Football Players Who Appeared on Cards for Other Sports
Not surprisingly, many college and pro football players also excelled in other sports. Some of them even appeared on cards for multiple sports. Here are a few examples.
Charlie Berry
Charlie Berry played two seasons for the NFL's Pottsville Maroons, and he also played thirteen seasons of major league baseball. He is shown here on his 1924 University of Lafayette football card and his 1933 Goudey baseball card.
Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe starred in everything he did. He played twelve seasons of professional football and was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he won two gold medals in the 1912 Olympics, and he played Major League Baseball for six seasons. He is pictured here on his 1933 Sport Kings football card, his 1983 Topps Greatest Olympians card, and his 1916 Sporting News baseball card.
Bronko Nagurski
Bronko Nagurski played nine seasons for the Chicago Bears and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He wrestled in the off-season and continued wrestling until he was 52 years old. He is pictured here on his 1935 National Chicle football card and his 1955-56 Parkhurst wrestling card.
Alf Anderson
Alf Anderson played both football and baseball at the University of Georgia. He was one of a handful of Georgia football players to appear on a 1935 Diamond Matchbook. Anderson never played professional football, opting instead to pursue baseball. He spent part of three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he eventually appeared on a 1977 TCMA "The War Years" baseball card.
Jackie Jensen
Jackie Jensen starred in both football and baseball at the University of California, and he placed fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1948. (Also see the Gallery's page of cards of Heisman Trophy candidates.) He opted to play baseball after graduation, and he had a long career with the New York Yankees, Washington Senators, and Boston Red Sox. He led the American League in RBIs three times, and he was named the AL's MVP in 1958.
Jensen never played professional football, but he appeared on college football cards in 1948 and 1950. Below are his 1948 Leaf football card and his 1956 Topps baseball card.
Red Wilson
Robert "Red" Wilson starred in both football and baseball at the University of Wisconsin. He opted to play baseball professionally, and he played ten seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians. He is shown here on two homely cards: his 1950 Topps Felt Backs football card and his 1958 Topps baseball card. Though it's not apparent from his cards, Wilson did have arms.
Vic Janowicz
Vic Janowicz won the 1950 Heisman Trophy as a junior at Ohio State, and he was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1952. He opted to play baseball instead, and he played the 1953 and 1954 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1954 he returned to football, and he played for the Redskins in 1954 and 1955. In 1956 he was seriously injured in an auto accident, ending his athletic career.
Janowicz is shown here on his 1951 Topps Magic football card, still with Ohio State, and his 1954 Topps baseball card.
Jack Riley
Jack Riley starred in both football and wrestling at Northwestern, and he won a silver medal in wrestling in the 1932 Olympics. In 1933 he played for the NFL's Boston Redskins. His 1954 Quaker Sports Oddities card shows him in both of his sports.
Carroll Hardy
After one season with the San Francisco 49ers, Carroll Hardy switched to baseball and spent 13 seasons in the major and minor leagues. He is shown here on his 1955 49ers Team Issue photo and his 1962 Topps baseball card. He appeared on numerous other baseball cards, as well.
Gerry James
Gerry James, who had a long career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders, also played hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1955 to 1960. He is shown here on his 1959 Topps CFL football card and his 1960-61 Parkhurst hockey card. James was voted the Most Outstanding Canadian football player in 1954 and 1957, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
Gil Mains
Gil Mains was a defensive lineman with the Detroit Lions from 1953 to 1961. He wrestled in the off season. Mains is pictured here on his 1960 Topps football card and his 1955-56 Parkhurst wrestling card.
Ernie Ladd
Ernie Ladd had a stellar eight-year football career with the AFL's San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers, and Kansas City Chiefs. While still playing football, he also went into professional wrestling. The cards shown here are Ladd's rookie football card, a 1962 Fleer, and his 1982 Wrestling All-Stars card.
Wahoo McDaniel
In a nine-year career, Wahoo McDaniel played for four different American Football League teams: the Houston Oilers, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. In the off-season and after retiring from football, McDaniel was a professional wrestler. He is pictured here on his rookie football card, a 1967 Topps, and on a 1986 Monty Gum wrestling card.
Lonnie Wright
Lonnie Wright played defensive back for the AFL's Denver Broncos in 1966 and 1967, then moved to the ABA and played guard for the Denver Rockets and The Floridians from 1967 to 1972. He appeared on a 1968 Topps football card with the Cincinnati Bengals, who acquired him from the Broncos in the 1968 AFL Expansion Draft, and he appeared on a 1971 Topps basketball card with The Floridians.
John Brodie
John Brodie played quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers for 17 seasons, and he was inducted into to the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame in 2009. After football he competed on the Senior PGA Tour. His 1968 Topps Stand Up football card and his 1992 Pro Set golf card are shown here.
Tom Brown
Tom Brown played 61 games for Washington Senators in 1963, then left baseball and signed as a defensive back with the Green Bay Packers in 1964. He played five seasons for the Packers and one for the Washington Redskins. Brown did not appear a regular issue football card, but he did appear on the 1969 Glendale Stamp shown here. He also appeared on a 1964 Topps baseball card.
Bob Hayes
Before he played for the Dallas Cowboys, Bob Hayes was an Olympic champion and world record holder in track. He is shown here on his 1970 Topps Super football card and a 1977-79 Sportscaster track and field card.
Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca was a defensive tackle for 15 seasons in the CFL, mainly with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1987. He began wrestling in the off-season and continued after retiring from football. He is shown here on his 1970 O-Pee-Chee football card (love those stripes!) and his 1982 Wrestling All-Stars card.
Cal Hubbard
Cal Hubbard, a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was an umpire in major league baseball from 1936 to 1951. From 1954 to 1969, he served as the top supervisor of major league umpires. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
Hubbard did not appear on a football card while he was playing; he is shown here on a 1974 Fleer Immortal Roll card. He appeared on the 1955 Bowman baseball card below during his time as top supervisor of umpires.
Chris Bahr
Both Chris Bahr and his brother, Matt Bahr, played soccer and football at Penn State, and they also played soccer in the North American Soccer League before becoming kickers for NFL teams. Chris is shown here on his 1978 Topps football card, and in soccer action on a 1979 Sportscaster card. That's Matt on the right side of the Sportscaster card, kicking for Penn State, and their father, Walter Bahr, who coached soccer at Penn State, at the top of the card.
