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1963 Steelers: Not Pretty, But Respectable
The Steelers surprised many fans by posting a 9-5 record in 1962. Bobby Layne ended his career as the NFL all-time leader in touchdowns as he led the Steelers to three straight wins at the end of the season to take second place in the Eastern Conference. John Henry Johnson, Ernie Stautner, and Big Daddy Lipscomb, though aging, came through with tough performances and Buddy Dial was now a top receiver By 1963, the Steelers were still holding steady thanks to a league-leading three tie games to give them a 7-4-3 record. RetroCards offers custom collectors an additional 18 cards...
Super Gnat: NFL's Reggie Smith
Small athletes in professional sports always seem to grab attention. Tyrone “Muggsy” Bougues and Spud Webb were regularly featured in magazines and articles due to being very short basketball players. Both had long careers and the novelty of a short basketball player always drew laughs. The most famous short athlete has to be Eddie Gaedel of the St. Louis Browns who at 3’ 7” was the subject of one of the strangest stunts in professional sports. Though he would probably prefer to be remembered more for his playing than his height, wide receiver and kick returner Reggie Smith played parts...
1957 Braves: Milwaukee's Only Championship
Books have been written about Milwaukee’s love affair with the Braves and the heartbreak the city went through when they left for Atlanta in 1966. The arrival of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970 quelled the pain but there is still a very special spot in the hearts of many Wisconsinites for their Braves. Milwaukee’s only World Series Victory came in 1957, when they toppled the mighty New York Yankees and RetroCards fittingly has chosen the ’57 Braves as their first Baseball set with a special 20-card collection. New cards in the 1957 baseball style include Jack Dittmer, Red Schoendienst, Nippy...
1963 Packers: At Their Peak
Coming off the greatest season Vince Lombardi would every coach, the Packers found going for the 3rd straight title difficult. The eventual champion Chicago Bears handed the Packers their only loses of the season and one tie versus the lowly Detroit Lions gave them a final record of 11-2-1. The loss of Paul Hornung for the entire season due to gambling issues certainly took away one of the Packers most potent offensive weapons. As a matter of fact, because of the suspension Hornung was not issued a card for that year, nor was Alex Karras of the Lions, who was...
Chuck Howley: Right Place, Right Time
Great defensive players seem to know how to be in the right place at the right time on the football field. Chuck Howley had that special intuition and his knack for anticipation mixed with his speed made him indispensable on the Cowboys first Doomsday Defense. One of the great play makers of his day, Chuck Howley played in 191 games over 15 seasons. He was a seven-time All-Pro, a six-time Pro Bowler and has the dubious distinction of being the only Super Bowl MVP chosen from a losing team. Strangely, he is not in the NFL Hall Of Fame and...
1963 Eagles: No Escaping The Cellar
The 10-4 record of 1961 showed that their 1960 Championship was no fluke. But by 1962, the franchise had dipped to last place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-10 record. Injuries decimated the offense as Sonny Jurgensen struggled with the separated shoulder he suffered in the prior season's Playoff Bowl. Receivers Pete Retzlaff, Bobby Walston , and Dick Lucas all sustained broken arms and Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy, acquired to bolster the receiving corps, when down with a broken leg. Ted Dean's broken foot crippled the offense further. Timmy Brown and Tommy McDonald continued to thrill, but the Eagles still...
Robert Indiana: Pop Art Meets The Sports World
Having grown up in Milwaukee in the 1970s and 1980s, I took for granted that every city had a pro football, basketball, and baseball team, that every city had a Summer Fest (the world's largest music festival), and that every NBA/ABA team had a colorful basketball court. The court I refer to is Milwaukee's MECCA Arena, home to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Marquette Warriors, and for a short time in the late 70s the Milwaukee Does, a women's professional basketball team. The basketball floor was quite a feather in Milwaukee's cap as city leadership culled pop artist Robert Indiana for the project....
Autograph Alley: RetroCards In Action
Many a player has contacted us to have cards made for him for the "autograph industry." As many fans know, players still can make a little on signing autographs but unfortunately, photography of obscure players can be hard to find. RetroCards offers a fun alternative to the rigors of finding appropriate photos of our favorite players for autographing. Many players who never had cards are delighted to get the RetroCards treatment. Look for more custom cards of the obscure, the forgotten, and the under appreciated here.
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