1954 Bowman Football Cards
There are 128 cards in the 1954 Bowman football card set. The cards picture players from the 12 NFL teams of the day. The set was printed on four sheets, each containing 32 different cards. Cards 65-96 are scarcer than the others, so apparently the sheet that contained them was printed in relatively small numbers. See the Gallery's 1954 Bowman virtual uncut sheet page for details.
The price guides list two variations of the Tom Finnan card, error and corrected, but both variations are actually in error. For an overview of the 1948-1955 Bowman sets, see my blog article, B is for Bowman.
Rookie cards of Pro Football Hall of Famers in the 1954 Bowman set: Doug Atkins, George Blanda. Rookie cards of Heisman Trophy winners in the 1954 Bowman set: John Lattner.
| Image | Set | # | Card Title/Players | Pro Team | Position | College | Honors | Notes | Grades available at Nearmint Sports Cards |
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1954 Bowman | 1 | Ray Mathews | Pittsburgh Steelers | end | Clemson | Steelers Hall of Honor 2022 | ||
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1954 Bowman | 2 | John Huzvar | Baltimore Colts | fullback | Pittsburgh, North Carolina State | nm | ||
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1954 Bowman | 3 | Jack Scarbath | Washington Redskins | quarterback | Maryland | College Hall of Fame 1983 | Scarbath finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1952, behind Billy Vessels. | |
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1954 Bowman | 4 | Doug Atkins | Cleveland Browns | defensive end | Tennessee | College Hall of Fame 1985, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1982, Saints Hall of Fame 1995 | Rookie card Atkins attended the University of Tennessee on a basketball scholarship. He lettered one season in basketball, and he was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 17th round of the 1953 NBA draft. |
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1954 Bowman | 5 | Bill Stits | Detroit Lions | defensive back | UCLA | Rookie card 1954 was Stits's rookie season, so this is a true rookie card. He had 6 interceptions and made the Pro Bowl. |
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1954 Bowman | 6 | Joe Perry | San Francisco 49ers | fullback | Compton Community College | 49ers Hall of Fame 2009, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1969 | Perry had a career-high 1049 yards rushing in 1954, leading the NFL. | |
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1954 Bowman | 7 | Kyle Rote | New York Giants | end | SMU | College Hall of Fame 1964, Giants Ring of Honor 2022 | ||
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1954 Bowman | 8 | Norm Van Brocklin | Los Angeles Rams | quarterback, coach | Oregon | College Hall of Fame 1966, Eagles Honor Roll 1987, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1971 | ||
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1954 Bowman | 9 | Pete Pihos | Philadelphia Eagles | end | Indiana | College Hall of Fame 1966, Eagles Honor Roll 1987, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1970 | ||
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1954 Bowman | 10 | Babe Parilli | Green Bay Packers | quarterback | Kentucky | College Hall of Fame 1982, Patriots Hall of Fame 1993 | ||
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1954 Bowman | 11 | Zeke Bratkowski | Chicago Bears | quarterback | Georgia | Packers Hall of Fame 1989 | Rookie card | exmt |
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1954 Bowman | 12 | Ollie Matson | Chicago Cardinals | fullback, defensive back | San Francisco | Cardinals Ring of Honor 2006, College Hall of Fame 1976, Eagles Honor Roll 1987, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1972 | Matson placed ninth in voting for the 1951 Heisman Trophy. See the Gallery's page of football cards of Heisman candidates. | |
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1954 Bowman | 13 | Pat Brady | Pittsburgh Steelers | quarterback, punter | Nevada, Bradley | |||
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1954 Bowman | 14 | Fred Enke | Baltimore Colts | quarterback | Arizona | |||
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1954 Bowman | 15 | Harry Ulinski | Washington Redskins | center | Kentucky | Ulinski was inducted into the Beaver County (Pennsylvania) Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. | ||
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1954 Bowman | 16 | Bobby Garrett | Cleveland Browns | quarterback | Stanford | Rookie card Garrett placed fifth in voting for the 1953 Heisman Trophy. See the Gallery's page of football cards of Heisman candidates. |
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1954 Bowman | 17 | Bill Bowman | Detroit Lions | fullback | William and Mary | |||
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1954 Bowman | 18 | Leo Rucka | San Francisco 49ers | center | Rice | Rookie card The 49ers drafted Rucka in 1954, but he served two years in the Air Force before joining the team. He played in five games for the 49ers in 1956. |
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1954 Bowman | 19 | John Cannady | New York Giants | center | Indiana | |||
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1954 Bowman | 20 | Tom Fears | Los Angeles Rams | end | UCLA, Santa Clara | College Hall of Fame 1976, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1970 | PSA 8, nm | |
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1954 Bowman | 21 | Norm Willey | Philadelphia Eagles | defensive end | Marshall | Rookie card | ||
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1954 Bowman | 22 | Floyd Reid | Green Bay Packers | halfback, coach | Georgia | |||
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1954 Bowman | 23 | George Blanda | Chicago Bears | quarterback, kicker | Kentucky | Pro Football Hall of Fame 1981, Titans Ring of Honor 1999 | Rookie card | |
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1954 Bowman | 24 | Don Dohoney | Chicago Cardinals | end | Michigan State | Rookie card Dohoney was an Academic All-American at Michigan State in 1953. |
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1954 Bowman | 25 | John Schweder | Pittsburgh Steelers | guard | Pennsylvania |