Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s

Few things indicate that a TV show has broken through into pop culture at large like getting its own set of trading cards. Naturally, most of these programs don’t really need or deserve a trading card set, but that’s another topic altogether. While some shows — particularly ones heavy on action or in the sci-fi/fantasy genres — lend themselves to interesting cards, more often than not you just got a still photo of some cast member that says, “Remember that this was a person on our show? So do we.”

Regardless, let’s look take a trip back to the days when you could find cards for almost any show imaginable, issued by giants of the field such as Topps, Donruss, and Fleer.

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: ALF

ALF

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: Growing Pains

Growing Pains

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: In Living Color

In Living Color

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: Knight Rider

Knight Rider

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: Beverly Hills 90210

Beverly Hills 90210

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: Happy Days

Happy Days

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: M*A*S*H

M*A*S*H

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: Three's Company

Three’s Company

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: V

V

Vintage TV Show Trading Card Packs of the '70s, '80s, and '90s: Welcome Back, Kotter

Welcome Back, Kotter

1972 Topps #151: MacArthur Lane

Worst Sports Cards Ever #2: MacArthur Lane (Topps 1972)

In my Worst Sports Cards Ever series, I look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the long and spotty history of sports trading cards.

I can only imagine that few things sent trading card companies into a tizzy like an offseason trade. I’m sure the lead time needed to pull off a nice-looking card is pretty lengthy; especially so in the pre-digital days.

So what happens when a player switches teams and a company such as, say, Topps has to scramble at the 11th hour to reflect that change? You get a card like #151 from the Topps 1972 NFL set, for running back MacArthur Lane.

1972 Topps #151: MacArthur Lane

It seems likely that Topps was all ready to go in early 1972 with an image of Lane with his then-current team, the St. Louis Cardinals. But then he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in February of that year, and would not have been scheduled to put on a Packers uniform until some time in the summer.

Try as they might, there was no disguising the fact that this is a laughably crude attempt at airbrushing Packer green onto a Cardinals uniform. Everything gives this one away — the phony shadows and the lack of a uniform number for starters, but most of all the mysterious green blotch on the left side of Lane’s face.

Lane switched teams again in 1975, when he moved to the Kansas City Chiefs. Thankfully that trading card transition was handled a little more gracefully.

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John Elway football card; 1984 Topps Denver Broncos

Retired NFL Jersey Numbers: AFC West

Football Friday at The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Since it’s the off-season I thought I’d start a fun project involving NFL history. So I’m going to go division by division and post galleries of football cards (when available) featuring all NFL players who have had their jersey numbers retired by their teams. This week it’s the four squads of the AFC West — the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers.

Previous galleries: AFC EastNFC EastAFC NorthNFC NorthAFC South, NFC South

Denver Broncos (3)

#7 — John Elway

John Elway football card

#18 — Frank Tripucka

#18 -- Frank Tripucka 1962 Fleer

#44 — Floyd Little

#44 -- Floyd Little 1971 Topps

Kansas City Chiefs (10)

#3 — Jan Stenerud

#3 -- Jan Stenerud 1979 Topps

#16 — Len Dawson

#16 -- Len Dawson 1963 Fleer

#18 — Emmitt Thomas

#18 -- Emmitt Thomas 1972 Topps

#28 — Abner Haynes

#28 -- Abner Haynes 1961 Fleer

#33 — Stone Johnson

On August 30, 1963, rookie RB/KR Stone Johnson suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck during a preseason game against the Houston Oilers while returning a kickoff. He died on September 8 at the age of 23. Although he was only on the team’s active roster during the 1963 preseason, his jersey number 33 was posthumously retired.

#36 — Mack Lee Hill

Just two years after Johnson’s tragic death, the Chiefs suffered another grievous loss when second-year back Mack Lee Hill died at age 25 from complications following knee surgery. A year later, Kansas City established the Mack Lee Hill Award to honor the rookie who best exemplifies Hill’s spirit.

#58 — Derrick Thomas

#58 -- Derrick Thomas 1989 Score

On February 8, 2000, Derrick Thomas died from a massive blood clot that developed in his paralyzed lower extremities and traveled to his lungs. His paralysis was the result of severe injuries sustained in a car accident weeks earlier. On January 31, 2009, Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his fifth year of eligibility.

