1961 Fleer football card of former pro football receiver Don Maynard. Maynard is one of many players whose careers were resurrected by the birth of the American Football League in 1960. He was released by the NFL’s New York Giants after the 1958 season, kicked around in the Canadian League for a year, then became the first player signed by the New York Titans franchise in the AFL’s inaugural season. It turned out to be a pretty good acquisition, as Maynard fashioned a 13 year career with the Titans/Jets franchise, earning him induction into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame in 1987. Dubbed an “NFL reject” by the New York media upon signing with the Titans, Maynard got a measure of revenge when he teamed with Joe Namath to help the Jets upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, firmly establishing the AFL’s legitimacy.