Bob Cappadona - RB

Bob Cappadona was the Patriots' 3rd-round pick in 1965.  He didn't play that year, and although he played in 27 games for Boston from 1966-67, he only made 4 starts, all in '67.

 

He played his 3rd and final AFL season for the Bills, starting 7 games but rushing for only 272 yards while sharing the 2 backfield spots with such luminaries as Max Anderson and Ben Gregory.  A year later, all three would be out of a job as O.J. Simpson and Wayne Patrick would take over.

Teams: Patriots (1966-67), Bills (1968)

 

Jim Colclough - WR

The list of great AFL receivers usually starts with Lionel Taylor, Don Maynard, Art Powell, and later on Lance Alworth, Fred Biletnikoff and Otis Taylor. But Jim Colclough was right up there with them for the first few seasons in the league's history. 

 

I had never heard of him until a few months ago, but Colclough was one of the leagues top receivers from 1960-62. 

 

Colclough was drafted by the Redskins in 1959 but never played for them. He spent his entire career (1960-68) with the Patriots. 

 

He was the their starting flanker from 1960-63, and parts of the next 2 seasons. Although never in the top 5 for receptions, he finished in the top 5 for receiving TDs from 1960-62. 

 

After 1963 he lost playing time to Art Graham, although he did start 9 games in 1965, and 7 games at tight end in 1967. 

 

Colclough retired after the 1968 season. 

 

 

Teams: Patriots (1960-68)

Jimmy Burson - DB

Today's card is Jimmy Burson, a defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons. 

 

This is the first 2nd-series card I've posted on this blog, identifiable by the white borders. (The 1st-series cards are often described as "borderless", but that isn't quite true. They do have borders, but they are the same color as the background. You will notice that the player's photo is usually cropped on the 2 sides, with a "border" matching the color of the background.) 

 

I got this card (and 32 others) a few weeks ago, and that was my first awareness of Burson. 

 

He was the 11th-round pick for the Cardinals in 1963. After playing only 1 game as a rookie, he was a starting cornerback from 1964-67. Burson had 12 interceptions while a Cardinal, including a season-high 5 picks in 1965.

 

After the 1967 season, the Cardinals turned over both cornerbacks, with Pat Fischer going to the Redskins, and Burson going to the Falcons. 

 

Burson started every game for the Falcons in 1968, alternating between free safety and right cornerback, and picking up 4 more interceptions. That was his last season in the NFL. 

 

 

Teams: Cardinals (1963-67), Falcons (1968)

Don Brumm - DE

Don Brumm was the Cardinals' 1st-round pick in 1963, and was their starting right defensive end for his first 4 seasons. 

 

After spending most of 1967 on the bench (making only 4 starts), he returned to the lineup in 1968, starting every game (this time at left end) and made his only Pro Bowl. 

 

Brumm only played 4 games in 1969 but started them all, so I have to believe he missed the other 10 games due to injury. 

 

From 1970-71, he played for the Eagles, appearing in 16 games over 2 seasons but only starting once. 

 

He returned to the Cardinals for his final season (1972). 

 

I first became aware of him during his time with the Eagles, which is probably when I bought this card (not having collected in 1969). 

 

 

Teams: Cardinals (1963-69, 72), Eagles (1970-71) 

  

Larry Bowie - G

Larry Bowie was a 6th-round pick for the Vikings in 1962. As a rookie, he played every game but started none. 

 

From 1963-68, he was the Vikings’ starting right guard, playing every game until missing 6 games in his final season. 

 

Teams: Vikings (1962-68)

Sonny Bishop - G

Sonny Bishop was drafted by the Chargers in 1962, but played that season as a backup guard for the Dallas Texans. 

 

In 1963 he was the Raiders' starting left guard. 

 

After the 1963 season, Bishop was one of three players traded to the Oilers for Billy Cannon. He played 6 seasons for Houston, as the starting right tackle in '64 before settling in as their right guard for the remainder of his career. 

