1986 Topps football card of former pro football running back James Brooks, who enjoyed an 11 year career in the NFL, mostly with the San Diego Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals. He was a four-time Pro Bowler during his time with the Bengals. In what is an indictment of how college football works, Brooks was able to graduate from Auburn despite being illiterate. He served 3 months of a 6 month jail term in 1999 for failure to pay child support.
1966 Philadelphia football card of former pro football halfback Jim “Cannonball” Butler, who played 8 seasons in the NFL in the 1960s and early 1970s for 3 teams. His best years were the 4 he spent with the Atlanta Falcons, where he led the team in rushing each year and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 1969. He came out of retirement in 1974 and made a brief appearance in the World Football League with the Birmingham Americans. Butler passed away in 2014 from complications of dementia.
1982 Topps football card of former pro football quarterback Dan Fouts, who played his entire 15 year career for the San Diego Chargers. He was a four-time All Pro and six time Pro Bowler, and was named NFL offensive player of the year in 1982. Fouts was also named a member of the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1980s, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1993. After retiring from the game he worked as an analyst for college and NFL games for Monday Night Football, CBS and the Westwood Radio Network. He also dabbled in acting, playing himself in the Adam Sandler movie The Waterboy.
1989 ProSet football card of former pro football wide receiver Willie “Flipper” Anderson, who played 10 seasons in the NFL for 4 different teams. He had his most success in the 7 years he spent with the Los Angeles Rams, including a record-setting game in which he recorded 336 receiving yards, a record that still stands today. He averaged over 20 yards per catch for his career. Anderson was a member of Denver’s Super Bowl winning team in 1997. His son Dres played college football at Utah and also spent time in the Canadian League.
1955 Bowman football card of former pro football end Billy Howton, who played a total of 12 seasons with 3 different teams. His greatest success came in his 7 year stint in Green Bay, where he was the top receiver on losing teams in the 1950s. When Vince Lombardi took over the Packers he traded Howton to Cleveland, and although he denied it many thought the reason for the trade was Howton’s involvement with the players’ union. He planned on retiring after the 1959 season, but the expansion Dallas Cowboys talked him out of it and the Texas native spent 4 more successful years there before retiring in 1963.
1985 Topps football card of former pro football quarterback Steve Fuller, who played 7 seasons in the NFL for 3 different teams. He was a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl team, and appeared with teammates in the “Super Bowl Shuffle” video that won a Grammy. His college jersey number (4) is retired by his alma mater, Clemson. In his retirement, Fuller has served as a head coach and offensive coordinator at the high school level.
1948 Bowman football card of former pro football end Jack Ferrante, who played 8 seasons in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. Nicknamed “Black Jack”, he played on the Eagles’ back-to-back championship teams of 1948 and 1949, and was named to the league’s All Decade team for the 1940s. He worked as a salesman for a brewing company after his playing days ended, retiring from that job in 1977. Ferrante passed away in 2006 at the age of 90.
1989 Score football card of a former pro football linebacker, the late Derrick Thomas. In his 11 year NFL career, all spent with the Kansas City Chiefs, he was named to the Pro Bowl 9 times, was NFL Defensive Rookie of The Year in 1989, NFL Man of The Year in 1993 and was a member of the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1990s. Unfortunately his career was cut short when he passed away in 2000 from complications of injuries suffered in an automobile accident. Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
2016 Panini Prizm football card of pro football wide receiver Tyreek Hill, an active player who is in the seventh year of his NFL career. After spending the first 6 in Kansas City, Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2022. Nicknamed “Cheetah” due to his incredible speed, he has been a six-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 2010s as a punt returner. Hill helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV. His career has been marred by off-the-field issues involving alleged domestic assault and child abuse.
1962 Topps football card of former pro football fullback Alex Webster, who spent his entire 10 year NFL career with the New York Giants. He played briefly in the CFL before joining the New York club. Webster was a two-time Pro Bowler and twice was named a second team All Pro, and helped the Giants win the NFL title in 1956. After retiring as a player he served as head coach of the Giants from 1969 through 1973, and was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1970. He is a member of the New York team’s ring of honor.