1973 Topps Football Cards
Topps drastically increased the size of its football card issue in 1973, going to 528 cards. (The 1971 Topps set contained 263 cards, and the 1972 Topps set contained 351.) I have not seen an uncut sheet of 1973 Topps cards, but I assume they were printed on two 264-card sheets. For the first time since 1967, Topps released its football cards in a single series.
Because the set was so much larger than previous football card issues, many of the players made their first appearance on a card in this set. By my rough count, the 1973 Topps set contains 197 rookie cards. The set also contains an odd feature I have not seen in another set: three "boyhood photo" cards. I am curious how the boyhood photos came about, and why there are only three of them. Maybe Topps just needed some filler cards to make it to 528?
Rookie cards of Pro Football Hall of Famers in the 1973 Topps set: Curley Culp, Dan Dierdorf, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Jim Langer, Ken Riley, Art Shell, Ken Stabler, Jack Youngblood. Rookie cards of Heisman Trophy winners in the 1973 Topps set: Pat Sullivan.
| Image | Set | # | Card Title/Players | Pro Team | Position | College | Honors | Notes | Grades available at Nearmint Sports Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1973 Topps | 1 | 1972 Rushing Leaders | ||||||
| Larry Brown | Washington Redskins | running back | Kansas State | Commanders Ring of Fame | |||||
| O.J. Simpson | Buffalo Bills | running back | USC, City College of San Francisco | Bills Wall of Fame 1980, College Hall of Fame 1983, Heisman Trophy 1968, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1985 | |||||
|
1973 Topps | 2 | 1972 Passing Leaders | ||||||
| Earl Morrall | Miami Dolphins | quarterback | Michigan State | ||||||
| Norm Snead | New York Giants | quarterback | Wake Forest | ||||||
|
1973 Topps | 3 | 1972 Receiving Leaders | ||||||
| Fred Biletnikoff | Oakland Raiders | end | Florida State | College Hall of Fame 1991, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1988 | |||||
| Harold Jackson | Los Angeles Rams | wide receiver | Jackson State | ||||||
|
1973 Topps | 4 | 1972 Scoring Leaders | UPI named Marcol the NFC Rookie of the Year in 1972. | |||||
| Bobby Howfield | New York Jets | kicker | |||||||
| Chester Marcol | Green Bay Packers | kicker | Hillsdale | Packers Hall of Fame 1987 | |||||
|
1973 Topps | 5 | 1972 Interception Leaders | ||||||
| Bill Bradley | Philadelphia Eagles | defensive back, punter | Texas | Eagles Honor Roll 1993 | |||||
| Mike Sensibaugh | Kansas City Chiefs | defensive back | Ohio State | ||||||
|
1973 Topps | 6 | 1972 Punting Leaders | Error card Wilson's first name is misspelled "Jerrell" on this card. |
|||||
| Dave Chapple | Los Angeles Rams | punter | UC Santa Barbara | ||||||
| Jerrel Wilson | Kansas City Chiefs | punter, running back | Southern Mississippi | Chiefs Hall of Fame 1988 | |||||
|
1973 Topps | 7 | Bob Trumpy | Cincinnati Bengals | tight end, wide receiver | Utah | |||
|
1973 Topps | 8 | Mel Tom | Philadelphia Eagles | defensive end | San Jose State | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 9 | Clarence Ellis | Atlanta Falcons | defensive back | Notre Dame | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 10 | John Niland | Dallas Cowboys | guard | Iowa | |||
|
1973 Topps | 11 | Randy Jackson | Chicago Bears | tackle | Florida | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 12 | Greg Landry | Detroit Lions | quarterback | Massachusetts | |||
|
1973 Topps | 13 | Cid Edwards | San Diego Chargers | running back | Tennessee State | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 14 | Phil Olsen | Los Angeles Rams | defensive tackle | Utah State | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 15 | Terry Bradshaw | Pittsburgh Steelers | quarterback | Louisiana Tech | College Hall of Fame 1996, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1989, Steelers Hall of Honor 2017 | Bradshaw's brother, Craig Bradshaw, was a quarterback for the Houston Oilers in 1980. | |
|
1973 Topps | 16 | Al Cowlings | Houston Oilers | defensive end | USC | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 17 | Walker Gillette | St. Louis Cardinals | wide receiver | Richmond | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 18 | Bob Atkins | Houston Oilers | defensive back | Grambling | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 19 | Diron Talbert | Washington Redskins | defensive tackle | Texas | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 20 | Jim Johnson | San Francisco 49ers | defensive back | UCLA | 49ers Hall of Fame 2009, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1994 | ||
|
1973 Topps | 21 | Howard Twilley | Miami Dolphins | end | Tulsa | College Hall of Fame 1992 | ||
|
1973 Topps | 22 | Dick Enderle | New York Giants | guard | Minnesota | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 23 | Wayne Colman | New Orleans Saints | linebacker | Temple | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 24 | John Schmitt | New York Jets | center | Hofstra | Rookie card | ||
|
1973 Topps | 25 | George Blanda | Oakland Raiders | quarterback, kicker | Kentucky | Pro Football Hall of Fame 1981, Titans Ring of Honor 1999 | ||