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1998 Bowman Chrome football card of former NFL running back Fred Taylor, who enjoyed a 13 year career in the league, mostly with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He remains one of the franchise’s most iconic players, and is a member of the 10,000+ rushing yards club among NFL all-time backs, despite being plagued by injuries throughout his career. Taylor’s most successful season was in 2007, when he was named to the Pro Bowl. His son Kelvin is currently a member of the new Alliance of American Football’s Orlando Apollos.

1958 Topps football card of former pro football fullback and kicker Paige Cothren, who had a short three year playing career in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. Used almost exclusively as a kicker, his career was pretty non-descript, but his life afterwards wasn’t. He joined the U.S. Army after retiring and reached the rank of captain, and was an accomplished author and pastor, and opened a pair of counseling centers for alcoholics and drug addicts. When the New Orleans Saints joined the NFL as an expansion team, their coach, former Ram teammate Tom Fears, signed Cothren as the franchise’s first player, even though he had been retired for over 6 years. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the team’s final cut as a kicker, but he continued to flourish in life outside of football.

1986 Topps football card of former Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Cris Collinsworth, who played eight seasons in the NFL and was a three time Pro Bowler. He played on a pair of Bengal Super Bowl teams that both lost in the big game. Collinsworth has enjoyed a very successful career in broadcasting since retiring as a player, winning 15 sports Emmy Awards while working in various capacities for multiple networks. He is currently the analyst for NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecasts, working alongside Al Michaels.

1955 Topps All American football card of former pro football halfback Ken Strong, who was a player known for his extreme versatility while playing in the early years of the National Football League for the New York Giants. He played offense, defense and was a placekicker for the team, and helped them win the NFL title in 1934. Strong was a four-time All Pro, was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1930s, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. After retiring as a player, he worked as a liquor salesman and served as the Giants’ kicking coach in the early 1960s.

1952 Bowman football card of a pro football legend, former Chicago Bears’ founder, owner and long-time head coach George “Papa Bear” Halas. He was one of the original owners when the NFL was founded in 1920 (it was known as the American Professional Football Association at the time), as he served as owner, coach, ticket salesman and player on the Decatur Staleys, who eventually evolved into the Bears. Halas was part of the Chicago organization for an amazing 64 years and won 6 NFL championships as a coach, the first in 1921 and the last 42 years later in 1963. The National Conference Championship Trophy is named after him, and he was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural induction class in 1963.

1969 Topps football card of former pro football player Jacque MacKinnon, who played 10 seasons in the American Football League, mostly donning the powder blue uniform of the San Diego Chargers. He played both tight end and fullback, and along with Dave Kocourek, was utilized by Charger coach Sid Gillman in what is believed to be pro football’s first double tight end formation. MacKinnon was a two-time AFL All Star and helped the Chargers win the league title in 1963. He died a tragic death in 1975, when he crashed his car, and allegedly drunk and fleeing the scene, jumped a fence and fell 30 feet to his demise into a construction site.

1964 Topps football card of former New York Jets’ player Matt Snell, who played 9 seasons for the New York club in their American Football League days into the early 1970s when they were part of the NFL. This is Snell’s “rookie” card, as he was drafted by the Jets in 1964, and despite what the card says, he only played fullback for the team. He was named AFL Rookie of The Year in ’64, was a three-time AFL All Star, and a major contributor to the Jets’ Super Bowl III winning team. Snell currently is a partner in DEFCO Securities, Inc. and owns a restaurant in New York City.

1961 Topps football card of former NFL linebacker Jack Patera, who played 7 seasons in the league for 3 different teams. He was a two-way player in his early career, playing both linebacker and guard for the Baltimore Colts. He spent a couple of years with the Chicago Cardinals before being selected in the 1960 expansion draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Patera served an as assistant coach for 3 different NFL clubs after retiring as a player, and became the first head coach for the expansion Seattle Seahawks in 1976. He passed away recently of pancreatic cancer.

1963 Fleer football card of former pro football halfback Abner Haynes, who was a perennial All Star player in the American Football League. In fact, he was the league’s Rookie of The Year and Player of The Year in 1960, the first year of the AFL’s existence, while playing for the Dallas Texans. Haynes played for 9 seasons in the AFL for 4 different teams, was an All Star 4 times, and won a pair of championships – as a star halfback for the 1962 AFL champion Texans, and as a little-used backup with the Super Bowl III champion New York Jets.

1966 Philadelphia football card of former pro football fullback Ernie Wheelwright, who enjoyed a seven year career in the NFL for 3 different teams. This card shows him in his New York Giants’ uniform even though in ’66 he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons in their inaugural season in the NFL. In fact, Wheelwright has the distinction of playing on 2 different expansion teams in their first seasons, the Falcons in ’66 and the New Orleans Saints in 1967. He served in the 101st Airborne Division prior to his NFL career, and did some acting – including roles in The Longest Yard and Wildcats – after retiring as a player.