Los Angeles Rams

Here are the 1967 Los Angeles Rams. The yellow borders of all the cards combine with the yellow nameplate on the Rams' cards to make for an explosion of yellow (which has always been my favorite color anyway!) I collected all these cards in 1967, except for Roman Gabriel, which I acquired a few years ago.


#85 Rams Team - The Rams were coached by George Allen from 1966 to 1970, then he moved to the Redskins (taking several veteran players with him). In 1966, they finished in 3rd place (8-6-0) in the 7-team Western Division. With the inclusion of the Saints in 1967, the NFL was re-aligned into four 4-team divisions. The Rams finished 1st (11-1-2) in the Coastal Division, which included the Colts (also 11-1-2), 49ers (7-7) and the Falcons (1-12-1). In the playoffs, they got blown out by the Packers (28-7), who were on their way to Super Bowl II.

#88 Roman Gabriel - Gabriel was the Raiders' #1 pick (1st overall) in the 1962 AFL draft, and the Rams' #1 pick (2nd overall) in the 1962 NFL draft. After sharing the starting assignments for 2 seasons with Zeke Bratkowski, followed by 2 seasons with Bill Munson, Roman started every game for the Rams from 1966-1971, and all but 1 game in 1972. After the 1972 season he was traded to the Eagles, where he played for 5 more seasons (the first 3 as the #1 QB). Gabriel was a 4-time Pro Bowler.

#93 Tom Moore - Tom was the Packers' #1 pick (5th overall) in the 1960 draft. After 6 seasons rushing and returning kicks for the Packers, he played for the Rams in 1966 and the Falcons in 1967.


#86 Dick Bass - Bass was the Rams' #1 pick (2nd overall) in the 1959 draft. He played his entire career (1960-69) with the Rams, and rushed for over 1000 yards in 1962 and 1966. He was the Rams' first 1000-yard back.

#91 Tommy McDonald - Tommy was the Eagles' 3rd-round pick in 1957. He played flanker for the Eagles (1957-63), Cowboys (1964), Rams (1965-66), Falcons (1967) and Browns (1968). In 1961, his 1144 receiving yards and 13 TDs led the NFL. He also had over 1000 receiving yards in '62 and '65. McDonald was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.

#92 Marlin McKeever - Marlin was the Rams' #1 pick (4th overall) in 1961. After playing outside linebacker for his first 3 seasons, McKeever switched to tight end during the 1963 season. After 6 seasons with the Rams, he spent the 1967 season with the Vikings. In 1966, he lost a finger in a car accident with teammate Roman Gabriel. Maybe this led to his switch to middle linebacker, the position he played for the Redskins (1968-70), the Rams (1971-72), and the Eagles (1973). According to Wikipedia, he and his twin brother appeared in The Three Stooges Meet Hercules in 1962.


#89 Bruce Gossett - Bruce had an 11-year career with the Rams (1964-69) and the 49ers (1970-74).


#90 Dave "Deacon" Jones - This 8-time Pro Bowler was a FOURTEENTH round pick for the Rams in 1961. He was a fixture at left defensive end for the Rams for 11 years, as a member of "The Fearsome Foursome". He was also the Chargers' starting left defensive end in 1972-73, before wrapping up his career in 1974 with the Redskins. Deacon was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.


#94 Merlin Olsen - Olsen was the Rams' #1 pick (3rd overall) in the 1962 NFL draft. (He was also the Broncos' #1 pick the same year.) He played his entire 15-year career as a starting defensive tackle for the Rams. He made the Pro Bowl in every season but his last, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. After his playing career, he was an announcer, and starred in 2 TV series (Little House on the Prarie and Father Murphy). He died one month ago.


#87 Maxie Baughan - Maxie was the Eagles' 2nd-round pick in 1960. He started every game at right linebacker for the Eagles from 1960-65, and for the Rams from 1966 until 2/3 of the way through the 1970 season. After not playing from 1971-73, he suited up for 2 games with the Redskins in 1974. Maxie played in 9 Pro Bowls.