#63 — Willie Lanier

#63 -- Willie Lanier 1972 Topps

#78 — Bobby Bell

#78 -- Bobby Bell 1964 Topps

#86 — Buck Buchanan

#86 -- Buck Buchanan football card

Oakland Raiders (0)

The Raiders have never retired any jersey numbers in their five-plus decades of existence, although league rules prohibit Jim Otto’s #00 from ever being issued again. Numbers for even the most legendary Oakland players get recycled on a routine basis.

San Diego Chargers (3)

#14 — Dan Fouts

#14 -- Dan Fouts 1986 Topps

#19 — Lance Alworth

#19 -- Lance Alworth 1968 Topps

#55 — Junior Seau

#55 -- Junior Seau 1995 Upper Deck

Lee Roy Selmon football card

Retired NFL Jersey Numbers: NFC South

Football Friday at The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Since it’s the off-season I thought I’d start a fun project involving NFL history. So I’m going to go division by division and post galleries of football cards (when available) featuring all NFL players who have had their jersey numbers retired by their teams. This week it’s the four squads of the NFC South — the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Previous galleries: AFC EastNFC EastAFC North, NFC North, AFC South

Atlanta Falcons (0)

The Falcons do not retire jersey numbers, but in 2004 they established their own Ring of Honor for former players. The inductees to date are Steve Bartkowski, Deion Sanders, William Andrews, Jeff Van Note, Jessie Tuggle, Tommy Nobis, Mike Kenn, and Claude Humphrey.

Carolina Panthers (1)

#51 — Sam Mills

Sam Mills 1995 Topps Stadium Club football card

New Orleans Saints (4)

#31 — Jim Taylor

Jim Taylor 1968 Topps football card

#81 — Doug Atkins

Doug Atkins 1969 Topps football card

#51 — Sam Mills

Sam Mills 1990 Fleer football card

#57 — Rickey Jackson

Rickey Jackson 1989 Pro Set football card

In a rather odd move, the Saints still issue these four jersey numbers to active players even though officially they’re “retired.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2)

#63 — Lee Roy Selmon

Lee Roy Selmon 1984 Topps football card

#99 — Warren Sapp

Warren Sapp 1995 Upper Deck football card

Johnny Unitas 1962 Topps football card (#19, Baltimore Colts)

Retired NFL Jersey Numbers: AFC South

Football Friday at The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Since it’s the off-season I thought I’d start a fun project involving NFL history. So I’m going to go division by division and post galleries of football cards (when available) featuring all NFL players who have had their jersey numbers retired by their teams. This week it’s the four squads of the AFC South — the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.

Previous galleries: AFC EastNFC EastAFC North, NFC North

Houston Texans (0)

The Texans have yet to retire a number in their decade-plus of existence. If I had to bust out my crystal ball, wide receiver Andre Johnson (#80) is a potential future candidate. He holds a number of team records (some by a sizable margin) and is poised in 2013 to become one of the NFL’s top 20 receivers ever for career receiving yards.

Indianapolis Colts (7)

To date, no Colts who played in Indianapolis have had their jersey number retired. In fact the most recent Colt on this list is Johnny Unitas, who was traded away after the 1972 season.

#19 — Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas 1958 Topps football card

#22 — Buddy Young

Buddy Young 1956 Topps football card

#24 — Lenny Moore

Lenny Moore 1956 Topps football card

#70 — Art Donovan

Art Donovan 1959 Topps football card

#77 — Jim Parker

Jim Parker 1965 Philadelphia football card

#82 — Raymond Berry

Raymond Berry 1961 Topps football card

#89 — Gino Marchetti

Gino Marchetti 1959 Topps football card

Jacksonville Jaguars (0)

Although not officially retired, the number 71 worn by offensive tackle Tony Boselli, the Jaguars’ first-ever draft pick, has not been worn since his retirement in 2002. According to team officials the number has been “taken out of service.”

Tennessee Titans (6)

This list is made up entirely of players who got their start as a member of the Houston Oilers. Bruce Matthews did play in Tennessee, but spent the vast majority of his amazing career in Houston.