 

Bishop made the AFL All-Star team in 1968. 

 

 

Teams: Texans (1962), Raiders (1963), Oilers (1964-69)

Craig Baynham - HB

When I started this blog last week, I had 47 players (and 2 checklists) from the 1969 set. When I decided to only post those players who we haven't seen on one of my other blogs, that left me with a pool of 13 cards. 

 

I soon realized that isn't enough to sustain a blog, so I went on eBay and bought the cards for 33 of the other 34 players who didn't also have other cards in the 1966 to 1972 sets. (I decided to pass on paying the "Brian Piccolo premium" for his card.)   So now there are 46 cards in the hopper, all pre-listed on my football blog index.

 

Craig Baynham's card arrived yesterday. The other 32 cards are all from one seller, and are on their way.

 

Craig Baynham was the Cowboys’ 9th round pick in 1966. He was a future pick, so finished his college career in 1966. 

 

As a rookie in 1967, he played all 14 games but started none. In 1968 he again played every game, starting 8 games after 1966-67's starting halfback Dan Reeves was lost for the season after 4 games. (Like last week's Pete Banaszak card, a 1968 injury to a teammate is probably the only reason he has a card in this set.) 

 

In 1969, with Reeves was still hampered by off-season surgery and Baynham injured as well, rookie Calvin Hill seized the opportunity, essentially ending Baynham’s Cowboys’ career. 

 

Baynham played 5 games for the Bears in 1970, until he was sidelined with a foot injury. A broken wrist during training camp in 1971 caused him to miss that entire season. 

 

He returned in 1972, this time for the Cardinals, but a shoulder injury limited him to 7 games. He then retired before the 1973 season. 

 

 

Teams: Cowboys (1967-69), Bears (1970), Cardinals (1972)

Pete Banaszak - HB

Pete Banaszak was drafted by the Raiders in the 5th round in 1966. He played 13 seasons, all for the Raiders. During his career he only missed 11 games, all coming between 1967-70. 

 

Banaszak was usually the backup halfback, playing behind Clem Daniels (1966-67), Charlie Smith (1969-70, 72-74), and Clarence Davis (1975-78), although Pete started most games in 1968 and every game in 1971. 

 

In 1975 he led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns, without starting any games. That season was also his high water mark with 672 yards, more than the 563 yards he gained while starting every game in 1971. 

 

Teams: Raiders (1966-78)

John Stofa - QB

John Stofa was signed by the Miami Dolphins in 1966, their first year in the AFL. The Dolphins used 4 quarterbacks that season (Dick Wood, George Wilson Jr, Rick Norton, and Stofa). Wood and Wilson each played in 14 games, and made 11 starts between them. Stofa and Norton each played in 7 games (so maybe they split the #3 QB roster spot?) with Stofa making 1 start to Norton’s 2 starts. 

 

In 1967, Wood and Wilson were gone, but Bob Griese was Miami’s #1 draft pick, and started 10 games as a rookie. Stofa was still stuck in the #3 slot, this time only playing 1 game. 

 

Stofa had a change of scenery in 1968, spending the season as the expansion Bengals’ primary quarterback. He was the first player signed by the new team, acquired from Miami 3 days after the close of the 1967 season, and a month before the expansion draft. He played in 10 games (starting 7), and threw the first TD pass in Bengals’ history. 

 

That was the extent of his starting career, as the Bengals drafted hometown hero Greg Cook from the University of Cincinnati with the 5th overall pick in 1969, and Stofa was released in July. A month later, the Dolphins picked him up, and he backed up Griese for another 2 seasons, making no starts. 

 

After a 3-year absence, Stofa played for the WFL’s Jacksonville Sharks in 1974, backing up QB Reggie Oliver. (Oliver had played college ball at Marshall University, and as a freshman in 1970, did not make that fatal plane trip.) 

 

 

Teams: Dolphins (1966-67, 69-70), Bengals (1968), WFL (1974)

 

 

For this first card, I will show the back as well.