October 11th, 2012 |
Published in
error cards, Player Deaths
Sam Gruneisen, an offensive lineman from 1962 to 1973 for the San Diego Chargers and Houston Oilers, passed away on September 28. There is a picture of Gruneisen and a summary of his career on the Chargers web site. Gruneisen played in two AFL championship games with the Chargers, in 1964 and 1965, both losses to the Bills. At Villanova, Gruneisen was a tight end, linebacker, and kicker. He was elected to the Villanova Wall of Fame in 2000.
Pictured here is Gruneisen’s rookie card, a 1964 Topps. His name, unfortunately, is misspelled “Gruniesen” on the card. He also appeared on a 1966 Topps card–with his name spelled correctly–and on a 1969 Glendale stamp.
September 24th, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
Tom McCormick, who played halfback from 1953 to 1956 for the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, passed away on September 20. According to his obituary at legacy.com, McCormick served as an assistant coach with Minnesota and Green Bay after retiring as a player.
McCormick did not have a football card in a major issue, but he did appear on Rams team issue cards in 1953, 1954, and 1955. His 1953 Rams team issue card is pictured here. The back of the card says that he set school records at the College of the Pacific for yards rushing in a season, yards rushing in a career, and touchdowns in a season.
September 7th, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
George Savitsky, who played tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1948 and 1949, passed away on September 4. The Eagles won two of their three NFL titles in the seasons that Savitsky played. (Their third championship was in 1960.) Savitsky played college football at University of Pennsylvania, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1991. He and Chuck Bednarik were teammates both at Penn and with the Eagles. The csnphilly.com web site has a story about Savitsky and a nice photo of him as a player.
The card pictured here is Savitsky’s rookie card, a 1948 Leaf. It is one of the scarce high-numbered cards in the set. He also appeared on a 1949 Leaf card (identical to the 1948 Leaf card, except for the back), and on a 1955 Topps All-American card.
September 5th, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
Tom Keating has passed away; he played defensive tackle from 1964 to 1975 for the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Kansas City Chiefs. There is an article about Keating on the San Francisco Chronicle web site. Keating played on the three American Football League championship teams: the 1964 and 1965 Bills, and the 1967 Raiders. The 1967 Raiders team went on to play Green Bay in Super Bowl II.
The card pictured here is Keating’s 1968 Topps football card. In 1968, Topps honored the prior season’s Super Bowl contestants, the Raiders and Packers, by giving their cards a different design than the rest of the teams. Keating also appeared on a 1965 Topps card, a 1970 Topps card, and a 1972 Sunoco Stamp.
August 15th, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
Jimmy Carr, who played nine seasons for the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins, passed away on August 13. Carr also played one season for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. Carr was a starting defensive back on the Eagles team that beat Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers for the 1960 NFL championship. After retiring as a player, Carr was an assistant coach in the NFL, USFL, and NFL Europe for almost thirty years.
Carr is pictured here on his rookie card, a 1958 Topps. Though the card shows him with the Cardinals, 1958 was the season that he played in the CFL. Carr also appeared on a 1962 Post Cereal card, a 1963 Topps card, and a 1960 Eagles team issue photo.
July 15th, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
King Hill, a quarterback and punter who played in the NFL from 1958 to 1969, passed away on July 14. The riceowls.com web site has a story about Hill and a photo of him from his college days. Hill spent most of his playing career with the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles, and he punted for part of one season for the Minnesota Vikings. After retiring as a player, he served as a coach and scout in the NFL for 23 more years.
Hill appeared on several football cards as a player. His 1960 Mayrose Cardinals card is pictured here. The Mayrose cards, which were distributed in packages of Mayrose meat products, are a small regional set that commemorated the Cardinals’ move from Chicago to St. Louis.
You can see all of King Hill’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
July 9th, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
John Williams, an offensive lineman from 1968 to 1979 for the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams, passed away yesterday. There is a story and recent photo of Williams on the Minneapolis StarTribune web site. Williams played on three Super Bowl teams: the 1968 Colts, who lost to the Jets; the 1970 Colts, who beat the Cowboys; and the 1979 Rams, who lost to the Steelers.
Though Williams played twelve seasons in the NFL, and though he started every game at tackle for the Rams from 1973 to 1978, he never appeared on a regular issue football card. He did appear on a 1972 Sunoco stamp; it is pictured here.
July 6th, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
J.D. Garrett, a running back and kick returner for the Boston Patriots from 1964 to 1967, passed away on July 4. There is a story and a recent photo of Garrett on the ktbs.com web site. Garrett’s best year with the Patriots was 1964, when he gained 1137 all-purpose yards. He appeared on one football card, the 1965 Topps card pictured here.
July 3rd, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
Ben Davidson, a defensive end from 1961 to 1971 for the Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, and Oakland Raiders, passed away today. There is a story and photo gallery on the Contra Costa Times web site. Davidson was a member of the Packers’ 1961 NFL Championship team and the Raiders’ 1967 AFL Championship team. He was an AFL All-Star in 1966, 1967, and 1968.
After football, Davidson acted in over two dozen movies and television series, including Conan the Barbarian and Necessary Roughness. See his IMDB page for a full list.
Davidson appeared on numerous football cards, stamps, and team photos as a Raider. His 1966 Topps card is pictured here. You can see all of Ben Davidson’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
June 19th, 2012 |
Published in
Player Deaths
R.C. Owens, 49ers, a receiver from 1957 to 1964 for the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Colts, and New York Giants, passed away on June 17. Owens was known for his “alley oop” catches, which you can see him demonstrating on the San Francisco Chronicle web site. Owens was the first 49er receiver with 1000 yards receiving in one season; he accomplished that in 1961. He was inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame in 2011.
Owens appeared on several football cards with the 49ers. His 1959 Topps card is pictured here. His rookie card, a 1958 Topps, pictures Don Owens, unfortunately.
