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1963 Topps football card of former Los Angeles Ram defensive lineman David “Deacon” Jones, who is listed as an “end” on this card but was so much more than that. Jones was the emotional and spiritual leader of one of the NFL’s most famous defensive fronts – the Rams’ “Fearsome Foursome”, along with Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy. He was a tremendous player who never shied away from vocalizing his hatred for opposing quarterbacks, and regularly terrorized opponents’ backfields. Deacon literally invented the term “quarterback sack”, as he played in an era before tackling the QB for a loss was kept as an official statistic. Jones also was the first defensive lineman to utilize the “head slap” as a technique for beating opposing offensive linemen, and this tactic has since been outlawed by the league. Nicknamed “The Secretary of Defense”, he was an eight time Pro Bowler, was named to both the All Decade team for the 1960s and the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All Time team, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1974 Topps basketball card of former  player and current coach George Karl. He played in the old ABA for the San Antonio Spurs, then became an NBA player when the Spurs joined that league in ’76. Karl was a journeyman player but has enjoyed a long and successful career as an NBA head coach, guiding the Seattle Supersonics in the 1990s to 50+ win seasons in all of his years there. He became coach of the Denver Nuggets in 2005 and is their current head man. He has had a couple of notable achievements this season, becoming only the seventh coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games in his career, and also winning a battle with prostate cancer.

Courtesy of www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1965 Topps baseball card of former major league pitcher Luis Tiant. The Cuban born hurler played 19 seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox. He is one of only 5 pitchers in modern major league history to have thrown 4 or more  consecutive shutouts, with Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, Gaylord Perry and Orel Hershiser being the others. That’s pretty good company. Tiant is the subject of a documentary film Lost Son of Havana, and despite having won 229 games over his career, is not in the Hall of Fame, although there is a grassroots campaign on the social networking site Facebook trying to get him elected.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1968 Topps hockey card of former Detroit Red Wing Alex Delvecchio, who played 22 complete seasons for the Wings, the most of any player with one team in NHL history. He was a member of Detroit’s “Production Line”, teaming with Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. Unlike Howe and Lindsay, however, Delvecchio was a “gentlemanly” player, winning the Lady Byng Trophy, which combines sportsmanship and excellence on the ice, three times in his career. At the time of his retirement in 1973, he was second to Howe in all career categories, but has since been surpassed by Steve Yzerman. Delvecchio’s # 10 sweater has been retired by the Wings, and he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977.

1989 Topps football card of former NFL wide receiver Chris Carter, who played 16 seasons in the league for the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins. Carter was released by the Eagles despite being a star player, and when asked by reporters why, Eagle coach Buddy Ryan gave this legendary explanation – “All he does is catch touchdowns!” Carter went on to star in Minnesota, and for his career amassed 1,101 receptions and scored 130 TDs. He was an eight time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL All Decade team for the 1990s.  Today, Carter works on various football shows as an analyst, including HBO’s Inside The NFL and ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown and Sunday NFL Countdown.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1976 Topps basketball card of former NBA player Walt “Clyde” Frazier, one of the smoothest backcourt players to ever play in the league. He led the Knicks to 2 NBA titles, in 1970 and ’73, combining a soft jump shot, uncanny passing ability and tenacious defense. Frazier’s jersey number 10 is retired by the Knicks, and he entered the basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. He also was voted to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-time team. He currently works as a color analyst on Knicks’ television broadcasts on the Madison Square Garden Network.

The Cleveland Indians were a pretty sorry baseball team in the 1960s, but they got a little respect from the Topps baseball card company with this 1967 “Tribe Thumpers” card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com . It featured power hitters Leon “Daddy Wags” Wagner and Cleveland legend Rocky Colavito, who at this point was serving his second term with the Indians after being reacquired from the Kansas City Athletics. Colavito had been dealt to Detroit in 1960 in a rare trade in which the Indians traded Colavito, the league leader in home runs, for the Tigers’ Harvey Kuenn, the reigning AL batting champion. Wagner, after his playing days ended, owned a clothing store that featured the motto, “Buy your rags at Daddy Wags”, but he died broke and homeless in 2004.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1962 Topps hockey card of former NHL player Pat Hannigan. Hannigan played 5 seasons in the league with the Rangers, Maple Leafs and Flyers. He had a prior stint in the minors with the AHL Buffalo Bisons, and after retiring as a player served as an analyst on Buffalo Sabres broadcasts, teaming with play-by-play man Ted Darling. Hannigan passed away at the age of 71 in 2007.

1978 Topps football card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com , of former NFL receiver Bob Chandler. Chandler played 12 seasons in the league, mostly for the Buffalo Bills, and gained a reputation as a sure-handed receiver with the Bills in an era when the team mostly featured the running of O.J. Simpson. He finished his career as a Los Angeles Raider, winning a Super Bowl there following the 1980 season. Chandler dabbled in broadcasting when his playing days ended, working as an analyst on NFL games for NBC in 1983, and on the Raiders’ radio broadcasts. He died at the age of 45 after a long battle with lung cancer in1995.

This is a 1975 Topps basketball card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com , of former Indiana Pacer Darnell Hillman. Hillman was a legend in the old American Basketball Association, earning the nickname “Dr. Dunk”. He remained a Pacer when the club joined the NBA in 1976, and played a total of 9 seasons of pro basketball. Besides his legendary dunks, perhaps Hillman’s greatest achievement was winning the “Biggest ABA Afro” award at a 1997 reunion of the league. Hillman currently works in the Pacers’ front office as a director of alumni relations.