#95 Clancy Williams - Clancy was the Rams' 1st-round pick in 1965. He was their starting left cornerback from 1965-70, and a backup in 1971-72. He also returned kicks during his first 4 seasons.



#96 Rams Logo - The Rams played in Cleveland from 1937-45, and in Los Angeles from 1946-94, before moving to St. Louis.


Also check out the 1968 and 1971 Rams.

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Green Bay Packers

Here are the 1967 Green Bay Packers. They've just won Super Bowl I, and would go on to repeat in Super Bowl II. Every one of these players were voted either All-League, Pro Bowl, or both in the previous season. In fact, if you count 1 point for each of the 3 All-League votes (AP, UPI, NEA) and 1 point for a Pro Bowl selection, these 10 players accumulated 28 points! On top of all that, 7 8 of these 10 players are in the Hall of Fame!

Most of these cards are heavily scuffed, except for Willie Wood (which I got a few years ago) and Bart Starr (which I got this month).


#73 Packers Team - Your current and future champions!


#82 Bart Starr - MY 1967 BART STARR CARD JUST ARRIVED!
(This is the only place on the internet that you'll find this image.)
Starr was a lowly 17th-round pick for the Packers in 1956. He went on to play in 4 Pro Bowls, was the MVP in Super Bowls I and II, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.


#77 Forrest Gregg - Gregg was the Packers' 2nd-round pick in 1956, and was their starting right offensive tackle from 1959 through the 1969 season (although starting at left guard during 1965). After backing up in 1970, he joined the Cowboys for his final season in 1971. A 9-time Pro Bowler and 3-time Super Bowl participant, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.


#81 Bob Skoronski - Bob was the Packers' 5th-round pick in 1956, and played for them his entire career (1956, 1959-68). After starting at left offensive tackle as a rookie, he missed 2 seasons before rejoining the team in 1959. Bob regained his starting left tackle job in 1960, and held it for the remainder of his career, except for starting at center for the 1964 season. He made the 1966 Pro Bowl.


#76 Willie Davis - Davis was drafted by the Browns in 1956, but missed 2 seasons while in the Army. After playing for Cleveland in 1958 and 1959, Willie joined the Packers and was their starting left defensive end every season until retiring after 1969. He was a 5-time Pro Bowler, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981.


#78 Henry Jordan - Jordan was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1957. After 2 seasons, he joined the Packers in 1959 and was the starter at right defensive tackle every season until his retirement after 1969. A 4-time Pro Bowler, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

#79 Ray Nitschke - Ray was drafted by the Packers in 1958, and was their starting middle linebacker every season from 1958 to 1970. He hung on with Green Bay for 2 more seasons, retiring after 1972. I was surprised today to learn that he only made one Pro Bowl appearance (1964). Nitschke was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.


#80 Dave Robinson - Robinson was the {Packers' #1 pick in 1963. In 1964 he took over the starting left linebacker spot, and held it until retiring following the 1974 season (the final 2 seasons as a member of the Washington Redskins.)

2013 edit: Congrats to Dave Robinson! His 2013 induction to the Hall of Fame makes it 8 out of 10 players shown here!


#75 Lee Roy Caffey - Caffey was drafted by the Eagles and Oilers in 1963. After 1 season as the Eagles' starting left linebacker, Lee Roy joined the Packers and was their starting right linebacker from 1964 to 1969. He also played one season each for the Bears, Cowboys, and Chargers, retiring after the 1972 season.


#74 Herb Adderley - Herb's name is misspelled on this card. This 5-time Pro Bowler was a starting left cornerback for every one of his 12 seasons. He was the Packers' 1st-round pick in 1961, and played his final 3 seasons (1970-72) with the Cowboys. In between, he played in Super Bowls I, II, V, and VI. Adderley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

#83 Willie Wood - The Packers' free safety played his entire career (1960-71) with the Packers. He was primarily a punt returner in his rookie season, and moved to strong safety for the 1965 and 1966 seasons. An 8-time Pro Bowler, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.


