Nearmint's Vintage Football Card Blog

Wow. A PSA 5, with six days to go, and this Bronko Nagurski card is already up to $4050. I’ll have to wait for the next one to come around–or maybe the one after that. The card does look nice for a PSA 5.

I hadn’t noticed before (it’s on the back) that Nagurski was from International Falls, Minnesota, the “Icebox of the Nation.” I went to the City of International Falls web site to see if there was any mention of him, and I was surprised not to find anything. Searching further, though, I found that there is a Bronko Nagurski Museum in town (scroll down to Smokey Bear Park), and that the Falls High School Broncos were named after Nagurski. I wonder why the city doesn’t make more of these things?

In my search, I also found a nice tribute to Nagurski, with lots of stories, pictures, and links to other sites, on the Windy City Gridiron web site. Check out the story about Bronko’s service station.

Nagurski’s son, Bronko Nagurski Jr., also played pro football, but in the CFL, with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. (According to Wikipedia, Bronko Jr. was drafted by the 49ers in 1959, but he elected to play in Canada.)

For more on the 1935 National Chicle cards, see N is for National Chicle.

• Search eBay for: 1935 National Chicle, Bronko Nagurski Jr.

To celebrate Derby Day, I thought I’d feature Alan “The Horse” Ameche, of the Baltimore Colts. Derby, Horse, Colts–pretty clever, huh?

A little Googling turned up these facts about Ameche:

• He played on the 1952 Wisconsin team that won the Big Ten Championship and played in the Rose Bowl. The Badgers lost 7-0 to USC. There is a nice photo of the 1952 team on the University of Wisconsin web site. (Ameche is number 35, second from the left in the second row.)
• He won the Heisman Trophy in 1954. (I knew this.)
• He made the Pro Bowl his first four years with the Colts.
• He scored the winning touchdown in the 1958 Championship Game against the Giants, “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” The SI Vault has a photo of him scoring the touchdown.
• Academy award winner Don Ameche was his cousin.

The card pictured above is Ameche’s rookie card, a 1955 Bowman. Though the card shows him in Colts blue, I’m pretty sure his jersey was red when the photo was taken. The image matches a 1954 photo in the University of Wisconsin Archives. It appears he was running right out of his socks! (There’s also a less flattering photo that appears to be from the same session.)

Ameche played only six years with the Colts, retiring after the 1960 season because of an Achilles tendon injury. The card companies apparently didn’t get the word, because he appeared on two cards the year after his retirement: the 1961 Topps and 1961 Fleer cards below.

You can see all of Ameche’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery. There is also a nice article about him in the University of Wisconsin Archives.

A couple of weeks ago, when I wrote that I had added 1955 49ers Team Issue photos to the Vintage Football Card Gallery, I neglected to point out that Clay Matthews Sr. is in one of the photos. Clay Sr. is the father of Clay Matthews Jr., who played 19 years for the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, and of Bruce Matthews, the Hall of Fame lineman for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans. He is also the grandfather of Clay Matthews III, the Packers rookie linebacker. Clay III had 10 sacks in 2009, a record for a Packers rookie.

Clay Sr. played offensive tackle and defensive end for the 49ers in 1950 and from 1953 to 1955. To my knowledge, he did not appear on any regular issue cards, and this is his only appearance on a team issue photo.

Compared to quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, and even kickers, defensive players often got short shrift when the card companies chose the players to put on their cards. The 1968 Topps Stand Up insert set is an extreme example of the bias toward offensive players: in the 22-card set there is only one defensive player, Alex Karras. Even he might not have been included if the 1968 Lions had had an offensive star. Another example, the 1970 Topps Super Glossy set, is somewhat less unbalanced: it contains 25 offensive players, 7 defensive players, and 1 kicker.

Numerous Hall of Fame defensive players were in the league for years before appearing on a card. The most egregious example I can think of is Dick Lane. In 1952, his rookie year with the Rams, Lane had 14 interceptions, an NFL record that still stands–and he did it in 12 games! In 1954 he again led the league in interceptions, with 10, this time with the Cardinals. Despite his performance–and though the Cardinals were hardly flush with stars–Lane first appeared on a 1957 Topps card, and his next appearance was on a 1961 Fleer. (Lane’s biography on Wikipedia–assuming it is accurate–is fascinating. It says his mother found him in a Dumpster!)

Another Hall of Fame defensive player, Len Ford, played for 11 years but appeared on only two cards: his 1955 Bowman rookie card and a 1957 Topps card. He began his career in 1948 with the Los Angeles Dons of the AAFC, and he joined the Browns in 1950 when the AAFC folded and the Browns joined the NFL. No major company printed cards of AAFC players, but Bowman printed cards of NFL players every year from 1950 to 1955, and they finally included Ford in their last year.

