Card: 1964 Topps Football #92

Team/Position: Kansas City Chiefs / Defensive Tackle

Cost: $6.00

There’s so much history wrapped up in this card I’m just not sure where to start.  Rather than digging into the history of Topps, the AFL, or Buck Buchanan right off the bat; I’ll just discuss the overall appearance of the card.  While ’64 can’t compare to the downright gold that is the 1965 Topps set; I love the bold colours and star-spangled border.

When you compare the ’64 Topps to it’s NFL-counterpart, the ’64 Philadelphia, it’s really a matter of taste.  The AFL cards are flashy and filled with bright colours, while the NFL cards are beautiful in more of a historical kinda way.

Topps was limited to only producing AFL cards from ’64 to ’67 and this was their real first effort.  You can see the beginnings of the ’65 set in the bright colours and great poses of the ’64 set.

Now onto Junious “Buck” Buchanan:

Buck Buchanan made history after the Kansas City Chiefs made him the first African-American to be selected first overall in an entry draft*.

Buchanan came from the traditionally African-American school, Grambling University, where he learned under one of the greatest college coaches of all time in Eddie Robinson.

The NFL largely ignored these hotbeds of talent, as shown by the New York Giants selecting Buchanan in the 19th round compared to the first-overall selection.

Buchanan would go on to be selected to six All-AFL teams and win two AFL Championships with the Kansas City Chiefs.  Buchanan was part of a dominant front four that’d go on to win the Superbowl in ’69 after falling short against the Green Bay Packers in the very first Superbowl in ’66.

Buchanan had the speed and strength required to be one of the best defensive players of all time.  Weighing in at 275lbs was no small feet during the ’60s and being able to run 10.2 in the 100 at that size was just unbelievable.

In 1990, Buchanan was finally elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Buchanan was also selected as the 67th best overall football player by the Sporting News.  It’s quite fitting that I’ve done Merlin Olsen and Buck Buchanan back-to-back, as they’re probably both in the top-five defensive tackles of all-time and both played during the same era, but in different leagues.  Bob Lilly, arguably the greatest defensive tackle of all time, also played the majority of his career in the 1960′s — If you were into skilled defensive tackles, the ’60′s was for you.

*Ernie Davis, who inspired the movie “The Express” was selected first overall by the Washington Redskins and traded to the Cleveland Browns two years previous, but never played a single down of football unfortunately.

Card: 1964 Philadelphia Football #91

Team/Position: Los Angeles Rams / Defensive Tackle

Cost: $4.00

Depending on when you discovered the wonderful game of football, you’ll definitely have a different opinion of Merlin Olsen.

Olsen played 15 years of Pro Football all with the same team:  The Los Angeles Rams.  If you were watching the game anywhere from 1962 to 1976, you know Merlin Olsen as a hard-working, smart,  defensive beast that couldn’t help but work his way to the Pro-Bowl in 14 of his 15 seasons.

Arguably more impressive than the 14 Pro Bowls, a record that he shares with Bruce Matthews, is Olsen’s participation in every single game.  Olsen didn’t miss a game in his entire 15-year career, as a defensive end!Along with Olsen, the Rams’ defensive line consisted of Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy and Roosevelt Grier — The Fearsome Foursome.  Without a doubt, this was one of the greatest defensive lines ever assembled.

After Olsen’s playing career came to an end, he quickly teamed-up with Dick Enberg to form one of the better broadcasting teams of the 1980′s.

Around the same period, Olsen enjoyed moderate success as an actor.  Olsen stared on Little House on the Prairie as Jonathan Garvey for 49 episodes alongside Michael Landon.

Finally, in one of the better lines of Anchor Man, Will Farrell claims to know Merlin Olsen to impress a woman.

Olsen’s Alma-Mater, Utah State, recently re-named the field to honour their greatest player, none other than Merlin Olsen!

I really love these Philadelphia cards, especially the backs.  As you can see Olsen was a great student, and eventually went on to earn a masters degree in Economics during the off-season.

This card features two Baltimore Colts that I’ve already focused on.

