Buffalo Bills

Here are the 1971 Buffalo Bills, just 3 years removed from being the worst team in football in 1968 with a record of 1-12-1 (awarding them the #1 pick in the draft - O.J. Simpson).

After minor improvement to 4-10 in 1969 and 3-10-1 in 1970, the 1971 squad fell back to 1-13, once again giving them the #1 overall pick (Walt Patulski). It would be 1973 until they finished over .500 again.

Dennis Shaw was the Bills' 2nd-round pick in 1970, and was the starting QB for his first 3 seasons. After backing-up rookie Joe Ferguson in 1973, Shaw finished his career as the Cardinals' backup QB in '74 and '75.

What a varied career O.J. Simpson has had! Running back, rental car pitchman, broadcaster, movie star, and criminal. He was the #1 overall pick in 1969, but didn't really produce until his 4th season, when the Bills finally assembled a good team around him. Simpson was a 5-time Pro Bowler (1972-76), and led the NFL in rushing 4 times during that span, including a record 2003 yards in 1973. After being limited to 7 games in 1977, he finished his career with 2 seasons in San Francisco ('78, '79). The Juice was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Haven Moses was the Bills' #1 pick in 1968, and was their starting split end for his first 4 years. After splitting the 1972 season between the Bills and the Broncos, he was one of Denver's starting wide receivers from 1973 to 1980. Haven caught a career-high 54 passes in 1979. He finished his career as a part-time player for the Broncos in 1981.

Austin Denney was drafted by the Cowboys in 1966, but did not play that season. He found work as the Bears' starting tight end from 1967-69, replacing the traded Mike Ditka. He was the Bills' starting tight end in 1970, and played 1 game for them in 1971, his final season.

Joe O'Donnell was drafted by the Bills (and Packers) in 1964, and played his entire 7-year career with the Bills (1964-67, 69-71), the last 5 seasons as their starting right guard. He also played for the WFL's Birmingham team in 1974 and 1975.

Someone forgot to tell Howard he's a tackle, not a center! Howard Kindig was drafted by the Chargers in 1964, and was their starting defensive end from 1965 until midway through the 1967 season. Traded to Buffalo during the 1967 season, he switched to offensive tackle and played for the Bills through the 1971 season. Kindig also played for the Dolphins ('72) and the Jets ('74).

Edgar Chandler was the Bills' 4th pick in the 1968 draft, and was an outside linebacker for his first 2 seasons. He started at MLB during the 1970 and 1971 seasons, but was limited to 1 game in 1972. He finished his career in 1973 as the Patriots' starting middle linebacker.

Drafted by the Bills in 1966, Paul Guidry played 7 seasons in Buffalo and was the starting left linebacker from 1968 to 1972. He finished his career with the Oilers in 1973.

"Butch" Byrd was the Bills' 4th pick in the 1964 draft, and was their starting right cornerback for his first 7 seasons, making 5 Pro Bowls during that time. After the 1970 season, he moved on to the Broncos as a spare defensive back in his final season.

John Pitts was the Bills' #1 pick in the 1967 draft, and played 6 full seasons in Buffalo, the final 4 as a starting safety. John split the 1973 season between Buffalo and Denver, and after a full season as a Broncos' backup in 1974, he spent his final season (1975) on Denver's and Cleveland's bench.

Also check out the 1968 Bills.

1971 Custom Cards

Here are some custom cards made recently by John Hogan from the Cards That Never Were blog. They are mostly starting quarterbacks who were missing from the 1971 Topps set, including the top three picks from the 1971 draft.

After losing Super Bowl V following the 1970 season, the Cowboys switched from Craig Morton to Roger Staubach as their starting QB, and won Super Bowl VI. Staubach's rookie card is in the 1972 set.

Jim Plunkett was the #1 pick in the 1971 draft. Replacing veteran Joe Kapp (who was released following a contract dispute), Plunkett took every snap during his rookie season.

Archie Manning was the #2 pick in the 1971 draft. With 4-year starter Billy Kilmer traded to the Redskins after 1970, Manning started 10 of the 14 games in his rookie season.

Dan Pastorini was the #3 pick in the 1971 draft. He started 8 games as a rookie, while incumbent veteran Charley Johnson started 4 games. The Oilers 3rd-round pick in '71 was QB Lynn Dickey, who made 2 starts in 1971. Pastorini was also the team's punter for 5 of his first 6 seasons.