At least four Lombardi-era Packers defensive players also made late rookie card appearances: Ray Nitschke began his career in 1958, and his rookie card is a 1963 Topps. Willie Davis also joined the team in 1958, and his rookie card is a 1964 Philadelphia. Herb Adderley joined the team in 1961, and his rookie card is also a 1964 Philadelphia–with his name misspelled, to boot. Willie Wood started in 1960, and his rookie card is a 1963 Topps.

Two Chiefs Hall of Fame defensive backs provide a final example: Willie Lanier joined the Chiefs in 1967, and his rookie card is a 1971 Topps. Emmitt Thomas joined in 1966, and his rookie card is a 1972 Topps.

Occasionally, when it took a while for a defensive player to appear on a card from a major company, the player would appear first on a “pre-rookie” card in a regional or oddball set. All four of the Packers mentioned above had pre-rookie cards in the 1961 Lake to Lake Packers set. Hall of Famers Bob Lilly, Jim Johnson, and Larry Wilson all had pre-rookie cards in the 1962 Post Cereal set. And as I wrote in a previous post, Rams star Ed Meador appeared on 1959 Bell Brand, 1960 Bell Brand, and 1962 Post Cereal cards before his 1963 Topps rookie card was issued. Another long-time Ram, Jack Pardee, whose rookie card is a 1964 Philadelphia, also appeared in the Bell Brand and Post Cereal sets.

Changing the subject a bit, it is worth noting that until 1959, football cards did not distinguish between offensive and defensive positions when there was ambiguity. For example, if a player’s card said “end,” he could have been either a receiver or a defensive end. If it said “back,” he could have been either a running back or a defensive back. Pictured here is an example: Jack Butler was a defensive back, but his 1957 Topps rookie card just says “back.” (This, by the way, is another late rookie card. Butler started his career with the Steelers in 1951.) Perhaps this was a vestige of the time when players played both offense and defense, and a back on offense would also have been a back on defense. Whatever the reason, because of the ambiguity, I probably still have some defensive players listed as offensive players in the Vintage Football Card Gallery. Occasionally a kind person sends me a correction.

• Previous: C is for Checklists
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A few weeks ago I posted an entry about the impressive Ed Meador Hall of Fame Nomination site. Other people have their own favorite Hall of Fame candidates, of course, and some of them have built web sites, too. One such site is Crazy Canton Cuts, which at last count made a case for 39 players! In particular, the site owner would like to see Chris Hanburger inducted, and he has started a petition in Hanburger’s behalf.

Another site, Remember the AFL is dedicated to the American Football League, and it makes the case for 42 ex-AFL players. This list of candidates overlaps only a little with that of Crazy Canton Cuts, so the two sites together promote over 60 candidates.

Finally, a Google search for “pro football hall of fame petition” turns up a raft of petitions for individual players. A few not included in the sites above are L. C. Greenwood, John Brodie, Andre Tippett, Rickey Jackson, and Glenn Presnell.

So, in total, what is that, 65 or 70 candidates? Plenty of good reading, for sure. But wait a minute, then there’s Jerry Kramer, Alex Karras, Ken Stabler, Ken Anderson…

• Search eBay for: Future HOF

Earlier this week, via the Remember the Rams blog, I came across the Eddie Meador Hall of Fame Nomination site. The site is well-done and thorough–did you know that he worked in an Arkansas pickle plant during college?–and it’s clear that his friends and family are very devoted to him.

Meador played mostly before my time, and until I read his Awards and Statistics page, I didn’t know how good he had been. Meador’s rookie card, a 1963 Topps, is relatively easy to find, and it is inexpensive for a rookie card of a hall-of-fame candidate. Meador also had three cards issued before his rookie card: 1959 Bell Brand, 1960 Bell Brand, and 1962 Post Cereal, all of which are challenging to find. I can’t think of another other player with three “pre-rookie” cards, so if he does make the hall-of-fame, I’ll have to add a new section to my pre-rookie card page.

Altogether, Meador appeared on at least eleven cards, a large number for a defensive player in the 1960′s. The card pictured here is his 1960 Bell Brand Potato Chips card.

• Search Nearmint’s Cards for: Ed Meador cards, 1960 Bell Brand Rams
• Search eBay for: Ed Meador cards, 1960 Bell Brand Rams

You know a collector loves his cards when he takes the time to scan each card and comment on it. The PSA Set Registry allows collectors to attach scans and comments to the cards they register, but not many collectors take advantage of this feature.

A couple of collectors’ vintage football sets are worth a look: Wolfbear’s 1962 Fleer set and Frank Evanov’s retired 1964 Philadelphia set. Each collector has provided a description of the set, scans of each card, and comments for each card. (If a comment appears truncated, hold your cursor over it to see the whole thing.) Did you know that Robert Brooks was a “a mahjong enthusiast and an accomplished bassoonist”? I didn’t, either!