#1 — Warren Moon

Warren Moon 1989 Pro Set football card

#34 — Earl Campbell

Earl Campbell 1979 Topps football card

#43 — Jim Norton

Jim Norton 1968 Topps football card

#63 — Mike Munchak

Mike Munchak 1989 Pro Set football card

#65 — Elvin Bethea

Elvin Bethea 1970 Topps football card

#74 — Bruce Matthews

Bruce Matthews 1990 Fleer football card

Dick Butkus 1972 Topps football card

Retired NFL Jersey Numbers: NFC North

Since it’s the off-season I thought I’d start a fun project involving NFL history. So I’m going to go division by division and post football card galleries (when available) featuring all NFL players who have had their jersey numbers retired by their teams. This week it’s the four squads of the NFC North — the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings.

Previous galleries: AFC EastNFC East, AFC North

Chicago Bears (13)

#3 — Bronko Nagurski

Bronko Nagurski 1935 National Chicle football card

#5 — George McAfee

George McAfee 1948 Leaf football card

#7 — George Halas

George Halas 1952 Bowman football card

I couldn’t find a card from Halas’s playing days, but how could I leave off Papa Bear?

#28 — Willie Galimore

Willie Galimore 1959 Topps football card

Galimore was killed in an automobile accident on July 27, 1964 in Rensselaer, Indiana at the age of 29 with teammate Bo Farrington.

#34 — Walter Payton

Walter Payton 1975 Topps football card

#40 — Gale Sayers

Gale Sayers 1971 Topps football card

#41 — Brian Piccolo

Brian Piccolo 1965 Topps football card

Piccolo died of cancer in 1970 at age 26, and was famously portrayed by James Caan in the made-for-TV movie Brian’s Song.

#42 — Sid Luckman

Sid Luckman 1948 Leaf football card

#51 — Dick Butkus

Dick Butkus 1974 Topps football card

#56 — Bill Hewitt

Bill Hewitt 1989 Goal Line football card

#61 — Bill George

Bill George 1960 Topps football card

#66 — Clyde “Bulldog” Turner

Clyde "Bulldog" Turner 1951 Bowman football card

#77 — Red Grange

Red Grange 2006 Donruss football card

Detroit Lions (6)

#7 — Dutch Clark

Dutch Clark 1935 National Chicle football card

#20 — Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders 1990 Pro Set football card

#22 — Bobby Layne

Bobby Layne 1954 Bowman football card

#37 — Doak Walker

Doak Walker 1951 Bowman football card

#56 — Joe Schmidt

Joe Schmidt 1959 Topps football card

#85 — Chuck Hughes

Hughes, who played in Philadelphia and Detroit, never saw much action at his wide receiver position — he caught a total of 15 passes in his pro career in fact. His number was retired because on October 24, 1971 he collapsed during a game against the Bears and died from a blood clot that completely cut the circulation to his heart. To date, Hughes is the only NFL player to die on the field during a game.

There are no football cards bearing Hughes’ likeness that I’m aware of. There are photos of the scene on the field after he collapsed, but I’m not really interested in sharing them. They’re out there if you want to look.

Green Bay Packers (5)

#3 — Tony Canadeo

Tony Canadeo 1951 Bowman football card

#14 — Don Hutson

Don Hutson Goal Line football card

#15 — Bart Starr

Bart Starr 1963 Topps football card

#66 — Ray Nitschke

Ray Nitschke 1963 Topps football card

#92 — Reggie White

Reggie White 1996 Pro Line football card

Minnesota Vikings (6)

#10 — Fran Tarkenton

Fran Tarkenton 1965 Philadelphia football card

#53 — Mick Tingelhoff

Mick Tingelhoff 1971 Topps football card

#70 — Jim Marshall

Jim Marshall 1977 Topps football card

#77 — Korey Stringer

Korey Stringer 1995 College Choice football card

Stringer died in August 2001 from complications brought on by heat stroke during the Vikings’ training camp in Mankato, Minnesota. He was 27.

