An Interactive 1958 Topps Baltimore Colts Team Card

March 19th, 2013  |  Published in Interactive Team Cards, Interesting eBay Auctions, New in the Gallery  |  4 Comments

National Bohemian Beer 1957 Baltimore Colts Team photoIn a recent Interesting eBay Auctions article, I pointed out a 1957 Baltimore Colts team photo, and I said that the image was reused a year later on the 1958 Topps Colts team card. This week, using the photo as a reference, I made an interactive version of that team card. On the interactive card, you can move your cursor over the players to see their names, and you can click on a player to see all of his cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery. Give it a try!

As I was mapping the names on the photo to the image on the card, I found that a lot of the players didn’t appear on the team’s 1957 roster. I concluded that the photo must have been taken well before the 1957 regular season started. The Colts picked up several of the players in the photo in the 1957 draft, but apparently some of them did not make the team. One of the 1957 draftees who appears in the photo but not on the roster is Joe Unitas, Johnny Unitas’s cousin.

I was unable to find the first names of three of the players in the photo: Welch, Stephenson, and Pollard. The Colts didn’t draft them in 1957, and I couldn’t find matches in the online NFL player databases. My guess is that the players were walk-ons whom the Colts gave tryouts. If you happen to know any of their first names, let me know, and I’ll add them to the interactive card.

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Responses

  1. Curtis Day says:

    March 19th, 2013 at 5:28 AM (#)

    Very Nice! I am a fan of all the stuff you post. I love looking at these old cards and all the interesting info you have on the players. Thanks for maintaining this site.
    Curt

  2. Brian says:

    March 19th, 2013 at 8:49 AM (#)

    I second what Curt said 🙂 I love that you took the time to make that card interactive. That would make for a really interesting reference website, where it uses team cards from throughout the years to document rosters.

  3. Jim says:

    March 19th, 2013 at 10:42 PM (#)

    Bob Pollard – Penn State halfback, he tried out with the Eagles in 1954, didn’t make it, joined the armed forces, then tried in 1957 with the Colts but was cut around Aug. 10, 1957.

    Al ‘Bear’ Stephenson – Idaho State Tackle

    Not sure about Welch….yet 🙂

  4. nearmint says:

    March 20th, 2013 at 11:57 AM (#)

    I’m sure glad you guys like this stuff. Thanks for the names, Jim. Let me know if you find Welch, and I’ll add them all at once.