Tommy McDonald played collegially at Oklahoma from 1954 to ’56 as a halfback.
Over his time there he ran for 1683 yards on 249 carries scoring 27 times, as well as catching 20 passes for 414 yards and 6 TDs.
3rd round pick of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Played 7 seasons for the Eagles, leading the NFL in TDs in both ’58 (9) and ’61 (13).
In 1958 he caught 29 passes for 603 yards and a 91 yard long.
From 1958-1962 caught double digit TDs in every season, with 13 in both 1960 and ’61.
Broke the 1,000 yard barrier 3 times in his career: 1961 (1144), 1962 (1146) and later after he joined the Rams in 1965 (1036).
After being traded for three players, played the ’64 season with the Dallas Cowboys.
Traded to the Rams in exchange for a kicker in 1965, playing there through ’66.
Then in ’67 was traded to the Falcons and then signed with the Browns in ’68 before closing out his career.
Played WR, FL, and RHB over 12 seasons.
ACCOLADES:
Pro Bowl 1958-’62, ’65
Pro Football Hall of Fame 1998
National High School Hall of Fame
Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
Philadelphia Hall of Fame
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
New Mexico Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
1956 Maxwell Award
Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team
NOTES:
At the time of his retirement in ’69 McDonald was the last player to play without a facemask. He became an ambassador to the sport and of the Philadelphia Eagles- which makes this card seem all the more odd since he only played two seasons with the Rams. After his passing he was diagnosed with CTE.
EPITAPH:
9/24/2018- Tommy McDonald passed away peacefully surrounded by family at the age of 84.
John Mackey played RB and WR at Syracuse from 1960-’62.
He rushed for 259 yards on 58 carries, scoring 2 TDs while catching 27 passes for 481 yards and 6 TDs over his college career.
Selected by the Baltimore Colts in the second round of the 1963 NFL Draft.
Made an immediate impact as a TE, catching 35 passes for 726 yards and 7 TDs.
Over the next 7 following seasons- he never failed to reach 400 yards or catch at least 22 passes.
In ’65 he had 30 catches for 814 yards and 7 TDs.
Then in ’66 he caught 50 passes for a career high 829 yards and 9 TDs.
Finally in ’67 Mackey caught a career high 55 passes.
Caught an acrobatic75 yard TD from Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V over the Dallas Cowboys.
He’d play with the Colts through the 1971 season.
After an acrimonious departure from Baltimore, Mackey played a final season in 1972 with the San Diego Chargers.
A knee injury ended his career- but over that period he played in 139 out of a possible 140 games- a testament to his durability.
ACCOLADES:
Syracuse Orangemen #88 retired
NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
Pro Bowl 1963, ’65-68
All Pro 1966-1968
Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor
Pro Football Hall of Fame
100 Greatest Football Players
Nassau County High School Athletic Hall of Fame
NOTES:
John Mackey is considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time and he was the second pure TE inducted into the HoF in 1992. He revolutionized the position with his combination speed and power.
He was also instrumental in unionizing the players into the NFLPA, serving as the group’s first president after the merger, and held that capacity from 1970-’73. (He was blackballed at the end of his career, but squeezed out a final year in San Diego.) Mackey organized the first labor strike, and helped overturn the ‘Rozelle Rule’ (which was in regards to free agency).
Frontotemporal dementia entered his life and it became harder and harder for him to function, and after a few bizarre social episodes, he entered full-time assisted living. Mackey’s wife reached out to Paul Tagliabue, who then worked with then current NFLPA president Gene Upshaw to create a new plan that would help cover the cost of former NFL players struggling with dementia and Alzheimer’s. It was called the ’88 Plan’ in Mackey’s honor.
In a final note, it’s very important with Mackey to make sure that you are getting a certified autograph of his- as there is a bustling market of fake autographs of his circulating in the wild.
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
331
5236
15.8
38
89t
EPITAPH:
7/6/2011- John Mackey passed away at the age of 69. His brain was posthumously donated to science, where it was discovered he suffered from CTE.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
