restaurant in New York City.

1986 Topps football card of a player who was a member of one of the most memorable Super Bowl teams of all time, former Chicago Bear defensive lineman William “The Refrigerator” Perry. An immediate fan favorite when he joined the Bears, Perry played defensive tackle and also was used at fullback, to lead block for Walter Payton and occasionally to carry the ball. He even scored a touchdown in the Bears’ Super Bowl win over the Patriots. That Bears team, coached by Mike Ditka, was full of characters, led by Perry and rebel quarterback Jim McMahon. They even released the “Super Bowl Shuffle” video before they qualified for the game. Perry wound up playing 10 seasons in the NFL, and has the distinction of having the largest Super Bowl ring of any player in history to win one.