Leading the way is Jim Parker, Baltimore Colts’ Hall of Fame Tackle.

Trailing Parker is all-purpose, all-world, runningback, Lenny Moore.  It’s a great card to feature as a Bonus! Bonus! and the back features the typical Philadelphia OFFICIAL NFL SIGNALS set.

Merlin Olsen, Rams’ number 74 is also featured in this card and I finally got around to purchasing his Philadelphia Rookie Card for about six bucks.

Card: 1964 Philadelphia Gum, Card #3

Team/Position: Baltimore Colts / Tight End

Cost: $5.00

I ended up ordering this Mackey card with the Butkus rookie card, so it was pretty cheap.  When it comes to getting lower grade rookie cards, Kruk Cards out of Michigan has really been a solid source.

Mackey essentially revolutionized the tight-end position and was only the second true tight-end to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In 10 NFL seasons, Mackey caught over 300 balls for over 5000 yards and 38 touchdowns.  In addition to break away speed, especially for the tight-end position, Mackey was a powerful all-around blocker.

In his 10 years, Mackey was selected to 5 Pro Bowls and 3 All Pro teams.  However, Mackey’s almost certainly best known for his catch in Superbowl V off a tip.

Mackey served as NFLPA President for four years, from 1969 to 1974.  Thus, making Mackey the first President of the Players’ Union after the AFL/NFL merger.

John Mackey currently suffers from frontotemperal dementia, and his original claims were denied by the NFLPA.  Thankfully, the people in charge of the NFL’s pension plan were able to connect the dots between Football and Brain Injury and “MACKEY 88” was established.

Unfortunately, dementia cannot be fully diagnosed until after an autopsy is performed, which makes it difficult to link brain injury directly to football.  Many current NFL players have gone about donating their brains (after death, duh) to science to help further research.

If you haven’t read Malcolm Gladwell’s insightful take on head injuries in football, please do (author of The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers)

Card: 1967 Philadelphia Football Card #43

Team/Position: Cleveland Browns / Runningback

Cost: $13.00

For some reason, this card eluded me for a good chunk of time.  When I finally saw one on eBay, I pounced all over it.  I probably ended up overpaying for a GAI graded 2, but at least I’m able to check it off the list.

Leroy Kelly was drafted by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1964 NFL Draft; seven rounds after Paul Warfield.  Kelly went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Browns, while Warfield went on to do the same with the Dolphins.

After becoming the starting runningback in 1966, Leroy went on to amass three consecutive 1000-yard seasons.  1966 was also the start of Kelly’s streak of six consecutive Pro Bowl and five consecutive All Pro selections.  Kelly was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1970, but failed to make the First-Team All American squad that year.

Kelly lead the league in rushing yards in ’67 and ’68 and rushing touchdowns in ’67 through ’69.

Kelly was blessed with a great combination of acceleration, balance and evasiveness, which allowed him to excel in the less than ideal conditions of Cleveland.

Kelly was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994, yet is still often overlooked in the grand scheme of things.  Kelly piled up terrific yardage numbers, yet many are beginning to fall to the wayside as the NFL trudges along with it’s evolution.

Card: 1966 Philadelphia Football Card #31

Team/Position: Chicago Bears / The Middle Linebacker

Cost: $45.00

Dick Butkus was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 and is without a doubt, the greatest linebacker to ever put on a pair of shoulder pads. Butkus was, and always will be, the meanest sunnabitch to ever play football.

Butkus’ numbers, as great as they may be, still pale in comparison to his relentless style of play.  Butkus struck fear into the hearts of anyone that lined up across from him.  It was as if Butkus was protecting his family from an armed intruder on every play. Butkus played on sheer animal instinct and there was little doubt that he exhibited “fight” rather than “flight”.

I wouldn’t ever set out to hurt anyone deliberately unless it was, you know, important; like a league game or something. — Dick Butkus.

Butkus’ tenacious style eventually caught up to him as his knees gave out on him in the early 70′s.

Butkus played through the pain, but eventually had to retire after only 9 years in the NFL.