There was no Eagles' QB in the 1971 set, as previous starter Norm Snead was traded to the Vikings after the 1970 season, and Pete Liske was acquired from the Denver Broncos just prior to the start of training camp in 1971. Here we see him in the white helmet that the Eagles wore for a few seasons in the early 1970s.

Another Eagle (and a card that was already featured on John's blog) is a corrected Adrian Young card. Topps issued a card for Young in 1971, but it included the photo of another Eagles' player by mistake.


John has made several other custom football cards for me, all starting quarterbacks who were missing from the 1967, 1968, and 1969 sets. I will be featuring them on my other blogs in the coming months.

John, thank you very much for these cards!

St. Louis Cardinals

Here are the 1971 Cardinals. They sure have a lot of all-stars for a team that finished 8-5-1, but I guess that record was a real accomplishment for a team that finished 4-9-1 in every other season between 1969 and 1973.

Jim Hart was an undrafted free agent signed by the Cardinals in 1966. After riding the bench behind veteran Charley Johnson as a rookie, Hart was the starting QB for the next 15 years (except for 1969, when Johnson regained the starting job, and in 1972, when Hart and two others shared the starting assignments.) Hart was the backup behind Neil Lomax in '82 and '83, then finished his career with the Redskins in 1984. He was a 4-time Pro-Bowler (1974-77).

MacArthur Lane was the Cardinals' #1 pick in 1968. After riding the bench as a rookie, he returned kicks in 1969, then became the featured back for the '70 and '71 seasons, leading the NFL with 11 rushing TDs in 1970 while making his only Pro Bowl.

After the '71 season, he was traded to Green Bay for running back Donny Anderson, and was the Packers' top back for 3 seasons. Lane moved on to the Chiefs, where he played his final 4 seasons (1975-78). He was the starter only in 1976, leading the NFL with 66 receptions that season.

Johnny Roland was a 4th-round pick in 1965, but didn't play until 1966. He was a starting back for the Cardinals from 1966-71, and made the Pro Bowl in his first 2 seasons. Roland's final season (1973) was spent as the Giants' starting fullback.

A 10th-round pick in 1963, Jackie Smith was the Cardinals' starting tight end for 13 seasons (1963-75). He was also the team's punter for 3 seasons (1964-66), and made the Pro Bowl for 5 consecutive seasons (1966-70). After 2 seasons as a backup, Smith finished his career in 1978 with the Cowboys, appearing in Super Bowl XIII against the Steelers.

Ernie McMillan was drafted by the Cardinals in the 13th round in 1961, and also by the Boston Patriots in the 29th round of the AFL draft. He was the Cardinals' starting right tackle from 1961-73, then moved to the left side in 1974. Ernie was the Packers starting left tackle in his final season (1975). McMillan made 4 Pro Bowls while with the Cardinals.

Jim Bakken was drafted in 1963, and spent his entire 17-year career with the Cardinals. He made the Pro Bowl 4 times ('65, '67, '75, '76), led the NFL in field goal percentage in '65 and '67, and led the NFL with 117 points in 1967. Jim was also the team's punter in '65 and '66 (and briefly in later year).

Larry Stallings was the Cardinals' 18th-round pick in 1963, but parlayed that into a 14-year career, every one of them as the Cardinals' starting left linebacker. Stallings ran back a fumble for a TD in both 1965 and 1969, and made the Pro Bowl in 1970.

Roger Wehrli was the Cardinals' #1 pick in the 1969 draft, and spent the next 13 seasons as a starting defensive back for the Cards. Usually the right cornerback, he played left corner as a rookie, and strong safety in 1972. Wehrli made the Pro Bowl 7 times during those 13 seasons. He was a backup DB in his final season (1982).

Miller Farr began his career in 1965 as the Broncos' strong safety. He played for the Chargers at the end of that season and all of 1966. Farr's best seasons were 1967-69, playing left cornerback for the Houston Oilers. He made the Pro Bowl in all three seasons, and led the league with 10 interceptions in 1967.

He moved on to the Cardinals in 1970, starting at cornerback for 3 seasons. Miller finished his career as a backup with the Lions in 1973. His brother Mel was a running back for the Lions from 1967-73.

