1967 Topps football card of former pro football “flanker” Lance Alworth, who played 11 seasons in the American and National Football Leagues. He made his mark in the AFL with the San Diego Chargers, teaming with QB John Hadl to become the league’s most feared passing combination. After 9 years with the Chargers, Alworth was traded to Dallas where he played his final 2 seasons, helping the Cowboys win Super Bowl VI. “Bambi”, as he was aptly nicknamed, also was an AFL champ with the Chargers in 1963, was a 7 time AFL All Star, was the only player to be selected to both the All Time AFL Team and the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team. He still holds the NFL record for most career touchdown receptions of 70+ yards, with 12. Alworth was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978.
Archive for the ‘Classic Sports Card of the Day’ Category
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1974 Topps football card of former pro football cornerback Mike Bass, who played 8 seasons in the NFL, all but one for the Washington Redskins. He had a solid career, racking up 30 career interceptions and being named All Pro in 1974. Early in his career while with Detroit, Bass had a small speaking part in the movie Paper Lion when the Lions were a featured part of that film. When a neck injury ended his playing career prematurely, he retired to The Bahamas where he owned a resort club for 18 years.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1961 Fleer football card of one of the top pro football quarterbacks of all time, John Unitas. “Johnny U” played 18 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Baltimore Colts. He was a 10-time Pro Bowler, 4-time NFL champion, 3-time NFL MVP, All Decade team for the 1960s, and a 4-time league leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. His record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass stood for almost 52 years before being broken by Drew Brees in 2012. Unitas was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, and died of a heart attack in 2002.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1966 Philadelphia football card of former pro football running back Tucker Frederickson, who was the top pick of the college draft in 1965 and spent 7 seasons with the New York Giants. He was a Pro Bowler in his rookie year but his career tailed off some after that and ended prematurely due to a knee injury in 1971. In retirement, Frederickson became involved in the financial industry and handles golf course real estate business, with his partners including Jack Nicklaus.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1966 Topps football card of former pro football quarterback John Hadl, who enjoyed a 16 year career in the AFL and NFL with 4 different teams, most notably the San Diego Chargers. He guided one of the AFL’s most prolific offenses with the Chargers, and was a 4 time AFL All Star. He led the league in passing yards and touchdowns in 1968. After retiring as a player he coached in various positions in both college and pro football, and is currently the associate athletic director at his alma mater, the University of Kansas.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1984 Topps football card of former linebacker Jack Lambert, a ferocious member for 11 seasons of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Steel Curtain” defense. He was known for his physical style of play and once said that quarterbacks “should wear dresses”. His resume is long and full of honors – 9-time Pro Bowler, 4-time Super Bowl champion, NFL Defensive Rookie of The Year (1974), NFL Defensive Player of The Year (1976), and member of the NFL’s All Decade Teams for both the 1970s and 1980s. Lambert had a toothless snarl that gave his rugged image a boost, but the missing teeth were actually a result of taking an elbow in a high school basketball game. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1955 Bowman football card of former pro football quarterback Ralph Guglielmi, who played for 7 years in the NFL for 4 different teams. His longest stay was four seasons with the Washington Redskins. Although he was a college All American at Notre Dame and is in the College Football Hall of Fame, he didn’t have much of an NFL career, totaling 24 touchdown passes and 52 interceptions. Guglielmi passed away in 2017 at the age of 83.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1961 Fleer football card of a former pro football defensive tackle, Roosevelt Grier, who played 12 seasons in the National Football League for the New York Giants and as a member of the “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line of the Los Angeles Rams. He was named All Pro 3 times in his career. “Rosey” has led a colorful life outside of football. He was an actor, singer, ordained minister, needlepoint and macramé enthusiast and as bodyguard for Robert Kennedy’s wife during the 1968 presidential campaign, he tackled the assassin and secured his gun. He performed along with Ann-Margret in Bob Hope’s 1968 USO tour across Southeast Asia. At age 87, he is the lone surviving member of the Rams’ Fearsome Foursome group, despite being the oldest.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1963 Topps football card of former pro football halfback/flanker Bobby Mitchell, who played 4 seasons in Cleveland before being traded to the Washington Redskins in 1962. Although this card says he’s a Redskin, he is clearly still wearing his Browns’ uniform in the picture. Mitchell was a four-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the Ring of Honor for both the Browns and Redskins. After retiring as a player he spent 34 years in the Redskins’ front office, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. He still lives in the D.C. area and has been involved in numerous charitable organizations over the years.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1989 Score football card of former pro football quarterback Don Majkowski, who played 10 seasons in the NFL, most notably with the Green Bay Packers. A native of Depew, NY, he earned the nickname “The Majik Man” for his exploits in Green Bay, and the best of his 6 seasons with the Packers was in 1989, when he led the NFL in passing yards and was named to the Pro Bowl. Injuries hampered him in his playing days, and when he suffered a torn ligament in his ankle in a 1992 game, he was replaced by a young upstart named Brett Favre and was forced to move on to another team. Majkowski was a fan favorite while playing for the Packers, and is a member of the team’s Hall of Fame.