Nearmint's Vintage Football Card Blog

Two players in the Vintage Football Card Gallery are celebrating milestone birthdays today: Elbert Drungo and Brian Schweda are both 70.

Elbert Drungo was an offensive lineman from 1969 to 1978 for the Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills. He is pictured here on his rookie card, a 1974 Topps. He also appeared on a 1975 Topps card and a 1972 Sunoco stamp.

Brian Schweda played defensive end from 1966 to 1968 for the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. He was one of the original Saints, obtained from the Bears in the 1967 NFL Expansion draft. As far as I know, Schweda never appeared on a card, but he did appear on a 1969 Saints Doubloon, pictured here.

Happy birthday, Messrs. Drungo and Schweda!

Two players in the Vintage Football Card Gallery are celebrating milestone birthdays today: Tom Bettis is 80, and Chuck Muncie is 60.

Tom Bettis played linebacker from 1955 to 1963 for the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Chicago Bears. He was a member of two NFL Championship teams, the 1961 Packers and the 1963 Bears. After his playing career, Bettis held numerous coaching positions in the NFL, including a stint as interim head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1977. There is a nice summary of Bettis’s career at InstantNewsKaty.com.

According to oldestlivingprofootball.com, Bettis is the 495th oldest living professional football player. He is pictured here on his 1963 Topps card, one of the short prints in the set. He also appeared on a two cards with the Packers.

Chuck Muncie was a running back from 1976 to 1984 for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers. Muncie gained over 1000 yards twice, in 1979 and 1981, and in 1981 he led the NFL with 19 touchdowns. Before his pro career, Muncie starred at the University of California, finishing second in voting for the Heisman in 1975. (See my page of football cards of Heisman Trophy candidates.)

After football, Muncie founded a youth foundation in California. He is pictured here on his 1978 Topps football card.

Happy birthday, Messrs. Bettis and Muncie!

Earlier this week, the National Football Foundation announced the names of the 2013 Football Bowl Subdivision candidates for the College Football Hall of Fame. Eleven of the 82 players and coaches on the ballot appear on cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery. (One of them appears on someone else’s card, however.) Here are the eleven in the Gallery:

Bob Berry, Quarterback, Oregon. Berry had a long NFL career with the Vikings and Falcons. He is shown here on his 1972 Topps card.

John Didion, center, Oregon State. Didion played six seasons for the New Orleans Saints. This is his 1974 Topps card.

Charlie Gogolak, kicker, Princeton. Gogolak played six seasons for the Washington Redskins and Boston/New England Patriots. In 1966, he set a record for most extra points attempted in a game, with 10. (He made 9 of them.) He is shown here on his rookie card, a 1967 Philadelphia. Gogolak’s brother, Pete, also played in the NFL.

Rob Lytle, running back, Michigan. Lytle played seven seasons for the Denver Broncos. This is his rookie card, a 1978 Topps. Lytle finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1976, so he also appears on my page of cards of Heisman Trophy candidates.

Paul Naumoff, linebacker, Tennessee. Naumoff had a 12-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions. He is pictured here on his 1973 Topps card.

Tom Nowatzke, linebacker, Indiana. Nowatzke played eight seasons for the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Colts. This is his 1969 Topps football card.

Phil Olsen, defensive end, Utah State. Olsen played six seasons for the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos. One of his teammates with the Rams was his brother, Merlin. (See my Teammate Brothers article.) Olsen is shown here on his 1973 Topps football card.

Jim Otis, fullback, Ohio State. Otis played nine seasons for the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and St. Louis Cardinals. His 1976 Buckmans Disc is pictured here. Otis also appears on my page of cards of Heisman Trophy candidates.

Don Trull, quarterback, Baylor. Trull played six seasons for the AFL’s Houston Oilers and Boston Patriots, and two seasons for the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. He is shown here on his 1971 O-Pee-Chee CFL card. Trull also appears on my page of cards of Heisman Trophy candidates.

Clancy Williams, running back, Washington State. Though Williams was a running back in college, as a pro he played defensive back. He played his whole eight-year NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams. Williams’s son, Clarence, also played a season in the NFL. The elder Williams is shown here on his only card, a 1967 Philadelphia.

Darryl Rogers, coach, several schools. Rogers never played in a regular season game as a pro, but he did coach the Detroit Lions from 1985 to 1988. Apparently, he also tried out with the Denver Broncos in the early 1960s, because his picture ended up on Goose Gonsoulin’s 1961 Fleer card. For more cards that picture the wrong player, see the Mistaken Identities page of the Vintage Football Card Gallery.

You can see all 82 of the 2013 Football Bowl Subdivision candidates on the National Football Foundation web site.