#84 Packers Logo - The 1st paragraph says it all.

Also check out the 1968 and 1971 Packers.


Coming March 23rd: Los Angeles Rams
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Detroit Lions

Here are the 1967 Detroit Lions. What can I say about them? After all, they're the Lions!


#61 Lions Team - This picture looks like it was taken at night, and from a distance. Maybe nobody wanted to be identified? The back of this card states that in 1966 the Lions were tied for last (old news!) in the Western Division at 4-9-1, and that "There's only one place for Detroit to go in '67 ...up". (Insert your own observations here.)


#71 Karl Sweetan - Sweetan was an 18th-round pick for the Lions in 1965. He started 8 games for the injured Milt Plum in 1966, and had another 8 starts in 1967 before fading into oblivion as a backup for the Saints (1968) and the Rams (1969-70).


#68 Amos Marsh - Marsh had a 7-year career with the Cowboys (1961-64) and Lions (1965-67).


#69 Tom Nowatzke - Tom was the Lions' #1 pick in the 1965 draft. After 5 seasons in Detroit, he played for the Colts from 1970-72, including Super Bowl V, where he rushed for 33 yards and scored a touchdown.

#70 Pat Studstill - Pat was a flanker for the Lions from 1961-67. In 1966 his 1266 receiving yards led the NFL. He was traded to the Rams for QB Bill Munson prior to the 1968 season. After 4 seasons in LA he finished his career in 1972 with the Patriots. From 1965-72 he was also a punter.

#63 Gail Cogdill - The Lions 6th-round pick in 1960, Cogdill was the team's starting split end from 1960 until midway through the 1967 season. He also played for the Colts in 1968 and the Falcons in 1969-70.

#65 Ron Kramer - Kramer was the Packers' #1 pick (4th overall) in 1957. He was their starting tight end from 1961-64, then played for the Lions from 1965-67. His 7 TDs in 1962 earned him his lone Pro Bowl appearance.


#64 John Gordy - The Lions' 2nd-round pick in 1957, Gordy spent his entire career with the Lions, playing every game at right guard from 1957-67, except for missing the entire 1958 season.


#62 Roger Brown - Roger was the Lions' 4th-round pick in 1960. He was the starting right defensive tackle from 1960-66, before spending 1967-69 with the Rams, as the replacement for the retired Rosey Grier in LA's "Fearsome Foursome". Brown scored 3 safeties during his time in Detroit.


#67 Mike Lucci - Lucci was drafted by the Browns in 1961 but did not play that season. After 3 seasons (1962-64) in Cleveland, he came to the Lions. Playing on the left side for 2 seasons, Mike switched to middle linebacker in 1967 and started there until his retirement after the 1973 season.


#66 Dick LeBeau - The Lions' 5th-round pick in 1959, Dick played his entire career (1959-72) with Detroit. He was a starting cornerback in all but his last season, when he moved to free safety.



#72 Lions Logo - So the Lions ownership paid $6 million in 1948, and won't sell "for any price, since it is determined to make it a title-winning team"? Let's see how they're doing: In the 50 years since 1960, the Lions have won their division 3 times ('83, '91, '93) and made it as far as the NFC Championship game once (1991).


Also check out the 1968 Lions.

New Orleans Saints

Instead of the planned Detroit Lions, I'm going to skip ahead to the New Orleans Saints, since they are in today's Super Bowl. (After all, how many times will you see a pig fly?)

Here are the very first football cards for the New Orleans Saints. Instead of the team photo as with other teams, there is an extra card with the Saints' logo. As with all teams in 1967, there are 10 player cards. For the Saints, there are three defensive backs, FOUR offensive linemen, but no receivers or linebackers.

In 1967, I had all these except John Morrow and Elbert Kimbrough.