Yesterday I added a nice group of PSA-graded 1955 Bowman cards to nearmintcards.com, including this Billy Wilson rookie card. Wilson died earler this year.

There is a good argument that Wilson should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He led the league in receptions three times in the 50′s. He was a Pro Bowler six straight years. When he retired, he was second only to Don Hutson in career receptions. And his career statistics are comparable to those of Tom Fears and Elroy Hirsch, who are members of the Hall of Fame.

You can see all of Billy Wilson’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.

Today I put a big stack of graded 1960′s cards up for sale. Included is this Chuck Howley rookie card. Like many defensive players’ rookie cards, Howley’s came well into his career: his first season in the NFL was with the Bears in 1958, but he didn’t appear on a card until 1966.

Howley could be the next player elected to the Hall of Fame whose rookie card is in the 1966 Philadelphia football card set. After two years with the Bears and a year of retirement, Howley un-retired and joined the Cowboys in their second year, 1961. He played thirteen seasons for the Cowboys, and he was an All-Pro in six of them. In Super Bowl V he had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and he was named the game’s MVP. The Cowboys lost the game to the Colts, however, and Howley remains the only Super Bowl MVP who played for the losing team.

You can see all of Chuck Howley’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.

Today I added a big stack of PSA-graded 1960′s cards to Nearmint’s Vintage Football Cards. Included is this one, a 1962 Fleer Gene Mingo card. Mingo was a running back, kicker, and kick returner for the Broncos. He was the first African-American kicker in professional football, and he had a kick return for a touchdown in the first AFL game. He led the league in scoring in 1960 and 1962, and he still holds the Broncos’ team record for longest run from scrimmage, 82 yards against the Raiders in 1962. Oddly, he is not a member of the Broncos’ Ring-of-Fame.

You can see all of Gene Mingo’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.

As anyone following the Super Bowl coverage now knows, the last time the Cardinals won the NFL championship was 1947, while they were still playing in Chicago. One of the stars of the 1947 team was Charley Trippi, pictured here on one of his rookie cards, a 1948 Bowman. (Charley’s other rookie card is a 1948 Leaf. Both Bowman and Leaf printed football cards in 1948.)

Reading about Trippi and the rest of the Cardinals’ “Million Dollar Backfield” (also Paul Christman, Elmer Angsman, and Pat Harder) led me to look at Charley’s stats. I knew he had played halfback, but on his stats page I noticed that in 1951 and 1952 he also had a lot of passing statistics. Cool, I thought, he played quarterback for awhile, too. Then I noticed he had punting stats. And kick and punt return stats. And interception stats. The guy played five positions!

Last Saturday evening I was drinking beer and cruising the web, and I saw this autographed 1963 Fleer Billy Shaw card on eBay. That’s cool, I thought, and the price seemed right, so I hit the Buy-it-Now button. So now I have the beginning of an autograph collection.

This is Billy’s second card, his first being his 1962 Fleer rookie card, a tough one to find in high grade. Billy is the only pro football hall-of-famer to have played only in the AFL. Other AFL players have made it to the hall-of-fame, of course, but each of them also played in the NFL at some time, mostly after the AFL-NFL merger.

My new Shaw card happens to be the version with the red stripe on the bottom on the reverse. 1963 Fleer cards with numbers divisible by four were printed both with and without the stripe, and Shaw is card #28. I don’t have a Shaw without the stripe, unfortunately, but I do have one of each of card #40, Jim Norton, pictured below. Like the purple and blue variations of 1963 Topps cards, the striped vs. non-striped variations of 1963 Fleers are not recognized by Beckett, PSA, or any other football card authority that I am aware of.

I put some nice PSA-graded 1940s and 1950s cards up for sale today, mostly 1955 Bowmans, but a few other beauties as well.
Pictured here is a gorgeous 1952 Bowman Small Sammy Baugh card. After Sammy died in December, I learned about all his records: most seasons leading the league in passing (6), highest average punting average for a season (51.4 yards), first player to intercept four passes in a game, and so on. It reminded me to re-read an article I had found on ColdHardFootballFacts.com, The All-Time 11. In the article, the ColdHard guys named the 11 players from NFL history that they would choose if they could have only 11 players on the team. Each player would have to play every down: on offense, defense, and special teams. Check out the article, but before you do, can you guess the player they chose who played in this millennium?

Occasionally I pick a random player and do an internet search on him. My pick today was Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb, the Colts and Steelers defensive tackle whose famous line was “I just wrap my arms around the whole backfield and peel ‘em one by one until I get to the ball carrier. Him I keep.”

My search turned up this wrestling article. It seems Big Daddy did a little wrestling in the off-season. A bit of trivia from the article: Big Daddy got his nickname because if he couldn’t remember someone’s name, he called him Little Daddy.

Pictured is Big Daddy’s 1960 Topps card. You can see all of his cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.

Give it a try! Pick an old player from your favorite team and do a search. Let me know if you find anything interesting.