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To kick off Super Bowl week, this is a 1969 Topps football card of the only player in Super Bowl history to be named the game’s MVP after playing for the losing team, Dallas Cowboy linebacker Chuck Howley. In Super Bowl V, Howley intercepted 2 passes and recovered a fumble in a losing effort, and was named MVP. In a sign of the way players felt toward their profession at the time, he refused to accept the award, since his team had lost. The Cowboys won the Super Bowl the following year and Howley was again outstanding, but teammate Roger Staubach was the MVP. As for his career, Howley was drafted by the Chicago Bears and played 2 years for them before suffering a major knee injury that forced him to retire. He came out of retirement in 1961 to play for the expansion Cowboys, and it turned out to be a great decision, as he played another 13 seasons for them. He was a six time Pro Bowler, and one of many former players who probably deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but isn’t.

1982 Opeechee hockey card of former Edmonton Oiler Jarri Kurri. A native of Finland, he had a long and storied career in the National Hockey League, mostly as an Oiler, where he played on 5 Stanley Cup winning teams. Although he played in the shadow of teammates Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier on those teams, Kurri was an outstanding player in his own right, scoring 600 career goals. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, and currently serves as the general manager of Team Finland.

1964 Philadelphia football card of former Green Bay Packer defensive end Willie Davis. With the conference championship games coming up this weekend, this is a great card to feature, since Davis played in 6 NFL championship games in his Packer career, with the Pack winning 5 of them. Davis played 12 seasons in the NFL, starting in 1956 with the Cleveland Browns. He was traded to Green Bay in 1960, becoming a stalwart on the Packer defense that won those 5 titles, which also included the first two Super Bowls. Davis never missed a game in those 12 seasons, and was a five time Pro Bowler. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

1974 Topps football card of former player Marlin Briscoe. “Marlin The Magician” started his pro career in 1968 with the American Football League’s Denver Broncos, entering training camp as the eighth quarterback on the team’s depth chart. He made the team, which was the AFL’s worst at the time, and injuries knocked out 2 other QBs. That meant when Briscoe broke the huddle on October 6, 1968 in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he became the first black starting quarterback in pro football history. After being released by the Broncos he moved on to Buffalo, where he was converted to wide receiver, a move that was made routinely with black QBs at the time. Briscoe went on to have a fine 9 year career as a receiver, playing on 2 Miami Super Bowl winning teams.

1958 Topps football card of former Cleveland Browns’ tackle and placekicker Lou “The Toe” Groza. Playing in an era of 33 man rosters that required kickers and punters who played other positions and were actual football players, Groza carved out a 21 year career in pro football, playing offensive tackle and kicking from 1946 until 1959, retiring for a year, then returning exclusively as a kicker from 1961 to 1967. He was a 9-time Pro Bowler and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.  He is a Browns’ legend, and the team’s training facility in Berea, Ohio is located on Lou Groza Boulevard. The Lou Groza Award is given annually to the outstanding college placekicker. Groza passed away in 2000.

During Sunday’s AFC wild card playoff game, the player featured on this 1973 Topps football card, (from www.CheckOutMyCards.com ), was mentioned a lot in comparison to Tim Tebow. He is Bobby Douglass, a left-handed, run-oriented phenom who played 11 seasons in the NFL, mostly for the Chicago Bears. In 1972, he ran for 968 yards and 8 touchdowns on 141 carries, a record for QBs that stood for 34 years. He wasn’t much of a passer, however, throwing for 36 TDs and 64 interceptions in his 11 seasons. His career may be the prime reason old school NFL people keep saying you can’t win with a player like Tebow – the Bears’ record during Douglass’ tenure there was 13-31-1. After his football career ended, Douglass had a short stint playing minor league baseball, pitching for the Chicago White Sox AAA team. In 4 games, he had no strikeouts and recorded 13 walks.

Courtesy of www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1958 Topps football card of former linebacker Les Richter, who played 9 seasons in the NFL. After starting out in 1952 with the New York Yanks (who folded) and Dallas Texans, he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players, the second most amount of players ever given up for a single player in league history. Richter was outstanding, playing in 8 Pro Bowls in his 9 year career. After football, he was involved in auto racing, serving as head of operations for NASCAR and as president of Riverside International Speedway. Richter passed away in 2010, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame posthumously in 2011.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1969 Topps football card of former Los Angeles Rams’ receiver Jack Snow, who played 11 seasons with the team and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1967. He was a solid NFL player, and after his playing days ended, he dabbled in acting and broadcasting, appearing on various television shows and even in a movie starring Gregory Peck. His son, J.T. Snow, was a major league baseball player, and when Jack passed away in 2006, J.T. changed his uniform number in his father’s memory.

1984 Topps football card of former NFL receiver Frank Lewis. Lewis started his pro career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but when they drafted Lynn Swann and John Stallworth in the same year, he became expendable and was traded to the Buffalo Bills. He had played 7 seasons in Pittsburgh and played on 2 Super Bowl-winning teams, and was thought to be winding down in his career when he was traded. However, he played another 6 years for the Bills and was a solid player, even being named to the Pro Bowl in 1981.

1986 Topps football card of former NFL running back Marcus Allen. A six-time Pro Bowler in his career, Allen played for the Raiders and Chiefs for a total of 15 years, and was one of the greatest all-around backs of all time. He was the first player to amass 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 receiving in a career, and also passed for 6 career touchdowns on halfback option passes. He was MVP of Super Bowl XVIII, and his touchdown run against the Redskins in that game is one of the great plays in championship game history. Allen was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.