#80 — Cris Carter

Cris Carter 1991 Pro Set football card

#88 — Alan Page

Alan Page 1972 Topps football card

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Ernie Davis 1962 Topps football card (#45, Cleveland Browns)

Retired NFL Jersey Numbers: AFC North

Since it’s the off-season I thought I’d start a fun project involving NFL history. So I’m going to go division by division and post football card galleries (when available) featuring all NFL players who have had their jersey numbers retired by their teams. This week it’s the four squads of the AFC North — the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Previous galleries: AFC East, NFC East

Baltimore Ravens (0)

The Ravens, who have only been in existence since 1996, have not yet retired any jersey numbers. Much like the Cowboys, the team has its own Ring of Honor for former players and personnel. So like Dallas, Baltimore gets no football cards here. The list, in order of induction:

#19 — Johnny Unitas
#24 — Lenny Moore
#70 — Art Donovan
#77 — Jim Parker
#82 — Raymond Berry
#83 — Ted Hendricks
#88 — John Mackey
#89 — Gino Marchetti
#99 — Michael McCrary
#58 — Peter Boulware
#75 — Jonathan Ogden
#3 — Matt Stover
#31 — Jamal Lewis

I have no doubt that Ray Lewis will be inducted in short order.

Cincinnati Bengals (1)

#54 — Bob Johnson

Bob Johnson 1973 Topps football card

The lone number retired by the Bengals belongs to center Bob Johnson. #54 was a member of Cincy’s inaugural 1968 AFL squad, and remained with the team for 12 seasons.

Cleveland Browns (5)

#14 — Otto Graham

Otto Graham 1952 Bowman football card

Graham wore #60 for much of his career, but he was forced to change it to #14 in 1952 after the NFL passed a rule requiring offensive linemen to wear jersey numbers 50–79 so referees could more easily identify ineligible receivers.

#32 — Jim Brown

Jim Brown 1959 Topps football card

#45 — Ernie Davis

Ernie Davis 1962 Topps football card

The Elmira Express never played in a regular season game for the Browns. He was diagnosed with leukemia in the summer of 1962 and died the following May at the age of 23.

#46 — Don Fleming

Don Fleming 1963 Topps football card

#76 — Lou Groza

Lou Groza 1956 Topps football card

Pittsburgh Steelers (1)

#70 — Ernie Stautner

Ernie Stautner 1959 Topps football card

Ten-time All Pro Ernie Stautner played his entire career (1950-63) in Pittsburgh, and is the only Steeler to have his jersey number retired. Although the team doesn’t officially retire numbers anymore, certain ones haven’t been reissued. This includes #12 (Terry Bradshaw), #32 (Franco Harris), #52 (Mike Webster), and #75 (Joe Greene).

Y.A. Tittle 1963 Topps football card (#14, New York Giants)

Retired NFL Jersey Numbers: NFC East

Since it’s the off-season I thought I’d start a fun project involving NFL history. So I’m going to go division by division and post football card galleries (when available) featuring all NFL players who have had their jersey numbers retired by their teams. This week it’s the four squads of the NFC East — the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins.

Previous galleries: AFC East

Dallas Cowboys (0)

The Cowboys do not officially retire jersey numbers, opting rather to induct players into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor. The Ring, which began in 1975, is made up of the players listed below (as of the end of the 2012 season, in order of induction). Sorry, no cards for the Cowboys, since they insist on being so different.

#74 — Bob Lilly
#17 — Don Meredith
#43 — Don Perkins
#54 — Chuck Howley
#20 — Mel Renfro
#12 — Roger Staubach
#55 — Lee Roy Jordan
#33 — Tony Dorsett
#54 — Randy White
#22 — Bob Hayes
#43 — Cliff Harris
#70 — Rayfield Wright
#8 — Troy Aikman
#88 — Michael Irvin
#22 — Emmitt Smith
#88 — Drew Pearson
#94 — Charles Haley
#73 — Larry Allen

New York Giants (11)

#1 — Ray Flaherty

Ray Flaherty (#1, New York Giants)

Flaherty, whose #1 jersey was the first number retired in NFL history, played before the era of modern football cards.

#4 — Tuffy Leemans

Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans (#4, New York Giants)

Same goes for RB Alphonse “Tuffy” Leemans.

