Today’s card of the day is a 1961 Fleer card of J.C. Caroline. Caroline played for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes in 1955, and for the NFL’s Chicago Bears from 1956 to 1965. He was primarily a defensive back, but he also played running back and returned kicks early in his career. He made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season with the Bears, and he was part of the 1963 Bears team that won the NFL Championship. In 1956, according to Wikipedia, he intercepted John Unitas’s first NFL pass attempt and returned it for a touchdown.
Caroline played college football at the University of Illinois. In 1953, as a sophomore, he led the nation in rushing and finished seventh in voting for the Heisman Trophy. (See the Gallery’s page of Heisman candidates.) He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Caroline also appeared on a few other cards with the Bears. You can see them in the Gallery.