Larry Wilson is the only Hall-of-Famer here, and the only Cardinal in the past 60 years to have his number retired for his on-field accomplishments. (J. V. Cain and Pat Tillman also had their numbers retired, after their untimely deaths.)

Wilson was a 7th-round pick in 1960, and was the Cardinals' starting free safety for his entire 13-year career (1960-72). He made the Pro Bowl every season from 1962 to 1970 (except 1964), and led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 1966. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.


Also check out the 1967 Cardinals.

Chicago Bears

Here are the 1971 Chicago Bears. The Bears just came off a 3rd-place, 6-8 season, and repeated that in 1971. The only bright spot here is that Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus would eventually make the Fall of Fame.

Jack Concannon was the first overall pick (by the Patriots) in the 1964 AFL draft, and the Eagles' 2nd-round pick. The Bears acquired him from the Eagles in 1967 for tight end Mike Ditka. He was the starter for 3 seasons, and shared the job with Bobby Douglass in 1969. After starting 13 games in 1970, he lost the job to Douglass in 1971 due to injury. After 2 seasons on the Cowboys' taxi squad, Jack finished up with the Packers in '74 and Lions in '75.

 

Bobby Douglass was the Bears' #2 pick in 1969, and was a "running" quarterback, and not too successful as a passer. Except for 1970, he was the starter from 1969 to 1973, and part of 1974. Douglass was traded to the Chargers during the 1975 season, and also played for the Saints ('76-'77) and Packers ('78). Bobby also pitched 4 games for the White Sox' triple-A team in 1979.

The Bears owned the 3rd and 4th picks in the 1965 draft. At #3 they selected Gale Sayers, and selected Dick Butkus at #4. Sayers was the team's starting halfback for the next 5 seasons, and led the NFL in rushing yards in 1966 (1231) and 1969 (1032). He was also 1st-team All-Pro in his first 5 seasons. Sayers returned punts in his rookie season, and returned kicks for his 1st 5 seasons, scoring 6 TDs as a kick returner.

Gale famously injured his knee in the 9th game of the 1968 season, and missed the remaining 5 games. His other knee was injured in 1970, causing him to miss 12 games in 1970 and 12 games in 1971. Sayers retired after the 1972 pre-season, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

Dick Gordon was drafted by the Bears in the 7th round in 1965, and was their starting split end from 1966-71. He also returned kicks from 1965-69 and was also the punt returner in 1967. In 1966, he had a 94-yard kick return (leading the NFL). In 1970, Gordon also led the NFL in receptions (71) and receiving TDs (13). He made the Pro Bowl as a Bear in '70 and '71, then his career seemed to fall apart, as he spent the next 3 seasons as a sub for the Rams, Packers, and Chargers before retiring.

Cecil Turner was a 5th-round pick in 1968, and played from 1968-73, all with the Bears. He was primarily a kick returner, but was also their starting flanker during his rookie season. In 1970, he returned 4 kicks for touchdowns, and made his only Pro Bowl appearance.

Mac Percival was the Bears' kicker from 1967-72 (and 4 games in 1973). He played with the Cowboys for part 1974, kicking in 3 games.

Ed O'Bradovich played for 10 seasons (1962-71), all with the Bears. He was the starting left defensive end as a rookie, then spent 3 seasons as a backup before regaining the starting post in 1966, which he would hold for the remainder of his career (although moving to right end for his last 3 seasons).

Dick Butkus was drafted in the 1st round in 1965, out of Illinois (the same school that produced Ray Nitschke). He was the team's starting middle linebacker every season, until injuries prematurely ended his career in his 9th season. Butkus made the Pro Bowl in his first 8 seasons, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

Lee Roy Caffey was drafted by the Eagles in 1963, and was their starting left linebacker as a rookie. He was traded to the Packers before the next season, and manned the right linebacker post for Green Bay from 1964-69, including making All-Pro in '65 and '66. He started for the Bears in 1970, and was a backup in 1971 (Cowboys) and 1972 (Chargers).

Doug Buffone was selected by the Bears in the 1966 draft, and played his entire 14-year career for Chicago. He was the team's starting left linebacker every season but '66, '76 (missed 12 games), and '79.


Also check out the 1967 Bears.

.

