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The Arizona Cardinals own the top selection in this year’s NFL college draft, and this is a 1959 Topps football card of the last player to be selected first overall by the Cardinal franchise, quarterback King Hill. He was chosen in 1958 with a “lottery bonus” pick, and halfback John David Crow was selected second overall, also by the Cards, who were based in Chicago at the time. Although he never was a star player, Hill played 11 seasons in the NFL with various teams, his longest stint ( 8 years) being with the Philadelphia Eagles. After retiring, he worked as an assistant coach and scout in Houston and New Orleans, was an avid golfer and aided in various charitable causes, including Ronald McDonald House, Big Brothers and Special Olympics. Hill passed away in 2012 at the age of 75.

2014 Bowman Chrome football card of NFL running back Frank Gore, a soon to be 36 year old who recently signed to play his 15th season in the league for the Buffalo Bills. He had most of his success in his first 10 years in San Francisco with the 49ers, but has proven to be a durable back. A five-time Pro Bowler, Gore is fourth on the NFL’s list of all-time rushing leaders, and should be a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he decides to  retire.

1968 Topps football card of former Cleveland Browns’ guard Gene Hickerson, who enjoyed a solid 15 year career in the NFL, all with the Browns. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and lead blocker on the Browns’ line for 3 different 1,000 yard rushers, all of whom are Hall of Famers – Bobby Mitchell, Jim Brown and LeRoy Kelly. Hickerson was voted to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1960s, played on the Browns’ 1964 championship team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. He passed away in 2008.

1961 Fleer football card of former Green Bay Packer split end Max McGee, who played 11 seasons, over a 13 year period from 1954 to 1967, missing the ’55 and ’56 seasons while serving as a pilot in the Air Force. He was the team’s punter early in his career, but saw more time as a receiver after Vince Lombardi took over as coach in 1959. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and a member of 5 Packer championship teams. McGee suffered from Alzheimer’s disease late in life, and died from injuries he sustained from a fall from the roof of his home, while using a leaf blower to remove leaves, in 2007 at the age of 75.

1972 Topps football card of former pro football placekicker Jim O’Brien, who had a short and mostly uneventful 4 year career in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts and Detroit Lions. Playing in the tail end of an era where kickers also played other positions (the early 1970s), he was also a wide receiver. O’Brien made only 60 of 108 field goal attempts in his career, but in his rookie season of 1970, he booted a 32 yarder with 5 seconds left in Super Bowl V to give the Colts a championship victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

1969 Topps football card of former Buffalo Bills’ offensive tackle Stew Barber, who played 9 seasons for the team in their American Football League days in the 1960s. He was originally signed as a linebacker, and played there in his rookie season, recording 3 interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown. He was moved to tackle in his next season and settled in nicely there, as he helped the team win 2 AFL championships and  was named a league All Star 5 times. He stayed with the franchise after retiring as a player, working as a scout and eventually working his way up to general manager.

2011 Score football card of recently retired NFL defensive lineman Kyle Williams, who enjoyed a 13 year career with the Buffalo Bills. Entering the league as an unheralded fifth round draft pick in 2006, the big DT carved out a solid career with the Bills, quickly earning a starting position and eventually becoming the conscience and the heart and soul of the Bills’ locker room. Williams, recently added to this year’s Pro Bowl roster, is now a six-time participant in the annual All Star game. He has been a shining light in what has been mostly a losing era in Buffalo football history.

1963 Fleer football card of former pro football flankerback Irving “Bo” Roberson, who was a star receiver in the old American Football League in the early 1960s. After winning a silver medal at the 1960 Olympics in the long jump, he joined the San Diego Chargers for a year before moving on to the Oakland Raiders, where he had his most success, from 1962 until 1964. He was traded in-season in 1965 to Buffalo after injuries decimated the Bills’ receiving corps, and became a major contributor to the team winning the AFL championship that year. Roberson had a successful life after football, earning a Ph.D. and working as a psychologist with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He is the only person with an Ivy League degree (Cornell), a Ph.D., an Olympic medal and a career in pro football.

1960 Fleer football card of former pro football quarterback Tommy O’Connell, who had a brief pro career with 3 different teams. He played one season for the Chicago Bears in 1953, returned to join the Cleveland Browns for the 1956 and ’57 seasons, retired to become head coach at Drake University in ’59, then was lured back to play for the Buffalo Bills in the old AFL in 1960 and ’61. His best season was in ’57 when he replaced Otto Graham in Cleveland, led the Browns to the Eastern Division title and was named to the Pro Bowl. O’Connell, who died in 2014, was the father of former hockey player and general manager Mike O’Connell.

This is a 2000 Bowman football card, the “rookie” card, of current New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady, who is arguably the most successful signal caller in NFL history. Of course, the means by which he and his team have achieved that success over the last almost 2 decades will always be under a cloud of suspicion. Nevertheless, Brady has had a long, storied career that is still ongoing. He is a five-time Super Bowl champion, four-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time NFL MVP and a 14 time Pro Bowler. He’s been a durable player over his 19 year career, missing only the entire 2008 season due to an Achilles injury.