Sunday, December 31, 2023
Friday, December 22, 2023
Boston Patriots
For the past 2 months or so, I have been watching a lot of videos on YouTube, many of them vintage football documentaries, such as “The Complete History of the (fill in team name here)”. Another good one was a 4-hour AFL mini-series titled “Full Color Football".
These shows have inspired me to complete my 1967 AFL set and my 1966 NFL set. In the past month, I have binge-purchased on eBay, and went from having about 50 of the 1967 AFL cards, to having all but the ultra-pricey Joe Namath card. (I also need only 30 player cards in the 1966 NFL set.)
The 1967 AFL set has 14 or 15 cards per team. There are no team cards or other special cards (other than the 2 checklists). I also discovered that there are no cards for kickers (unless the kicker was also a standout elsewhere, such as the Patriots’ Gino Cappelletti).
1967 Boston Patriots
The Patriots were successful in the early part of the decade, posting identical 9-4-1 records in 1961 and 1962. In 1963, they were the Eastern Division champs (albeit with a 7-6-1 record), but lost to the San Diego Chargers in the AFL Championship game.
After posting a 10-3-1 record in 1964, they began to regress. Their 8-4-2 record in 1966 was their last winning record until 1976.
This group played to a 3-10-1 record in 1967.
Babe Parilli was a backup with the Packers in the 1950s. After spending 1960 with the Raiders, he was the Patriots’ starting QB from 1961-67, then backed up Joe Namath in ’68 and ’69. Parilli led the AFL in passing yards in 1964 (3465), and was selected for the Pro Bowl in ’63, ‘64, and ’66.
John Huarte was the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner while at Notre Dame. He was much less successful in the pros, as a little-used backup for the Jets (1965), Patriots ('66-'67), Eagles ('68), Chiefs ('69-'71), and Bears ('72). He also played in the WFL from 1974-75.
The rest of the offense:
*Larry Garron played for the Patriots from 1960-68, starting most of 1963-66, and parts of ’61, ’62, and ’67.
Gino Cappelletti was the Patriots’ kicker from 1960 to 1970. He was also a backup safety in his rookie season, and a starting wide receiver from 1961-67. He led the AFL in scoring in 1961 and from 1963-66, and was named AFL Player of the Year in 1964.
*Art Graham was the Patriots’ split end from 1963-68, starting most games from 1964-67.
Jim Whalen was the starting tight end for the Patriots (1965-69) and the Broncos (1970). He split his last season (’71) between the Broncos and the Eagles. He was named first-team All-Pro in 1968.
*Jon Morris was the Patriots’ staring center from 1964-72, making the Pro Bowl every season from 1964-70. After missing most of 1973-74, he started for the Lions from 1975-77.
*Don Oakes played for the Eagles from 1961-62, then was the Patriots' starting left tackle from 1963-67. He made the Pro Bowl in 1967, but was a backup in his last season (1968).
The defense:
(After I turned off my scanner, I realized these cards were arranged in the opposite order from how I normally have them.)
Tom Addison started at left linebacker every season from 1960-67. He made the Pro Bowl from 1961-64, and was named first-team All-Pro in 1961.
Nick Buoniconti was his team’s starting middle linebacker every season from 1962-74, 7 seasons with Boston, and 6 with Miami. After missing the 1975 season due to injury, he was a backup in 1976.
*Jim Lee Hunt played for the Patriots from 1961 to 1970, and was a starting defensive tackle in ’61 and from ’66-’70. He made 4 Pro Bowls.
Houston Antwine played for the Patriots from 1961-71, and the Eagles in 1972. He was his team’s starting right DT from 1963-70, and ‘72. He made 5 Pro Bowls, and was named first-team All-Pro in 1963.
*Larry Eisenhauer started at right defensive end every season from 1961-69. He made the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro from 1962-64. He collected another Pro Bowl berth in 1966, then missed about half the games in ’67 and ’68.
*Bob Dee played for the Redskins from 1957-58, then started every game at left end for the Patriots from 1960-67. He also made 4 Pro Bowls.
* Unknown to me before November 2023
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Kansas City Chiefs
Here are the Chiefs, fresh off their Super Bowl I appearance.
All of these players were starters, except for Pete Beathard and Bert Coan. (Mike Garrett was the starting halfback.)
Bell and Holub were the outside linebackers, and Hunt and Robinson were the strong and free safeties, respectively. (I will have to see how other cornerbacks and safeties are designated on these '67 cards. I'm sure they all say "defensive back", so I don't know what is up with "defensive halfback".)
Back in 1967, I only bought one pack of AFL cards (but many, many packs of NFL cards). Curtis McClinton was one of the 5 players in that first pack. I got all the rest of these a few years ago, except for Bert Coan, which I just bought last week.
So, I have all the Chiefs, and almost all the Dolphins and Chargers, plus a few cards from the other 6 teams.
After more than a year of not buying cards, I recently bought about a dozen 1967 AFL cards, and about fifty 1966 NFL cards. My new goal is to complete those 2 sets, and then the 1969 set. (I have already completed the 1967 NFL set, the 1971 set, all but 2 cards in the 1968 set, and the first 2 series of 1972.)
After that, who knows? I have about half of the 1973 set already, but that is a large set, and I still need about 270 cards to complete it. The 1969 set is smaller, but then I only have about 50 of the cards so far.
1970? No, I only have about a dozen of those cards, so that's not something I want to start chasing. Maybe the '64 and '65 NFL cards?
Sunday, October 8, 2023
RIP - Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus, the standard by which every middle linebacker ever since has been measured, passed away on October 5, 2023 at age 80.
Butkus was one of the Bears' two 1st-round picks in 1965 (along with Gale Sayers), and was their starting middle linebacker from 1965 to 1973, starting every one of the 119 games he played during that span. (He missed 1 game in each of 1968 and 1969, and 5 games in 1973, all due to injury.)
He was the 1965 Rookie of the Year runner up (behind his teammate Sayers), and made the Pro Bowl every season but the injury-shortened 1973.
After his playing career, Butkus appeared in several movies, and notably in Miller Lite TV commercials with other athletes. He also broadcast Bears' games.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
RIP - Jim Brown
Jim Brown, often mentioned as the greatest NFL player ever, passed away on May 18, 2023 at age 87.
Brown played for 9 seasons (1957-65) and was named to the Pro Bowl every season. He also led the NFL in rushing 8 times.
To this day, he is the only back to average more than 100 yards per game over his entire career.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
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