#7 — Mel Hein

Mel Hein 1955 Topps football card

I couldn’t find any Giants cards for Hall of Famer Mel Hein (who retired in 1945), but this 1955 Topps showing him from Washington State is very nice.

#11 — Phil Simms

Phil Simms 1989 Score football card

#14 — Y. A. Tittle

Y.A. Tittle 1963 Topps football card

#16 — Frank Gifford

Frank Gifford 1956 Topps football card

#32 — Al Blozis

New York Giants 1942 game program feat. Al Blozis (#32)

Blozis only played for two full seasons for the Giants, 1942 and 1943. After a lengthy attempt to join the U.S. Army, he was finally inducted on December 9, 1943. In January 1945 his platoon was in the Vosges Mountains of France scouting enemy lines. When two of his men failed to return from a patrol, he went in search of them alone. Blozis never returned. He was first listed as missing, but in April 1945 his death was confirmed. His jersey retirement, therefore, was a posthumous honor.

#40 — Joe Morrison

Joe Morrison 1965 Philadelphia football card

#42 — Charlie Conerly

Charlie Conerly 1959 Topps football card

#50 — Ken Strong

Ken Strong 1935 National Chicle football card

#56 — Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor 1984 Topps football card

Philadelphia Eagles (9)

#5 — Donovan McNabb

Donovan McNabb 2003 Topps football card

#15 — Steve Van Buren

Steve Van Buren 1950 Bowman football card

#20 — Brian Dawkins

Brian Dawkins 2005 Upper Deck football card

#40 — Tom Brookshier

Tom Brookshier 1961 Topps football card

#44 — Pete Retzlaff

Pete Retzlaff 1960 Topps football card

#60 — Chuck Bednarik

Chuck Bednarik 1958 Topps football card

#70 — Al Wistert

Al Wistert 1951 Bowman football card

#92 — Reggie White

Reggie White 1989 Pro Set football card

#99 — Jerome Brown

Jerome Brown 1990 Fleer football card

Jerome Brown played five seasons for the Eagles before his death on June 25, 1992, following an automobile accident in Brooksville, Florida. He was 27 years old.

Washington Redskins (1)

#33 — Sammy Baugh

Sammy Baugh 1948 Leaf football card

The Redskins have not officially retired any jersey numbers since Hall of Fame quarterback Slingin’ Sammy Baugh retired in 1952.

Bob Griese 1968 Topps football card

Retired NFL Jersey Numbers: AFC East

Since it’s the off-season  I thought I’d start a fun project involving NFL history. So I’m going to go division by division and post football card galleries (when available) featuring all NFL players who have had their jersey numbers retired by their teams. This week it’s the four squads of the AFC East — the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.

Buffalo Bills (1)

#12 — Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly 1990 Pro Set football card

Believe it or not, #12 is the only jersey number officially retired by the Bills. There are three other numbers that aren’t issued anymore — #32, #34, and #78 — but they have not been retired. It’s unlikely that OJ Simpson’s number ever will be at this point.

Miami Dolphins (3)

#12 — Bob Griese

Bob Griese 1968 Topps football card

#13 — Dan Marino

Dan Marino 1984 Topps football card

#39 — Larry Csonka

Larry Csonka 1970 Topps football card

New England Patriots (7)

#20 — Gino Cappelletti

Gino Cappelletti 1967 Topps football card

#40 — Mike Haynes

Mike Haynes 1977 Topps football card

#57 — Steve Nelson

Steve Nelson 1978 Topps football card

#73 — John Hannah

John Hannah 1974 Topps football card

#78 — Bruce Armstrong

Bruce Armstrong 1991 Pro Set football card

#79 — Jim Lee Hunt

Jim Lee Hunt 1970 Topps football card

#89 — Bob Dee

Bob Dee 1961 Fleer football card

New York Jets (5)

#12 — Joe Namath

Joe Namath 1968 Topps football card

#13 — Don Maynard

Don Maynard 1963 Fleer football card

#28 — Curtis Martin

Curtis Marin 2005 Upper Deck football card

#73 — Joe Klecko

Joe Klecko 1982 Topps football card

#90 — Dennis Byrd

Dennis Byrd 1990 Topps football card