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: 1954 Bowman Card #23

Team/Position: Chicago, Houston, Oakland / Quarterback & Kicker

Cost: $35

The NFL has taken it upon itself to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the AFL in 2009 with AFL rivalry games featuring some of the gaudiest jerseys known to man.  I’s clear that Joe Namath reigns supreme as the most recognizable ambassador that the AFL had, but without a doubt, George Blanda is Top-5.

Namath and Blanda represented the AFL in vastly different ways.  The AFL wanted itself to be seen as Namath, who had signed with the Jets for more money after they’d selected him first overall in 1965. Namath was a brash playboy with a youthful energy that seemed to be contagious, exactly what the AFL wanted.

The NFL wanted the AFL to be seen as George Blanda, though. Originally Blanda came off as an NFL washout, no longer good enough to play for the Chicago Bears of their prestigious league.  Blanda kept playing though…and playing…and playing…and playing, before eventually ending his career after 26 seasons in Professional Football.  Blanda is too often defined by the length of his career which indirectly reduces the significance of many of his other accomplishments.

Blanda’s Accomplishments

In 1949, Bears’ owner, George Halas, signed George Blanda for $600, thus beginning the start of a great career.  Almost none of that career occurred with Blanda’s original team though.  Blanda was the starting quarterback for the Bears in ’53, but an injury in ’54 sentenced Blanda to the role of full-time kicker, back-up quarterback.  Blanda retired after the 1958 season, knowing that he was a capable quarterback and not just a kicker and thus began the career of George Blanda.

When I acquired the 1954 version of Blanda’s rookie card, I was terribly tempted to grab the 1960 version of Blanda as a member of the Houston Oilers.  Blanda’s career started when he dawned an AFL jersey and Fleer’s 1960 card of George Blanda wearing the Oilers’ blue can be had for around twenty dollars.

Blanda lead the Oilers to the first AFL Championship in 1960 before going off in, what’s generally considered his best professional season, 1961.  Blanda once again took home the AFL Championship, but this time it came with AFL Player of the Year honors.   Blanda led the AFL in passing yards (3,330) and passing touchdowns (36) that year.  Blanda was a passing machine, leading the league in both attempts and completions from 1963 through 1965.

By 1967, Blanda’s time had run out with the Houston Oilers but he was quickly snapped up by the Oakland Riaders.  After a terrific career with the Oilers, Blanda was now comfortable operating in the role that the Bears had seen him in so long ago. Blanda, who was still a straight ahead kicker, repeatedly came up in the clutch for the Raiders.

In 1970, Blanda was released by the Raiders only to, you guessed it, resign with them before leading one of the craziest five game stretches in the history of football.

Game 1 vs. Steelers: Lamonica gets hurt, Blanda throws three touchdowns to win ‘er.

Game 2 vs. Kansas City: Blanda kicks a field-goal with 3 seconds left to tie ‘er up.

Game 3 vs. Cleveland: Off the bench, Again!  Blanda throws a TD with under two minutes to play to tie the game up before booting a ridiculous 52-yard field-goal to win ‘er.

Game 4 vs. Denver: Blanda gets the call in the 4th quarter only to throw the winning touchdown with two minutes left.

Game 5 vs. San Diego: Blanda knocks in a chip-shot field goal in the closing seconds to beat the Chargers and end one of the greatest streaks of balls-to-the-wall football in the history of the game.

Eventually, the 1970 season ended with Blanda becoming the oldest quarterback (age 43) to start a Championship Game.

Blanda’s Records (straight from wikiland)

• Passing TDs in a game: 7 (Tied with 4 others)
• Most seasons played: 26
• Only player to play in four different decades; (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s)
• Most PATs made (943) and attempted (959)
• Most interceptions thrown, single season: 42 (1962)
• Held record of most pass attempts in a single game: 68 until 1994, when Drew Bledsoe had 70
• Oldest person to play in an NFL game: 48 years, 109 days
• First player ever to score over 2,000 points
• Oldest quarterback to start a title game
• Most total points accounted for (including TD passes) in a career: 3,418

Blanda is no longer the proud owner of the Most Career Interceptions which now belongs to Brett Favre.

The Card

I absolutely love the look of this card; it’s simple, classic and it shows us that George Blanda used to be one very good looking dude.  It’s refreshing to see this shot of Blanda, rather than the grey haired man hunched on the Raiders sideline.

I’m still torn on whether or not I made the right call.  The Fleer card doesn’t look quite as classic and it’s not quite as old, but it’s Blanda as a member of the AFL.

1960 Fleer Blanda, Courtesy of Footballcardgallery.com