Tony Lorick, a running back from 1964 to 1969 for the Baltimore Colts and New Orleans Saints, passed away on February 17. His obituary and a recent photo appear at grimesfuneralchapels.com. Lorick was a steady contributor with the Colts and Saints: he gained over 600 yards from scrimmage in four of his first five seasons. Before his pro career, Lorick starred at Arizona State University. He was inducted into the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983.

Lorick is shown here on his 1969 Glendale Stamp. He also appeared on several football cards and a 1969 Saints Doubloon.

Today is a milestone birthday for two players in the Vintage Football Card Gallery: Jim Kearney is 70 years old, and Tony Davis is 60.

Kearney played defensive back from 1965 to 1976 for the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints. He was a member of the Chiefs team that won Super Bowl IV against the Vikings. In 1972, Kearney returned four interceptions for touchdowns, tying an NFL record. He still shares that record with Ken Houston and Eric Allen.

Kearney is pictured here on his rookie card, a 1973 Topps. He also appeared on a few other cards and stamps.

Tony Davis was a running back from 1976 to 1981 for the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also returned punts for two seasons with the Bengals. As far as I know, Davis did not appear on any regular issue football cards, but he did appear on University of Nebraska Playing Cards in 1973 and 1974. His 1973 card is pictured here, and you can see his 1974 card in the Gallery.

Happy birthday, Messrs. Kearney and Davis!

Former NFL linebacker Dale Lindsey turned 70 today; he played from 1965 to 1973 for the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints. After his playing career, Lindsey became a coach, and he has had many coaching positions in colleges and the pros. (See the full list on the right side of his Wikipedia page.) Just three weeks ago, he was named head coach at the University of San Diego, a position recently held by 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.

Lindsey appeared on one football card as a player, a 1973 Topps card, issued in his last NFL season. Though the card shows him with the Browns, Lindsey played for the Saints in 1973. Lindsey also appeared on a couple of NFL stamps while still with the Browns. You can see those on his page in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.

Artie Owens is 60 years old today; he was a wide receiver and kick returner from 1976 to 1980 for the San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills, and New Orleans Saints. He also played one season, 1983, for the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. Owens played college football at West Virginia University, where he also starred in track. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

As far as I know, Owens did not appear on a football card as a pro, but he did appear on the 1974 West Virginia playing card pictured here. A few of his teammates in the deck of 1974 West Virginia cards made it to the NFL, as well.

Happy birthday, Mr. Owens!

Happy New Year, everyone! So, what are your hobby goals and resolutions for 2013?

My main goal for the year is to dedicate more time to my Vintage Football Card Gallery. I enjoy selling cards, of course, but I enjoy working on the gallery more, so naturally that’s where I would like to spend my time. In 2013 I plan to add more obscure sets, add more trivia about the cards and players, and create more special pages like my vintage football card wrappers page and Heisman Trophy candidates page.

You can help, and it’s absolutely free!

1. Tell your friends about the Gallery–not just your card collecting friends, but anyone who loves football. What football fan wouldn’t enjoy browsing through old cards of his or her favorite pro or college team?
2. If you’re a Facebook or Google+ user, be sure to “like” or “+1” your favorite pages and blog articles. There are Facebook and Google+ buttons on the bottom of each page. (Idea: go back and do it right after you finish this article!)
3. If you have a web site or blog of your own, add links from your site to your favorite pages in the Gallery.
4. If you use an image or two from the Gallery on a message board, etc., please add a link back to the page where you found the image. (Please extend this courtesy to other publishers, as well. Give credit where it’s due, right?)
5. Last but not least, be sure to support the Gallery’s sponsors. I get a little ad revenue from the Gallery, and the better I do on ads, the more time I can spend working on the site.

From me, Happy Feller, and the football card All-Party Team, have a happy and safe New Year!

Last week I added 1969 New Orleans Saints Doubloons to the Vintage Football Card Gallery. These are the first coins I have added to the Gallery, and I filed them under Oddball. As usual with team sets, this set contains a few players who never appeared on regular issue football cards. That is my favorite feature of team sets: seeing players I have not seen before.

Doubloons are common souvenirs in New Orleans, and the Saints have been commemorated on other doubloons, as well. One example I found online is a series of doubloons showing the Saints’ 1967-1975 schedules, sponsored by Falstaff beer. Another set of doubloons, sponsored by Jax beer, contains a coin for each 1967 home game. You can see an example of that set on eBay.

Johnny Brewer, who played tight end and linebacker from 1961 to 1970 for the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints, passed away on May 27. Brewer was a member of the 1964 Browns NFL Championship team, and he made the Pro Bowl with the Browns in 1966. His obituary at legacy.com includes a short summary of his football career.

Pictured here is Brewer’s 1961 National City Bank Browns card, a pre-rookie card. Brewer’s rookie card is in the 1964 Philadelphia set, and he also appeared on a 1967 Philadelphia card. To my knowledge, he did not appear on any cards with the Saints.

• See Johnny Brewer’s career NFL stats at pro-football-reference.com.