#121 New Orleans Saints - Here we have the logo of the expansion New Orleans Saints. The back of this card lists the players drafted from the 14 established teams. (The Falcons were exempt from the draft, since they were an expansion team in 1966.) Because of the mixed up numbering and the note on the front of the card below, it seems that the team roster was intended to be on the back of the card below.



#132 New Orleans Saints - It looks like the back of this card was switched with the card above this one, because the front says card #132, while the back says card #121. The comment at the bottom of the card also refers to the list of drafted players, which is on the card above this one. (No, I didn't mix up the scans, it's really like this.)


#131 Gary Wood - After 3 seasons as the Giant's backup QB, Wood was drafted by the Saints. The 1967 Saints had 3 QBs: Wood, Bill Kilmer, and Gary Cuozzo. Cuozzo started 10 games, while Kilmer started 4. I assume Wood was selected for the football card because he was a starter for part of 1966 with the Giants, after Earl Morrall was sidelined with injuries. After 1 season with the Saints, Wood returned to the Giants for 2 more seasons, backing up Fran Tarkenton.


#123 Paul Hornung - Here's Paul Hornung, pretending to be a quarterback. After a long career with the Packers (well, except for 1963), Hornung was selected by the Saints in the expansion draft. Lingering injures from the 1966 season kept him out of the lineup for all of 1967, after which he retired. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

#128 John Morrow - John was drafted from the Cleveland Browns. He was the Browns' starting center for 7 seasons, and before that a 3-year starter for the Rams. Morrow retired before the 1967 season.


#129 Bob Scholtz - Bob was the Lions' 3rd-round pick in 1960, and played 5 seasons with Detroit and 2 with the Giants before coming to the Saints in the expansion draft. In what is becoming a familiar theme, Scholtz did not play in the NFL after 1966.


#122 Charlie Bradshaw - Bradshaw was drafted from the Pittsburgh Steelers (and looks very much like another Bradshaw who played for the Steelers - I wonder if they're related?). He was the Steelers' left offensive tackle for 6 seasons. He also played for the Rams from 1958 to 1960. Did he play in 1967? Yes, but for the Detroit Lions. The back of this card states that he was traded in March 1967. He retired after 2 seasons in Detroit.


#127 Riley Mattson - Mattson was drafted off the Bears' roster. After playing 1961-64 with the Redskins, and missing the 1965 season, he played 1 season with the Bears. The narrative on the back of his card includes ".... where a knee injury slowed him down." Then, the scratch-off quiz says "What has slowed Riley down?"
Guess what? Mattson did not play after the 1966 season. WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF MAKING THE SAINTS' EXPANSION DRAFT PICKS?


#125 Earl Leggett - Leggett played defensive tackle for the Bears from 1957-65, and for the Rams in 1966. He was taken in the expansion draft and actually played two seasons with the Saints before retiring!


#124 Elbert Kimbrough - After a rookie season in 1961 with the Rams, Elbert was the 49ers starting strong safety from 1962-66. He missed the 1967 season, but finished his career in 1968 with the Saints as a backup DB.

#126 Obert Logan - Logan played safety for the Cowboys in 1965 and 1966, and was the Saints starting free safety in 1967, his final season.


#130 Dave Whitsell - Dave was a 24th-round pick for the Lions in 1958. After 3 seasons with the Lions, he was the Bears' right cornerback from 1961-66. As the Saints' starting left cornerback in 1967, he led the NFL with 10 interceptions. In his final 2 seasons (1968-69), he was the Saints' free safety.


Let's re-cap this mess: From these 10 players, the Saints got 3 seasons from Whitsell, 2 seasons from Leggett, and 1 each from Kimbrough, Logan, and Wood (albeit as the 3rd-string QB). Were these the 10 best players on the roster? (Isn't that the usual criteria for appearing on football cards?)


Also check out the 1971 and 1972 Saints.


Coming Feb 23rd: Detroit Lions
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