Nineteen sixty marked the first year of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals would share the baseball Cardinals' Sportsman’s Park.
The Cardinals had a hard time selling seats since it was many years since they had a NFL team and interest was low. The Football Cardinals would finish the year with a record of 6-5-1, which placed them 4th in the NFL Eastern Conference. The 1960 roster included
Sonny Randle (OE). He would have 365 career receptions, and a total of 5, 996 yards over 11 seasons,
John David Crow (RB), 1957 Heisman Trophy winner as a halfback for the Texas A&M, and #1 Draft pick by the Chicago Cardinals in 1958 (2nd overall).
Bobby Joe Conrad (WR/K) with 422 career receptions and 5,902 yards.
Joe Childress (RB/WR),
Mal Hammack (RB), and long time HOFer Cardinal
Larry Wilson (DB) with 52 career interceptions.
There were two football card sets featuring the new Cardinals. The 1960 Topps set with 10 cards and one team sticker and the local 1960 Mayrose Franks Food issue consisting of 11 cards that were wrapped in plastic and inserted in packs of Mayrose Franks and Bacon. So condition is a challenge.
1960 Topps is a pretty straightforward vertical design-portrait and position and player/team name in a colored football on the front with bio repeated, previous year and life stats with a spot to rub that reveals a cartoon on the reverse, all of this on a green background.
I really like the Mayrose cards-the Red/White front with action shot, and short bio-are very attractive. The reverse gives details on how to get your free Cardinals tickets via mail in. I picked up three of these recently-they are remarkable. Here are the three-King Hill, Ted Bates, and Don Gillis.
Stats- 1960 Topps have 3/11. Mayrose 3/11.
Nice cards! I'm not very familiar with vintage football, so I like seeing them, especially the oddballs.
ReplyDeleteI grew up thinking that the football Cardinals were named after the baseball Cardinals, much like the football Giants were named after the baseball (New York) Giants. Imagine my surprise when I found out that they'd moved from Chicago!
It just goes to show how different sports was then... If a similar move happened today, there's no way the football team would be allowed to keep the name.
Fantastic point-couldn't imagine two teams now days being allowed to do so. Glad you enjoy the post.
DeleteCardinals player Jim Taylor is pictured on what should be the Packers' Jim Taylor card for 1960.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I had no idea! Imagine u finally get card and they don't even put you on the card!
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