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2007 Score football card of former pro tight end Vernon Davis, who played 14 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the San Francisco 49ers. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and an All Pro in 2013. After 9+ tears with the Niners he was traded to Denver and helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50. An avid curling fan, Davis was named an honorary captain of the US Olympic Curling team for the 2010 winter Olympics. He has been involved in various business ventures since retiring as a player, including ownership in a women’s soccer team and a pro basketball team in Australia.

1968 Topps football card of former pro fullback Earl Gros, who played 9 seasons in the NFL for 4 teams. He was a member of Green Bay’s championship team in his rookie year in 1962 and played just one more year there before being traded to the Eagles, along with center Jim Ringo, for linebacker Lee Roy Caffey and a draft pick. He had his best years in Philadelphia before finishing his career with short stints in Pittsburgh and New Orleans. For a player that was a backup most of his playing days, his 38 total career touchdowns is an impressive number. Gros died in 2013 at the age of 72.

2014 Topps Chrome football card of former pro wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who enjoyed an 11 year career in the NFL, all but 1 season with the Green Bay Packers. The card signified Nelson as a 1,000 yard receiver. He was a Pro Bowler in 2014, NFL receiving touchdowns leader in 2016, and is a member of the Packers’ Hall of Fame. Nelson, who helped Green Bay win Super Bowl XLV, became a league appeals officer in 2024, hearing players’ appeals in discipline cases.

1958 Topps football card of former pro end/halfback Ray Mathews, who played 10 seasons in the NFL, all but one with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the Steelers’ Hall of Honor. After 9 years in Pittsburgh in the 1950s, he was selected by Dallas in the 1960 expansion draft and spent his last active year with the Cowboys. Mathews dabbled in coaching after his playing days ended, in minor league ball, the Canadian Football League and the NFL. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 86.

1954 Bowman football card of former pro football end Gordy Soltau, who played 9 seasons in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers. He played in the wild and wooly decade of the 1950s, and was a three-time Pro Bowler and named All Pro in 1952. Soltau held the 49ers’ team record for points in a single game (26) for 39 years until Jerry Rice broke it. A Navy veteran who was a “Frogman” that specialized in underwater demolition during World War II, he is also a member of the 49ers’ team Hall of Fame. Soltau passed away in 2014 at the age of 89.

2022 Panini Contenders football card of current pro football tight end Isaiah Likely, who plays for the Baltimore Ravens. This is Likely’s rookie card, as he was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. In the first 3 years of his young career Likely has amassed 108 receptions for 1,261 yards and 14 touchdowns as a prime pass-catching tight end for Baltimore.

1984 Topps football card of former pro running back Marcus Allen, who played 16 seasons in the NFL for the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, NFL Most Valuable Player in 1985, Super Bowl XVIII MVP and also won awards for Offensive Rookie of The Year in 1982 and Comeback Player of The Year in 1993. His legendary touchdown run in his Super Bowl MVP game is one of the greatest in league history. Allen was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

1994 Bowman football card of former pro wide receiver Isaac Bruce, who enjoyed a storied 16 year career in the NFL, mostly with the St.Louis/Los Angeles Rams. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, led the NFL in receiving yards in 1996 and was a key member of the Rams’ club that won Super Bowl XXXIV. Bruce was the leading pass catcher on the Rams’ team known as “The Greatest Show On Turf” due to their offensive prowess. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

1972 Topps football card of former pro linebacker Mike “Mad Dog” Curtis, who played 14 seasons in the NFL, mostly for the Baltimore Colts before finishing his career with stints in Seattle and Washington. Also known as “The Animal”, he was a four-time Pro Bowler and twice named an All Pro. Curtis was a key member of the defense for the Colts’ team that won Super Bowl V, and his late interception in the game set up the winning field goal . He gained notoriety when he absolutely crushed a fan who had run out on the field and tried to pick up the ball. Curtis died after suffering from CTE in 2020 at the age of 77.

1961 Topps football card of former defensive lineman Laverne Torczon, who played 7 seasons in the American Football League with the Buffalo Bills, New York Titans/Jets and Miami Dolphins. He was an AFL All Star in ’60 and ’61 with Buffalo. Torczon had the distinction of being a member of 2 different teams in their inaugural seasons – the Bills in ’61 and the Dolphins in their expansion year of 1966. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 79.