August 14th, 2011 | Published in Player Deaths
Ken Payne, wide receiver from 1974 to 1978 for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, passed away on August 1. Payne led the Packers in receptions and receiving yards in 1975 and 1976.
The card pictured here is Payne’s rookie card, a 1976 Topps. He also appeared on a 1977 Topps card.
August 12th, 2011 | Published in Player Deaths
Don Chandler, punter and kicker from 1956 to 1967 for the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers, passed away on August 11. Chandler played on four NFL Championship teams: 1956 with the Giants, and 1965, 1966, and 1967 with the Packers. He made the Pro Bowl in 1967, his last season, and he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1975. The Packerville, U.S.A., blog has a summary of Chandler’s career, along with several pictures.
The card pictured here is Chandler’s rookie card, a 1957 Topps. He appeared on several others, as well. You can see all of Don Chandler’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
August 10th, 2011 | Published in Player Deaths
Jimmy Harris, a defensive back in the NFL and AFL from 1957 to 1961, passed away on August 8. Harris played one season each for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Texans, and Dallas Cowboys. He did not play the 1959 season.
Before his pro career, Harris was a star quarterback at Oklahoma. He went 25-0 over three seasons, contributing over half of the wins in the Sooners’ 47-game winning streak. NewsOK.com has an account of Harris’s college career, along with lots of photos.
The card pictured here is Harris’s rookie card, a 1957 Topps. Topps apparently colored a college photo of Harris to put him in Eagles green, because the image closely resembles the photo in the NewsOK.com article, and Harris wore number 20 for the Eagles, not number 15. The image on Harris’s 1960 Fleer card appears to have come from the same photo session, as well.
Harris appeared in a Dallas Texans uniform on a 1961 Fleer card and a 1961 Fleer Wallet Photo, but he played for the Cowboys that season.
August 5th, 2011 | Published in Brothers, Player Deaths, Players Who Became Actors
By now, most NFL fans have heard that Bubba Smith passed away. Smith was a defensive end from 1967 to 1976 for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers. He made the Pro Bowl twice, and he played in two Super Bowls: Super Bowl III, which the Colts lost to the Jets, and Super Bowl V, in which the Colts beat Cowboys. A New York Times article from earlier this week has a summary of Smith’s career, along with a few photos.
After football, Smith appeared in many films and television shows, most notably the Police Academy movies. I had no idea how many until I checked out his IMDB page.
Smith’s brother, Tody, also played in the NFL. You can see the family resemblance in one of my earlier articles.
Smith appeared on numerous football cards in the 1970s, and most of them showed the same image. Pictured here are his rookie card, a 1970 Topps, and his last card, a 1976 Topps. You can see the rest in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
July 26th, 2011 | Published in Player Deaths
Richard Harris, the assistant head coach and defensive line coach of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, passed away this afternoon. The Winnipeg Free Press web site has a report and a recent photo. Harris was a defensive lineman in the NFL from 1971 to 1977, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks.
Harris appeared on one football card during his playing days, the 1974 Topps card pictured here. He also appeared on a 1972 Sunoco Stamp.
July 20th, 2011 | Published in Player Deaths
Forrest Blue, who played center from 1968 to 1978 for the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts, passed away on July 16. Blue was a four-time Pro Bowler for the 49ers, twice on the first team. There is a report of Blue’s death on the San Francisco Chronicle web site–and a photo of him scoring his only NFL touchdown.
The card pictured here is Blue’s rookie card, a 1972 Topps. Another card of note is his 1974 Parker Brothers card. As I showed in a previous blog article, it is one of the few Parker Brothers cards that has a different image than its counterpart in the 1974 Topps set.
You can see all of Forrest Blue’s cards in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
July 9th, 2011 | Published in Player Deaths
Pete Duranko, a defensive lineman for the Denver Broncos from 1967 to 1974, passed away on July 8. Today’s Denver Post has a report. Duranko played college football at Notre Dame, and he was a member of the Irish’s 1966 National Championship team.
The cards pictured here are Duranko’s rookie card, a 1969 Topps, and his last card, a 1975 Topps. His last card was issued the year after his last season–a common occurrence in the 1970s.
You can see all of Pete Duranko’s football cards and stamps in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
July 7th, 2011 | Published in Player Deaths
John Mackey, the Hall of Fame tight end, passed away on July 6th. Mackey played for the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to 1971 and for the San Diego Chargers in 1972. He was a five-time Pro Bowler for the Colts–three times on the first team–and he played in two Super Bowls: the Colts’ loss to the Jets in Super Bowl III and their win agains the Cowboys in Super Bowl V. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
The cards pictured here are Mackey’s rookie card, a 1964 Philadelphia, and his last card, a 1973 Topps. The 1973 card was actually issued after Mackey’s last season. You can see all of John Mackey’s football cards and stamps in the Vintage Football Card Gallery.
July 1st, 2011 | Published in Brothers, Player Deaths
Preston Carpenter, who played twelve seasons for the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, and Miami Dolphins, passed away on June 30. Carpenter played halfback for the Browns in his rookie season, 1956, then spent the rest of his career as a receiver. He made the Pro Bowl in 1962 as a tight end with the Steelers.
Carpenter’s older brother, Lew, who also had a long NFL career, passed away last fall.
The card pictured here is Carpenter’s rookie card, a 1957 Topps. He appeared on numerous other cards during his career, as well.
June 15th, 2011 | Published in Player Deaths
Tom Addison, who starred at linebacker for the Boston Patriots for their first eight seasons, passed away on June 14. Addison played in the AFL All-Star game each year from 1961 to 1964. He also played in the 1963 AFL Championship game, which the Patriots lost to the Chargers. There is a nice tribute to Addison and a summary of his career on the Patriots web site.
Addison appeared on a Fleer or Topps football card each year from 1962 to 1967. His rookie card, a 1962 Fleer, is pictured here. Oddly, he also appeared on a 1961 Fleer Wallet Picture, but he did not have a card in the regular 1961 Fleer set.
