It’s a new year, and this is a new blog, so we are starting off with a new team.
The Atlanta Falcons joined the NFL in 1966. As such, all of these players are shown in the uniform of their 1965 team (except for the Steve Sloan custom card by *RetroCards.com).
Each team in the 1966 set has 11 player cards, a team photo card, and a “play card” (an “in-action” card).
For the past 5 weeks, I have been scrounging on eBay to complete my 1967 AFL and 1966 NFL sets. I now only need 13 player cards for the 1966 set. (I also need the team cards and “play cards” for all but the Eagles and Falcons, but I’m not sure I will get those. They seem like a waste of money, as I would much rather have the cards for individual players.)
I have had the Dan Grimm, Frank Lasky, and Ralph Heck cards since the 1960s, so they are in bad condition, and needing an upgrade.
Dennis Claridge - His NFL career consisted of 1 pass attempt for the 1965 Packers, and 3 starts for the 1966 Falcons.
Steve Sloan - This card was not in the original set, but is a custom card by *RetroCards.com. Like Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, and Richard Todd, Sloan played for Alabama. Unlike those others, he had a short career: 3 games in '66 and 5 games in '67, all for the Falcons.
**Perry Lee Dunn played for the Cowboys (64-65), Falcons (66-68), and Colts (69), only starting 14 games in that time.
Ernie Wheelwright played for the Giants, Falcons, and Saints from 1964-70. His only regular playing time was in 1966 (Falcons) and 1967 (Saints).
Alex Hawkins played for the Colts from 1959 to 1965, but was only a starter in '60 and '61. After playing for the Falcons in 1966, he returned to Baltimore for 1967-68.
Dan Grimm started 13 games for the Packers in 1964, filling in for the injured Jerry Kramer, but played very little in '63 and '65. He was a starter for the Falcons in '66 and '68, then wrapped up his career in 1969 with the Colts and Redskins.
Frank Lasky started 1 game for the Giants in '64 and 8 games in '65. He did not play for the Falcons.
Bob Richards was a starting defensive end for the Eagles from 1962-65, and started 13 and 6 games Falcons in '66 and '67.
**Guy Reese - From 1962 to 1964, Reese started all but 2 games for the Cowboys at left defensive tackle. He started 3 games for the Colts in '65 and 2 games for the Falcons in '66.
Ralph Heck - A backup linebacker for the Eagles from 1963-65 and the Falcons in '66, Heck started all but 1 game from 1967-68. He also played for the Giants from 1969-71.
**Larry Benz started all but 2 games at safety for the Browns from 1963 to 1965. He did not play after 1965.
Ron Smith was quite the Swiss Army Knife. An excellent kick and punt returner (leading the league while with the Falcons in '66 and '67), he was also a starting cornerback (Falcons '66, Rams '69) and starting safety (Rams '68, Bears '71-'72, Chargers '73). In 1967 he was the Falcons' starting split end.
1967 Packers 1968 Packers 1967 Cowboys 1971 Cowboys 1966 Eagles 1968 Eagles 1967 Saints 1967 Chiefs 1967 Raiders 1973 Quarterbacks Vince Papale King Corcoran Assorted 1966 NFL QB cards It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1 comment:
A nice rundown of the players. I've always liked that cards for expansion teams show the players still in their uniforms for their previous teams. I like the history it captures. The card back with the players chosen in the expansion draft is interesting; I never took the time to read it before. I only wish there were cards for all of those players!
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