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From CheckOutMyCards.com, a 1985 Opeechee hockey card of former pro hockey winger Mark Napier, who had a long 19 year career in the sport, starting with the old World Hockey Association’s Toronto Toros. He eventually found his way to the NHL where he spent time with 4 different organizations, winning Stanley Cups with Montreal in 1979 and Edmonton in 1985. He finished his NHL career in Buffalo before playing in Italy for 3 years. After retiring as a player he coached in Canadian junior hockey and served as president of the NHL Alumni Association for 12 years.

1961 Topps baseball card of former major league pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant, who threw for 7 different teams in a 14 year career in the big leagues. He started out in Cleveland and was traded to the Minnesota Twins, where he had his most success. In 1965 he became the first black pitcher in the American League to win 20 games, securing his place with the “Black Aces”, a group of African American hurlers who accomplished that feat. He also helped the Twins reach the World Series that year, and although the Twins lost the Series to the Dodgers, he pitched 2 complete game victories. After he retired, Grant was involved with professional softball leagues as a director, and dabbled in broadcasting with Cleveland and the Oakland A’s. He died in 2021 at the age of 85.

2004 Fleer Tradition football card of former NFL quarterback Eli Manning, who enjoyed a 16 year career in the league with the New York Giants. He was a 4 time Pro Bowler and won the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award in 2016. The younger brother of Peyton Manning, he matched his brother in Super Bowl wins with 2, both coming against Tom Brady’s New England Patriots. He was the MVP in both of those games also. Since retiring, Eli appears on an alternate Monday Night Football broadcast with his brother dubbed the Manningcast.

1968 Topps football card of former pro football quarterback Bill Nelsen, who was an NFL signal caller for  10 years, sharing time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. Known for being a tough-as-nails player who battled through knee injuries, he was a Pro Bowler in 1969 and a second team All Pro in 1968. Nelsen retired as a player in 1972 following his fifth knee operation, and after his playing days worked in coaching with 6 different NFL clubs, including a 6 year stint as quarterbacks coach in Tampa Bay and as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator. Nelsen passed away in 2019 at the age of 78.

1983 Topps football card of former pro football receiver Drew Pearson, who played 11 years in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. He was a three time All Pro, three time Pro Bowler, a member of the NFL’s 1970s All Decade Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. Pearson was a member of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl XII-winning club and was on the receiving end of Roger Staubach’s “Hail Mary” pass in the 1975 playoffs. Pearson, along with Michael Irvin, Dez Bryant and current Cowboy CeeDee Lamb, compose the “88” club, since all 4 wore that jersey number in Dallas.

1998 Upper Deck rookie football card of former NFL wide receiver Hines Ward, who played 14 years in the league, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and helped the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl wins, capturing the game’s MVP award in Super Bowl XL. Ward was named to the Steelers’ Wall of Honor and also the franchise’s All Time Team. Since retiring as a player, the borderline Hall of Famer has dabbled in coaching at both the pro and college level, and is currently the head coach and general manager of the San Antonio Brahmas of the revived XFL.

1974 Topps football card of former pro football quarterback Roger Staubach, who enjoyed a stellar 11 year career in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. After winning the Heisman Trophy at Navy and serving his 4 year military commitment, he joined the Cowboys and led them to 4 Super Bowls, winning a pair. “Captain America” was a six-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl VI MVP, NFL Man of The Year in 1978, and was voted to the NFL Team of The Decade for the 1970s and the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All Time team. He was also dubbed “Captain Comeback” for his many come-from-behind victories, and his late game throw against the Vikings in the playoffs was the first to be coined a “Hail Mary”. Also known as “Roger The Dodger”, Staubach was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

1979 Topps football card of former pro football linebacker Merv Krakau, who played 6 seasons in the NFL, 5 of them for the Buffalo Bills. His best season was in 1976 when, as the Bills’ starting middle linebacker, he led the team in tackles and was second in the entire NFL in fumble recoveries with 6. Krakau was out of the game for 5 years when he came out of retirement in 1983 to play a season in the USFL for the Tampa Bay Bandits.

1967 Topps football card of former pro football defensive end Howard Kindig, who played 10 seasons in the AFL and NFL. Half of that career was spent with the Buffalo Bills during their lean years of the late 1960s, but he was a member, the long snapper, of the undefeated Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins in 1972. He also played briefly in the World Football League. After retiring as a player, Kindig ran a real estate and appraisal company.

1966 Topps football card of former pro football back Keith Lincoln, who played 8 seasons in the American Football League, mostly with the San Diego Chargers. He was one of the AFL’s brightest stars, a five-time league All Star and championship game MVP when the Chargers won the title in 1963. Lincoln was the victim of the “Hit Heard ‘Round The World” when he was tackled by Buffalo’s Mike Stratton in the ’64 title game, but then played briefly with the Bills at the end of his career.