New England Patriots

Here are the cards for the 1971 New England Patriots. In 1970 (their last season as the "Boston" Patriots), the team went 2-12 under the leadership of QB Joe Kapp (his only season with the team). That was bad enough for last-place, and the Pats used their first overall pick in the 1971 draft to select Heisman Trophy winning QB Jim Plunkett, who would play every down in 1971.

Joe Kapp played in Canada from 1959-66, then came down to Minnesota in 1967 after QB Fran Tarkenton's trade to the Giants. After 3 seasons with the Vikings (culminating in a loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV), Kapp headed to Boston, replacing Mike Taliaferro as the starting QB.

By the time this card came out, Kapp was out of football, a victim of contract issues instigated by Pete Rozelle. After football, he went into acting, playing small parts in TV shows and movies, including The Longest Yard.

Mike Taliaferro was a generic AFL QB (like Don Trull and Jackie Lee), but somehow managed to play in the AFL All-Star game in 1969, despite leading his team to a 4-10 record.

The Jets' 28th-round pick in 1963, he didn't play that season, but was the backup from 1964-67 (while also starting 5 games during Joe Namath's rookie season in 1965). Mike was the Patriots' starting QB for half of 1968 and all of 1969, then backed up Kapp in '70. I'm pretty sure he was the backup in 1971, but there's no record of that because he did not play (with Plunkett taking every snap). Mike also played for the Bills in 1972 and the WFL's Houston Texans in 1974.

Carl Garrett was drafted by the Boston Patriots in 1969, and played four seasons with the team as the starting halfback, kick returner, and punt returner. Garrett played 2 seasons with the Bears (1973-74), then 1 with the Jets and 2 with the Raiders. He was primarily a kick returner with Oakland.

Jim Nance was drafted by the Patriots out of Syracuse University in 1965, and was their starting fullback for 7 seasons. At 240 pounds, he was huge for a fullback at that time. Nance led the AFL is rushing yards in 1966 (1458) and 1967 (1216), and made the All-Star team in both seasons. He also led the AFL with 11 TDs in 1966.

Jim was traded to the Eagles in 1972 but chose not to play for them and retired. He came back to play for the Jets in 1973, and the WFL's Shreveport Steamer in 1974-75. Nance died in 1992 at age 49.

Ron Sellers was the Patriots' #1 pick in 1969. After an all-star rookie season, he was injured the following season, and was eventually traded to the Super Bowl champion Cowboys in 1972. He became the starter midway through the season (replacing Bob Hayes), but was traded to the Super Bowl champion Dolphins in 1973, where he rarely played.

Bake Turner was drafted by the Colts in 1962, and followed coach Weeb Ewbank to the Jets in 1963. Bake was a starting end for 2 seasons with the Jets, making the All-Star team in 1963 while collecting over 1000 receiving yards. He started 4 games in 1965, but rookie George Sauer took over the starting job for most of the season.

Turner continued as the team's top kick returner, and although he wasn't one of Joe Namath's top two targets, he was Joe's wingman for off-field shenanigans. Bake remained with the Jets through the 1969 season, then wrapped up his career in 1970 as a starting wide receiver for the Patriots.

Ron Berger played semi-pro football from 1965-67, then was with the Rams in 1968. He played for the Patriots from 1969-72 (and was a starter in 1970), and was with the Dolphins in 1973 (although he did not play).

Marty Schottenheimer was drafted by the Bills in 1965 and was a backup middle linebacker there for 4 seasons before going to the Patriots, where he was a backup linebacker for 2 seasons. Topps almost ran out of room on this card for his name! I'm sure the back of his jersey was just as crowded.

Marty began his coaching career in 1974 in the WFL, and was later the head coach for the Browns, Chiefs, Redskins, and Chargers.

John Bramlett was a starting right linebacker for 6 seasons (1965-70), two seasons each with the Broncos, Dolphins, and Patriots. He wrapped up his career in 1971 with the Falcons. Once nicknamed "The Meanest Man in Football", Bramlett is now a minister.

Tom Janik was the Broncos' 3rd-round pick in 1963, and was a backup defensive back there for 2 seasons, He also punted 10 times in 1964. Traded to the Bills in 1965, and was a starting defensive back for 4 seasons. In Buffalo's only win during the 1968 season, Janik returned an interception 100 yards for a TD. Tom moved on to the Patriots in 1969, where be began punting again, and was the team's punter for 3 seasons.


Also check out the 1968 Patriots.