In those 9 years, Butkus was voted to 8 Pro Bowls and 6 First Team All Pro teams.  For his efforts, Butkus was voted to both the 1960′s and the 1970′s NFL All-Decade teams.

With Butkus’  and Gale Sayers’ Rookie Card in the same set, Philadelphia ’66 is one of the best football sets out there.

Card: 1965 Philadelphia Football Card #41

Team/Position: Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins / Split End, Wide Receiver

Cost: $20

The 1965 Philadelphia Football Set is absolutely gorgeous and as far as I can tell, it was the first set to place the NFL Shield on the front of the card.  Upper Deck released their very own version of Philadelphia Football in 2009, which stayed fairly true to form, but was modeled after the ’64 set.

Anyways, onto yet another famous Ohio State Alum, Paul Warfield.  Warfield came out of Ohio State as a two-time Big-10 Halfback of the year, along with being a critical part of Ohio State track team.  Warfield was blazing fast and as smooth as anyone in the game. 

The Cleveland Browns drafted Warfield in the first round of the ’64 draft with the 11th overall selection.  Warfield was immediately switched into a wide-receiver, as Cleveland just happened to have a man by the name of Jim Brown in the backfield.  Along with Warfield, the Cleveland Browns took a young LeRoy Kelly (Who I’ll feature later) in the 7th round of the 1964 Draft.

A silky smooth runner with blazing speed, Warfield was born to be a part of the vertical passing game.  In his first year with the Browns, Warfield caught 52 balls for 920 yards and 9 touchdowns.  The Browns eventually won the NFL Championship that year and Warfield was voted to the Pro Bowl for his part.  Warfield would go on to earn eight Pro Bowl Selections and six All Pro Selections after winning both awards in his rookie year.

In 1970, Warfield was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a draft pick in what’s still considered a rather controversial trade.  Warfield would go onto play in three Superbowls with the Miami Dolphins, winning two of them (vs. Washington and vs. Minnesota).

The Dolphins were a run oriented team during Warfield’s career, so his numbers are a testament to his athletic ability.  It seems like every year a new receiver is surpassing ten-thousand yards, yet Warfield finished his career with only 8565 yards and 85 touchdowns and is in the HOF.

It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how players like Warfield hold up against the new generation of receivers.  Warfield had the it factor that HOF voters look for, but fewer and fewer fans will remember just how terrific he was on the field.  I suppose it’s up to the NFL and the NFL FILMS department to keep everyone’s memory fresh.

As long as the 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only undefeated team, people will remember Paul Warfield.  If you were curious how Warfield did in the lowest scoring Superbowl of all time — He caught three balls for thirty-seven yards.

Warfield went back to Cleveland to finish up his career, and continues to work for the Browns as a Scouting Consultant.

Card: 1966 Philadelphia Card #38

Team/Position: Chicago Bears / Halfback

Cost: About 90 Bucks

Born in Wichita and educated at KU, the Kansas Comet was the only fitting nickname for a player of Sayers’ speed and fluidity. For all of Gale Sayers’ greatness, his Achilles heel ended up being his knees.  In this day and age, runningbacks routinely undergo surgery to fix their torn cruciate ligaments and are back up to speed in a year and a half.  However, Sayers wasn’t nearly as lucky and knee injuries robbed him of his greatness, forcing him into early retirement.

Sayers’ first injury resulted from San Francisco’s Kermit Alexander hitting him low during one of his patented cuts.  Sayers’ knee was toast as all four ligaments were compromised. Sayers’ rehabilitation from the injury was detailed in the movie Brian’s Song ( here too, I guess) along with Brian Piccolo’s battle with cancer.  Sayers later injured his other knee and was eventually forced to retire after only six seasons in the NFL, despite comeback attempts in both ’71 and ’72.

Even in such a short career, Gale Sayers made enough of an impression to become the youngest player ever elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame at age 40.

What Made Sayers Great?

Seriously, this is like asking what makes bacon so damn delicious; The Answer: Everything!

