Tag Archives: topps 1971

NFL, Pro Football HoF, wfl

Kelly, Leroy

to70 kellyCards: Topps 1971, Topps 1973
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 12/4  Received: 12/14     (10 days) *
* Signing fee $10.00 per card

Topps classic 1971 effort remains one of my favorites that the company ever did. It’s simplistic design layout along with classic shots of players, really has always caught my eye. Kelly was iconic in his Browns poncho style jacket of the era, that epitomized the grit and elements that his opponent faced in Cleveland, but he excelled in.

Leroy Kelly played in the shadow of runningback Jim Brown for the Cleveland Browns. Not to be outdone by the exiting Brown, Kelly went on to notch many team and league records in his own stead. A bruising runningback in his own right, Kelly was in command on the sloppy Cleveland Browns’ Stadium grass/mud, and carved up many teams of the day. Before he ran the gridiron for the Browns though, he was a standout back for Morgan State Bears and a Black College Football All-American. There he did everything and seldom left the field as a runningback, defensive back, punter, and return man- (after he showed up initially at Morgan St. as a quarterback.)  He helped the Bears win a CIAA title. The Browns amazingly nabbed him in the 8th round of the 1964 draft. (No AFL team bothered to draft him at the time.) The knock on Kelly was that he was too small to be playing RB at the time, as most teams featured big backs, so Kelly set out to bulk up to 200 and prove to the league that he would be a wisely invested draft choice.

to77 kellyLeroy rushed for 7,274 yards during his career, -rushing for over 1,000 yards his first three years after becoming the starter.  He won NFL rushing titles in 1967 and 1968 and was a two-time punt return champion as well.  His numbers stand up well in league history with a  combined 12,329 all-purpose yards and 90 touchdowns over his career.   Injuries took their toll on Kelly, and by 1973 it was the end of the road for him. In 1974 the Browns waived Leroy, and he signed with the Oakland Raiders, but soon thereafter was on the roster of the Chicago Fire of the WFL, but that league folded mid-season. At the time of his retirement, he ranked No. 4 all-time in rushing and combined net yards. As a ‘smaller back’, you can point to Kelly as a prime example of a player who helped revolutionize the thinking regarding the intricacies of the the position of runningback versus halfback or fullback and so on. Leroy was enshrined in the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

I got really interested in writing Leroy after being tuned into his legacy by another fan who has a site dedicated to Leroy and the Browns. I myself, have always sympathized with Cleveland. Just like the Oilers, the city had their team yanked out from under them. They also have shared similar paths to modern day glory and tragedy.  Thus I decided to write Leroy, since he fits the mold of the players I like to get autographs from: Underrated and unappreciated (,well at least by modern day fans).

NFL      G/Gs  136     Rush 1727      Yds 7274     Avg 4.2     Td  74    Lg  70   |
Rec 190    Yds  2281      Avg 12.0     Td  13     Lg  68
KR 76      Yds  1784     Avg 23.5     Td 0    Lg  51
PR 94       Yds  990      Avg 10.5     Td 3    Lg  74t

WFL     Rush 77      Yds 315     Avg 4.1      Td  n/a
Rec 8        Yds 128    Avg 16.0    Td  n/a

 

NFL, Pro Football HoF, XFL

Butkus, Dick (1942-2023)

Card: Upper Deck Legends 1997, Topps 1971
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home*
Sent: 11/14    Received: 12/23  (9 days)
*Signing fee enclosed

Dick Butkus is one of the NFL’s greatest prototypical linebackers ever to play the game and redefined the position for a generation with his dominating play and fearsome presence on the field.  After an acclaimed career playing linebacker and center for the Fightin’ Illini, the Chicago Bears made Dick their #1 pick of the 1965 draft (3rd overall). The competing AFL Denver Broncos also made an offer, but Dick signed with his home state Bears and never looked back.  The 1965 draft was a watershed draft for the Bears who hit on a couple of great names during the draft including Gale Sayers, Jim Nance, and Steve Delong, but the team never seemed to be able to gel and turn the corner – especially against the powerful Packers.

