1992 Upper Deck football card of former pro offensive tackle Howard Ballard, who played 9 years in the NFL, split between the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. Nicknamed “House” due to his tremendous size, he was a two-time Pro Bowler while with the Bills, as one of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly’s protectors.. When his playing days ended, Ballard worked as a sheriff’s deputy in Alabama and also coached high school football in that state.
2002 Bowman football card of former pro safety Coy Wire, who played 9 seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons. He was a star special teams player for the Bills and was a team captain and the club’s nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award in 2005. He finished his career with the Falcons, and after retiring remained in the Atlanta area, joining CNN as a sports anchor and analyst. Wire is also a published author and is credited with helping to develop the Nintendo Wii console.
2005 Leaf football card of former pro safety Jim Leonhard, an undersized safety who, after signing with Buffalo as an undrafted free agent in 2005, carved out a 15 year career in the NFL with 5 different franchises. He excelled as a kick returner and also as a safety, with career numbers that include 4.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 14 interceptions. He entered the coaching profession after retiring as a player, serving as a defensive assistant at Illinois and Wisconsin. Leonhard currently is on the defensive staff of the NFL’s Denver Broncos.
1989 ProSet football card of former NFL offensive tackle Joe Devlin, who played 14 seasons in the league for the Buffalo Bills. He was a solid starter on the Bills’ line for many years, but just missed the team’s Super Bowl run in the early 1990s. His cousin Mike Devlin also played for Buffalo, in the mid-90s and is currently the offensive line coach for the Los Angeles Chargers.
1963 Fleer football card of former pro split end/kicker Gino Cappelletti, one of the top stars of the old American Football League when he played for the Boston Patriots his entire career, from 1960 until 1970. He was a five-time AFL All Star and led the league in scoring in 1964, the year he also was named the Most Valuable Player. Cappelletti is a member of the Patriots’ Hall of Fame, and his jersey number 20 is retired by the franchise. He is considered one of the most worthy Pro Football Hall of Fame candidates among many former AFL players who are not enshrined in Canton. Cappelletti worked as a color commentator on Patriots’ radio broadcasts for almost 30 years after retiring as a player, and passed away in 2022.
1959 Topps football card of former pro end Bob Schnelker, who played 9 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the New York Giants. He was drafted by Cleveland in 1950 but spent time in the Marines before landing with the Giants in 1954. A two-time Pro Bowler, Schnelker helped the Giants win the NFL championship in 1956. He was a member of the Minnesota Vikings’ expansion team in 1961, and had the distinction of catching the first touchdown pass in franchise history from Fran Tarkenton. After retiring as a player, Schnelker served as an assistant coach for 7 different NFL teams over a 20 year span. He passed away in 2016 from complications of cancer.
1955 Bowman football card of former pro end Dorne Dibble, who played 6 seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions. His first year of play was 1951, and after serving in the military the following year he returned to the Lions and played from 1953 until 1957. Dibble averaged 17.5 yards per reception in his career, and was a member of the last 2 Detroit championship teams in ’53 and ’57. He died of pneumonia in 2018.
2012 Score football card of former pro quarterback Andrew Luck, who played 7 seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts before abruptly retiring due to recurring injuries. He was a four-time Pro Bowler in those 7 seasons and led the league in passing touchdowns in 2014. Luck is currently serving in an administrative capacity as general manager for football at his alma mater, Stanford. His father Oliver also played quarterback in the NFL, and served in many front office roles in the game, including commissioner of the XFL for 3 years.
1984 Topps football card, from the mullet era, of former pro placekicker Morten Andersen, who amazingly lasted 25 years in the NFL, kicking for 5 different teams. Born in Denmark, he was a 6 time All Pro and 7 time Pro Bowler, a 2 time winner of the Golden Toe Award as the NFL’s best kicker, and was named to the league’s All Decade teams for both the 1980s and 1990s. He currently co-hosts a football podcast with the Vegas Insider Podcast Network. Andersen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, only the second kicker to receive that honor.
2003 Bowman Chrome football card of former pro quarterback Tony Romo, who joined the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent and carved out a 13 year career as the team’s field general. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and led the Cowboys to 4 postseason appearances, although postseason success evaded him. Romo still holds some of the team’s passing records. He retired after the 2016 season and entered broadcasting, where he is currently the lead color analyst for CBS NFL games.