Happy 70th birthday to Herm Edwards! Edwards played defensive back from 1977 to 1985 for the Philadelphia Eagles, and in 1986 for the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams. He was a starter on the Eagles team that played the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV. (The Raiders won, 27-10.) After retiring as a player, Edwards began a long coaching career in the NFL and NCAA. He served as head coach of the New York Jets from 2001 to 2005, the Kansas City Chiefs from 2006 to 2008, and the Arizona Wildcats from 2018 to 2022. Edwards was the Jets coach when the team won its last division championship, in ..read more

Happy 80th birthday to Carl McAdams! McAdams played linebacker and defensive tackle from 1967 to 1969 with the New York Jets. He played on the Jets team that beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. McAdams played college football at the University of Oklahoma. In 1965, he set the school record for tackles in a game, but he didn’t know he held the record until 53 years later, when the record was broken. The Norman Transcript web site has the story. Today’s “card” of the day is McAdams’s 1966 Jets Coke Cap. McAdams never appeared on a regular issue card, but he did appear on a few miscellan ..read more

Happy 75th birthday to Phil Wise! Wise played defensive back for the New York Jets from 1971 to 1976, and for the Minnesota Vikings from 1977 to 1979. He intercepted six passes and recovered seven opponents’ fumbles in his NFL career. In 1973, he had the league’s longest fumble return, 80 yards for a touchdown against the Baltimore Colts. There is a nice “Where Are They Now?” article about Wise on the Jets web site. Today’s card of the day is Wise’s rookie card, a 1977 Topps. The card pictures him with the Jets, but the Jets traded him to the Vikings before the 1977 season started. Wise also ..read more

Happy 70th birthday to Vince Ferragamo! Ferragamo played quarterback for ten seasons in the NFL and CFL: seven for the Los Angeles Rams, and one each for the Montreal Alouettes, Buffalo Bills, and Green Bay Packers. In 1979, he led the Rams to the NFC West division title and a berth in Super Bowl XIV. (The Rams lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-19.) Ferragamo was just the third NFL player (after Norm Van Brocklin and Y.A. Tittle) to pass for over 500 yards in a game. He threw for 509 yards in a loss to the Chicago Bears on December 26, 1982. Today’s card of the day is Ferragamo’s rookie car ..read more

Today’s card of the day is a 1973 Topps card of Bob Kuechenberg. This is Kuechenberg’s rookie card, one of over 200 rookie cards in the 1973 Topps set. Kuechenberg was an offensive lineman (primarily a guard) from 1970 to 1983 with the Miami Dolphins. He made the Pro Bowl six times and was named a First-Team All-Pro in 1978. He was inducted into the Dolphins Honor Roll in 1995. Kuechenberg has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame eight times–every year from 2002 to 2009–but he has not yet been inducted. He is one of about twenty players and coaches on the Gallery’s “Almost Hall o ..read more

Today’s card of the day is the Green Bay Packers 1968 Topps Team Photos card. Yesterday I made the card interactive, meaning that on its Gallery page, you can move your cursor over the card to see who each player is. Give it a try! The card pictures the 1967 Packers team, which won the NFL title for the third straight year, then beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II. I noticed just yesterday that this team photo is unusual–and maybe unique–because it includes the trainers and equipment managers, but not the coaches or executives. I wonder how that decision came about? One reason I like id ..read more

Roman Gabriel, who played quarterback for sixteen years in the NFL, passed away yesterday. He was 83. Gabriel played eleven seasons for the Los Angeles Rams and five for the Philadelphia Eagles. He made the Pro Bowl four times, and he was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1969. Before his professional career, Gabriel starred at North Carolina State. In his senior year, 1961, he finished ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. (See the Gallery’s Football Cards of Heisman Candidates page.) He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Today’s card of the day is Gabrie ..read more

Today’s card of the day is a 1952 Bowman Large card of Tobin Rote. Rote was a quarterback who played professionally from 1950 to 1966. He played for the NFL’s Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, and the AFL’s San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. Rote led the Lions to the NFL Championship in 1957 and the Chargers to the AFL Championship in 1963. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1974. Rote appeared on at least one football card in nearly every year of his career. He is one of just a handful of players who appeared on cards in the NFL, CFL, and AFL ..read more

Happy 85th birthday to Aubrey Linne! Linne played tight end for the Baltimore Colts in one game in 1961. (See the Gallery’s “Cups of Coffee” page.) In 1962 and early in 1963 he played for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts; later in 1963 he played for the Edmonton Eskimos. Linne’s son, Larry Linne, also had a short stint in the NFL. As a replacement player during the 1987 NFL players’ strike, Larry played three games at wide receiver for the New England Patriots. Today’s card of the day is Aubrey Linne’s 1963 Post Cereal CFL card. As far as I know, it is his only appearance on a card. Linne’s card i ..read more

Happy 70th birthday to Steve Wagner! Wagner played defensive back for the Green Bay Packers from 1976 to 1979, and for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1980. Wagner is a Wisconsin native: he went to Oconomowoc High School and played college football at the University of Wisconsin. Today’s card of the day is Wagner’s 1979 Open Pantry card. Open Pantry is a chain of convenience stores in southeastern Wisconsin. In 1979, the company distributed a twelve-card multi-sport set containing players from the Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks. Wagner is one of just two Packers in the set; the ot ..read more