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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.

1989 Topps hockey card of former National Hockey League goaltender Clint Malarchuk. Malarchuk played in the NHL from 1981 through 1996 with the Quebec Nordiques, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals. On March 22, 1989 while playing for the Sabres, he suffered a life-threatening injury when the skate of St. Louis Blues’ player Steve Tuttle severed an artery in his neck. The wound bled profusely and it took 300 stitches to close it. After retiring as a player Malarchuk had problems with alcoholism and nightmares, but has gotten his life together in recent years and in 2010 was hired as a goaltending consultant with the Atlanta Thrashers.

1973 Topps football card of former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson. Drafted by the Bengals in 1971, Anderson earned the starting job by 1972  and led the team for 16 years. His position coach when he started out in Cinci was Bill Walsh, and Anderson was the first QB to direct Walsh’s “West Coast” offense. He guided the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 1981, losing to Joe Montana’s 49ers, and ranks second behind Montana in postseason quarterback rating at 93.5. Anderson was a 4-time Pro Bowler in his career and has come close to election to football’s Hall of Fame but so far hasn’t made it in. Anderson has also dabbled in coaching since retiring, serving as an assistant for the Bengals, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh.

1969 Topps basketball card of former Boston Celtic Don Nelson. Nelson started his National Basketball Association career with the Chicago Zephyrs in 1962, played 2 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, then signed on with the Celtics, where he played the last 12 years of the 15 he totaled. Nelson was one in a long line of Celtic “sixth men”, an important part of the team’s winning formula as the first man off the bench to spell the starters. He played on 5 Boston championship teams. Nelson entered the NBA coaching ranks after he retired, and became the winningest coach in league history, guiding the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. As a coach, he was an innovator, and invented the “point forward” position that a lot of teams use today. His unique system became known as “Nellyball”.

1964 autographed Topps baseball card of a basketball player, Dave DeBusschere. DeBusschere pitched 2 seasons for the Chicago White Sox, 1962 and ’63, while also playing pro basketball for the Detroit Pistons. After the ’63 season he turned to pro basketball full time, and in 1964 even served as the Pistons’ player/coach for a short time, becoming the youngest coach in NBA history. His career blossomed when he was traded to the New York Knicks in 1968, as he became a key member of the Knicks’ championship teams of 1970 and 1973. DeBusschere was an eight time NBA All Star, voted to the league’s 50th Anniversary All Time team, and was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 1983. DeBusschere died of a heart attack at age 62 in 2003.

1989 Topps hockey card of long-time National Hockey League defenseman Chris Chelios. Chelios started his NHL career in Montreal in 1984 and played there until 1991, helping the Habs win a Stanley Cup in 1986. He had long stretches in Chicago and Detroit, and helped the Red Wings win a pair of Cups. Chelios played until he was 46 years old, and holds the distinction of playing more career games than any other American-born player. He finally retired after the 2009 season to take a job in the front office with Detroit.

1964 Topps football card, from www.CheckOutMyCards.com , of Buffalo Bills’ defensive back Ed Rutkowski, who was mostly a special teams player in his career. However, in the old American Football League’s annual Thanksgiving Day game on November 28, 1968, Rutkowski had his shining moment of glory. The Bills were a bad team in ’68, while their opponent that day, the Oakland Raiders, were an AFL powerhouse. The Bills had lost their entire roster of quarterbacks to injury, and Rutkowski was forced to become the “disaster quarterback”. The Bills’ defense played an inspired game that day, and Rutkowski led a late-game drive on which he was stopped at the one yard line on a QB sneak, preserving a 13-10 win for the Raiders. Rutkowski followed his teammate, Jack Kemp, into politics after his playing career ended, and served for a long period as Erie County Executive in Western New York.

1986 Fleer basketball card of former National Basketball Association player Glenn “Doc” Rivers. Rivers played most of his 14 year career with the Atlanta Hawks, and was known as a top point guard with great defensive skills. Rivers went into coaching after his playing career ended, guiding the Orlando Magic for 4 seasons, and was named NBA Coach of The Year in 2000. He moved on to become head coach of one of the league’s most storied franchises, the Boston Celtics, and coached them into the NBA Finals 2 of the last 3 seasons, winning the title in 2008. Rivers picked up his nickname when he attended a summer basketball camp at Marquette wearing a “Dr. J” t-shirt. Rick Majerus, then a Marquette assistant, began calling him Doc and the name stuck.

1960 Topps baseball card of former major league pitcher Early Wynn. A big righthander, Wynn pitched for 25 seasons for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, and gained a reputation for being an intimidator, once saying that he’d knock down his own mother with a pitch if the game was on the line. He’s in the rare group of pitchers who won 300 games in their careers, and had five 20-win seasons, 290 complete games and 49 shutouts in his 25 years. “Gus” won the Cy Young Award as baseball’s best pitcher in 1959 at the age of 39. He was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1972.

1933 Ice Kings hockey card of National Hockey League legend Irvin “Ace” Bailey. Bailey started his career with the Toronto St. Patricks in 1926, and played eight seasons with the franchise, which was renamed the Maple Leafs in his first year. He helped the Leafs win the Stanley Cup in 1932.  Bailey’s career came to an abrupt halt when he was hit from behind by Eddie Shore, suffering a fractured skull when his head hit the ice. It was feared at the time that Bailey wouldn’t survive the hit. He did eventually recover, but never played hockey again. Bailey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.