December 20th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
Jim Whalen, a tight end from 1965 to 1971 for the Boston Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Philadelphia Eagles, passed away on December 18. There is an article about Whalen on the Patriots web site. According to the article, Whalen led the Patriots in receptions and receiving yards during his five seasons with the team.
Whalen is shown here on his 1968 Topps and 1969 Topps football cards. His first three cards, from 1965 to 1967, picture him in his Boston College uniform, with his face obscured. You can see all of Whalen’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
December 16th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
Chuck Gavin passed away on December 1; he played defensive end for the British Columbia Lions in 1959, and for the Denver Broncos from 1960 to 1963. Gavin attended Tennessee State University, where he was a two-time All-American. There is a story about him on the school’s web site.
Gavin appeared on two football cards with the Broncos: the 1963 Fleer and 1964 Topps cards shown here. The 1964 Topps card is one of the short prints in the set. Though he appeared on a 1964 card, Gavin did not play in 1964. According to his obituary at tributes.com, a knee injury ended his football career.
December 12th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
John Small, a defensive tackle and linebacker from 1970 to 1974 for the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, passed away on December 10. The Charleston Post and Courier has a story about Small, along with a recent photo.
Small did not appear on a regular issue football card, but he did appear on a 1972 Sunoco stamp and a 1972 NFLPA stamp. The Sunoco stamp is pictured here.
December 5th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
John Ward passed away on December 4; he was a lineman from 1970 to 1976 for the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears. Ward was a member of the Vikings teams who represented the NFC in Super Bowls VIII and IX. There is a story about Ward and a recent picture at newsok.com.
Ward appeared on one football card, the 1976 Topps card pictured here. The card pictures Ward with Tampa Bay, who obtained him from Minnesota in the 1976 NFL Expansion Draft. He played just four games with Tampa Bay, then finished the 1976 season with Chicago.
November 30th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
Merv Pregulman, who played from 1946 to 1949 for the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and New York Bulldogs, passed away on November 29. There is a story about Pregulman, along with a few photos, on Chattanooga’s WRCBtv.com web site. Pregulman received All-America honors at the University of Michigan, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. Between college and the NFL, he served in World War II.
Pregulman appeared on one football card, the 1948 Bowman card pictured here.
November 27th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
Jim Temp, a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers from 1957 to 1960, passed away on November 25. The Green Bay Press Gazette web site has a story about Temp, along with several photos. Temp was a member of the 1960 Packers team that lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL championship game. At the University of Wisconsin, Temp starred in both football and baseball. He was inducted into the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Temp did not appear on a regular issue football card, but he did appear on the 1961 Lake to Lake Packers card shown here. His Lake to Lake card is one of the short prints in the set. The short prints are much scarcer–and thus much more valuable–than the other cards in the set.
November 25th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
Ernie Warlick, a tight end for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders from 1957 to 1961 and the AFL’s Buffalo Bills from 1962 to 1965, passed away on November 24. Warlick was an AFL All-Star all four of his seasons with the Bills, and he was a member of the Bills’ 1964 and 1965 AFL championship teams. The Buffalo News web site has a story about Warlick, including a recent photo.
Pictured here is Warlick’s 1963 Fleer football card. He appeared on one other AFL card, a 1965 Topps “Tall Boy.” He also appeared on several CFL cards with the Stampeders.
November 19th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
Dick Felt, a defensive back from 1960 to 1966 for the AFL’s New York Titans and Boston Patriots, passed away on November 17. The Salt Lake City Tribune has a story about him, along with a few photos. Felt played in the 1963 AFL Championship game, which the Patriots lost to the Chargers. After his playing career, he was an assistant coach at BYU for 26 seasons. He was inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977.
Felt appeared on two AFL football cards, the 1963 Fleer and 1964 Topps cards pictured here. There are two variations of the 1963 Fleer card, one with a red stripe on the bottom of the back, and one without the stripe. (See the bottom of my 1963 Fleer uncut sheet page for details.) Felt’s 1964 Topps card is one of the short prints in the set.
November 7th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
Before he became a famous coach, Darrell Royal was an All-American football player at the University of Oklahoma. An article at soonersports.com describes his college playing career. According to the article, Royal is still the record holder for career interceptions at Oklahoma.
Topps honored Royal in 1950 by putting him on a football card–or two, if you count variations. As I wrote in an earlier article, 1950 Topps Felt Back cards are tiny and homely, but the set contains the rookie cards of Royal, Joe Paterno, and two Pro Football Hall of Famers, Ernie Stautner and Lou Creekmur. The Topps Archives blog has a nice description of the set, also.
Royal’s card, like 24 others in the set, was issued in both yellow and brown. The price guides list the yellow variations at higher prices, but in reality it appears that the brown variations are scarcer. Both variations of Royal’s card–which describes him as a “Rapid Quarterback”–are shown here.
November 6th, 2012 |
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Player Deaths
Terry Owens, a tackle for the San Diego Chargers from 1966 to 1975, passed away on October 27. His obituary on the Shelton Funeral Home web site includes a recent photo and a summary of his career. Owens suffered from dementia, which his wife, Alison, described on Dave Pear’s blog.
At Jacksonville State University, Owens starred at both football and basketball. He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 1975.
The two cards pictured here are Owens’s rookie card, a 1973 Topps, and his 1975 Wonder Bread card. He also appeared on a 1972 Sunoco stamp, a 1974 Topps card, and a 1975 Topps card.