Sayers was drafted in the first round of both the NFL and AFL entry drafts, but decided to head for Chicago rather than the big-bucks the AFL had to offer.  Sayers finished 1965 as the unanimous selection for Rookie of the Year after posting gaudy numbers in rushing, receiving and returning.  Sayers’ 22 touchdowns in his 1965 rookie-season still stands as an NFL rookie record.

Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders will forever be linked by their terrific stop-on-a-dime cuts and highlight reel runs, but people too often forget the dreadful conditions that Sayers ran in compared to Sanders.  Sayers was making the kind of cuts in the slop of Wrigley field that Barry Sanders was making in pristine conditions of the Pontiac Dome.  Sayers more than likely would have destroyed his knee tendons by himself had he run on Astroturf, but that’s hardly the point.  By the time the Bears had moved to the Astroturf of Soldier Field, Sayers was a man without knees or any of the skills that once made him great.

Gale Sayers is the epitome of an “Did He Just Do That?” player and where you rank him on your all-time list really depends on how heavily you weight consistency.  I suppose Neil Young’s It’s better to burn out than to fade away line from Hey, Hey, My, My (Out of the Blue) rings true with Sayers.

Who knows how many yards Gale Sayers would have accumulated if he’d stayed healthy, but he’d never have the mysterious quality that transcends sports and begins to enter into modern-american folklore.

What’s Sayers Upto Nowadays?

As is the case with most of the retired greats, Sayers is using his celebrity and influence to help kids. The Sayers family is a strong supporter of the Cradle Foundation, and most recently built the Gale Sayers center in Chicago.  Kansas University is also bringing Sayers on board as Director of Fundraising for Special Projects.

As always, Wikipedia does a good job summing everything up.

The Card

The Card’s pretty nice as it’s got Sayers in the Heisman-pose pasted over what appears to be Wrigley Field, but there’s nothing overly special.  As was the case with Jimmy Brown, the next offering was my favourite card.

1967 Philadelphia (pictured left) used the same picture of Sayers, but zoomed in and added a yellow border.  BAM!

After that, I think we’re on to the 1969 Topps offering which uses a fairly badass magenta background (or pink for those who prefer the simpler times.)

The 1969 Card can be had for as little as about 10 bucks on the eBay, and it’s pretty freakin’ badass if you ask me.

Both Panini (Donruss) and Upper Deck have produced Sayer’s certified autographs in the past couple of years, all of which can be had at a fairly reasonable price:

2008 UD Exquisite Sayers

The 2008 Upper Deck Exquisite series is my favourite with most of the legendary signatures coming in this terrific gold paint pen and double jersey combination.  These can be had for about the same price as a Sayers rookie card on eBay.

Card: 1960 Topps, Card #56

Team/Position: Green Bay Packers / Offensive Linemen, Tackle.

Cost: 15 Dollars

Forrest Gregg’s an interesting choice for the first card, especially considering this card was produced when Gregg had already been in the league for four years.

Gregg was a crucial part of the Packers’ dominance during the 1960′s.

Forrest Gregg’s clearly amongst the best offensive tackles of all time, but Tackles get no love.  Gregg was selected to 9 Pro Bowls, and was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team.

What Made Gregg Special?

The “Iron Man” Tag:  Forrest Gregg played in a ridiculous 188 consecutive games from 1956 to 1971.

Vince Lombardi claimed that Forrest Gregg was the finest player that he’d ever coached in his book, “Run To Daylight”.

A Personal Note:

Forrest Gregg has a couple things going for him in my books.  First off, he played for SMU football.  Gregg was even brought back to coach SMU football after the NCAA laid the smack down on the program.  Secondly, Forrest Gregg coached in my home and native land for the Toronto Argonauts.

There’s really nothing not to love about Forrest Gregg.  Even in the 60′s, Gregg was undersized yet still left his mark on each and every game.

LandofBoz recently had Gregg in for a signing back in 2007, and here’s what Forrest looks like nowadays.

Would You Rather Have?

A 1960 Forrest Gregg card or a 2009 Jason Smith autograph slabbed rookie card?