Still Butkus had quite a reputation around the league as being incredibly durable and reliable, -but also as a dirty player as well. Over his time with the Bears he led the team in nearly every defensive category every season, tallying a career high unofficial count of 18 sacks in 1967. Butkus was also an independent thinker who regularly challenged the league on many issues that impacted the sport, from working with the XFL against the NFL, to helping to revolutionize the league’s policies on injuries and medical opinions.

A Bear legend even after his retirement, Butkus spent a few years doing commentary for the league, and endorsed many products and appeared in many different movies and TV shows. Butkus was elected to the NFL HoF in 1979, and was named head coach of the Chicago Enforcers for the XFL before they reshuffled the team prior to the season. Butkus was then promoted by the league to Director of XFL Competition as basically a rules enforcer. He’d appear in the first game and bolster the hopes of many that the XFL might challenge the NFL’s superiority, but by the 3rd week of the season, any of those dreams were dashed with sagging ratings. Butkus in the meantime remained committed to his foundation.

I had seen that Dick was hit or miss through the mail but another collector had some successfrom him by writing on the back of the sending envelope “DONATION ENCLOSED” and enclosing a small donation. With that stroke of genius I set off  to get the autograph one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history. I was pretty nervous about writing him and even called him ‘Mr. Butkus’ in the letter. Fans may have been able to get away with a smaller donation, however I felt that I could afford at least 20.00 a card for such a great player. Eventually he went to $51.00 an autograph- to not signing at all.

I’m pretty sure in 1995, while I was working opening stores for Best Buy and I was away from the autograph game, I encountered a throng of fans surrounding him for an autograph in the parking lot of the DC Airport. 

Tac  1020   Sac  N/a    Fum 27     Int  22    Yds  166    Avg 7.5       Td  0   Lg  n/a

EPITAPH:

10/5/23- It was announced today that Dick Butkus passed away in his sleep overnight, dying peacefully at his Malibu, FL home at the age of 80. No cause of death was given.

NFL

Mauck, Carl

Cards: Topps 1971, Topps 1980
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 9/7    Received: 9/13   (6 days)

In the Jurassic Era of AFL football, even before offensive linemen Mike Munchak and Bruce Matthews roamed the gridiron for the Houston Oilers, perhaps one of the most solid technicians to play OL for the team was Center Carl Mauck.  Originally drafted by the Baltimore Colts way back in 1969 in the 13th round of the NFL draft, Carl bounced around his first 3 years in the league. After only 4 games under his belt in 1969, Carl moved to the Dolphins for a season for another 3 games experience. It’d be in his time in San Diego in ’71 he’d finally position himself as an outstanding lineman, leading the Chargers from center for the next 4 seasons.

The Oilers signed him in 1975. With a new head coach in Bum Philips, the team was trying to change its losing ways and signing Mauck was a way of stopping the revolving door on the offensive line. The 6-4, 243lb, offensive lineman had 55 games under his belt, and immediately became a guiding force in young quarterback Dan Pastorini‘s football life. Mauck was also a road grader, providing great inline blocking for Earl Campbell. In 1978 the offense set an NFL record with the least sacks allowed on the season with 17. He’d also succeed in stabilizing the line woes starting 94 games over the next seven seasons, retiring after the ’81 season.

Carl went straight into coaching, following Bum to New Orleans. Considered a virtuoso at coaching offensive line blocking, Carl spent the 1982 through the 1985 seasons with the Saints, before coaching with the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Chargers, Cardinals, Bills, and Lions. In his first coaching stint with the Chargers, Carl was reunited with Bum Philips’ son, Wade, where the team appeared in Super Bowl XXIX following the 1994 season.  From 2006-2007 he coached tight ends at his Alma Mater, Southern Illinois. Carl is an active NFL alumni and frequently gives his feedback on the state of the NFL, players and coaches. He also appeared at Fan Fest II in Houston. Currently he lives outside of Dallas, Tx.