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1957 Topps basketball card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com , of  former NBA player and coach Al Bianchi. Actually, Bianchi not only coached after his playing career ended, but served as a scout and general manager also, for various teams in both the NBA and ABA. Bianchi’s playing career consisted of 10 seasons with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers franchise. In 1966 he was selected in the NBA expansion draft by the Chicago Bulls. His coaching career began there as an assistant under Johnny Kerr.

1966 Topps baseball card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com , of former major league first baseman Donn Clendenon. Clendenon played 12 years in the big leagues, starting with the Pirates, then was picked by the Montreal Expos in the 1968 expansion draft. In June of 1969, he was traded to the New York Mets, and was a major part of the Amazin’ Mets shocking World Series win that year, winning the Series MVP Award. Clendenon became a lawyer in Dayton, Ohio after retiring. He died of leukemia in 2005.

1989 Topps hockey card of former New York Islander star Pat LaFontaine, who played on the U.S. Olympic team in the 1984 Winter Games before joining the Islanders. He became an Islander just when the team’s championship dynasty of 4 straight Stanley Cup wins was coming to an end. LaFontaine has always been considered one of the best American born players to play in the NHL, and had a long, successful career with the Islanders and Buffalo Sabres. In the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs, his goal in the fourth overtime period ended a game that was dubbed the “Easter Epic”, as the game against Washington started on a Saturday night and ended at 2 AM on Easter Sunday.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1970 Topps football card of Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson, who is also another former Monday Night Football analyst. “The Juice” had a terrific playing career with Buffalo, breaking Jim Brown’s career rushing yardage mark and becoming the first back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. Simpson worked as an analyst on NBC football telecasts as well as Monday Night Football after he retired, and also had a pretty successful acting career before heading down a path that pretty much ruined his life.

1961 Fleer basketball card of Philadelphia Warriors’ guard Al Attles. Attles played 11 years in the NBA, all with the Warriors franchise, moving with them from Philly to San Francisco in 1962. He stayed a fixture in the Warrior organization when his playing career ended, becoming their head coach in 1970 and holding that position until 1983. Attles became one of the first African American coaches to win an NBA title in 1975 when his squad, a heavy underdog in the finals to the Washington Bullets, shocked the world by sweeping the Bullets in 4 games. Attles’ jersey number 16 is retired by the franchise, and he still attends every Warrior home game today.

1961 Topps baseball card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com , of former Pittsburgh Pirates’ second baseman Bill Mazeroski. I would have expected Mazeroski to have a much bigger smile on his face on this card, since his walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of game 7 of the 1960 World Series gave the Pirates the Series win over the New York Yankees. He also played on the Bucs’ 1971 Series-winning team. “Maz” is generally regarded as one of the greatest defensive second basemen of all time, but his offensive statistics kept him out of baseball’s Hall of Fame until he was finally recognized by the Veterans’ Committee and inducted into Cooperstown in 2001.

1970 Topps hockey card of former New York Ranger winger Rod Gilbert. Gilbert is widely considered to be the greatest player in Ranger history, as he played his entire career for them and was the first Ranger to have his jersey number (7) retired. Gilbert was an eight time All Star and was the key player on the GAG line (goal-a-game), teaming with Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle. He was elected to hockey’s Hall of Fame in 1982.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1963 Fleer football card of former San Diego Charger defensive lineman Ernie Ladd. At 6’9″ and 315 lbs., Ladd was a giant in the game in the 1960s. He anchored a Charger defense that was one of the best in the early years of the American Football League. Nicknamed “The Big Cat”, Ladd helped the Chargers win the AFL title over the Boston Patriots in a 51-10 rout in 1963. Ladd also worked as a professional wrestler in the off-season during his career.

1961 Fleer basketball card of Gene Shue, a former guard who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played for 4 different teams in his career, and was a five-time NBA All Star. After his retirement, Shue had a long coaching career in the league, lasting 23 years in that capacity. He was named NBA coach of the year twice, and guided the Philadelphia 76ers to the league finals in 1977, losing to the Portland Trailblazers.

From www.CheckOutMyCards.com , a 1955 Bowman baseball card of former Brooklyn Dodgers’ catcher Roy Campanella. “Campy” was without a doubt one of the best major league catchers of all time, and after playing in the Negro and Mexican Leagues signed with the Dodgers in 1948, a year after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line. He was an integral part of “Dem Bums” –  as the Dodgers were affectionately called by their fans in that era. He was an eight-time all-star, was National League MVP 3 times, helped the Dodgers win a World Series in 1955, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. Campanella’s career was tragically cut short when he was paralyzed in a car accident in 1958. He died at his home in California of a heart attack in 1993.