Lot 21. Rare 1937 Pittsburgh “Pirates” (Steelers) Team Photo with HoFers Rooney and McNally. When the Pittsburgh football team joined in the NFL in 1933, it was known as the “Pirates.” In that era, a football team commonly adopted the same nickname as its city’s baseball team. To distinguish the two teams, local media often referred to the football team as the “Rooneymen.” In 1939, owner Art Rooney decided that a name change was in order. He enlisted a newspaper to promote a “name-the-team” contest. From the entries, Rooney selected “Steelers,” which was suggested to recognize Pittsburgh’s steel mill heritage. With future Hall of Fame player Johnny “Blood” McNally as the head coach, the Pirates won four games and lost seven. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles and Brooklyn Dodgers to open the season, but then lost five consecutive games, all but one by seven points or fewer. McNally is seated next to Rooney in the photo, which is an 18.5” x 13” black & white offset print matted and framed to 25” x 19”. Several vertical creases run from top to bottom in the print near the center, and several other creases are nearby. Apparently the photo was folded sometime during the past 84 years. The photo is well focused, and players are easily identifiable. A seldom-seen piece of early Steelers memorabilia. In fact, this is the only VINTAGE copy we have seen.
Winning Bid $630
Lot 507. 6 San Francisco Home Game Programs, 3 from the 1950s and 3 from 1960. Each program has 22 pages. The cover of the Nov.18, 1951 program vs. the Chicago Cardinals is intriguing because it has nothing obvious to do with football. Cover art by Vic Anderson is titled “Dutch Windmill at the Beach.” The 49ers lost, 21-27. Vg-ex program with full-page photos of the teams’ coaches, including Buck Shaw and Curly Lambeau, a full-page photo of the San Francisco team, a page with seven 49ers players and a two-page spread with Cardinals players. 1956 (Aug. 19) vs. Cleveland, pre-season game, two pages of 49ers players photos, including Tittle, McElhenny, Johnson and Perry, and two pages of Browns, including Groza, Noll and Ford; ex. 1958 (Nov. 2) vs. Detroit, 24-21 win, photo of the 49ers team and two pages of Cleveland player photos; vg+. 1960 (Sept. 25) vs. New York Giants, a 19-21 loss, two pages of player photos for each team and a full-page photo of Bob St. Clair; ex. 1960 (Oct. 2) vs. Los Angeles, a 19-13 win, four pages of player photos, a full-page photo of Charles Krueger and “The Afternoon I’ll Never Forget” by two former players.; vg-ex. And 1960 (Nov. 6) vs. Detroit, a 0-24 loss, photos of Tittle, McElhenny, Nomellini, Schmidt, Karras, Lary and Pietrosante, a 49ers’ team photo and a full-page photo of Monte Clark; ex.
Winning Bid $45
Lot 508. 10 Los Angeles Rams Programs Spanning 1955-62. All for home games, the programs are from 1955, 1956, 1957 (2), 1958, 1959 (2), 1960, 1961 and 1962. The 1955 program is for a July 30 pre-season game with Fort Ord Army. Vg+ to ex, Lon Keller cover, 22 pages, photos of Norm Van Brocklin, Tank Younger, Les Richter, Tom Fears, Gene Lipscomb, Andy Robustelli and others. At least eight Fort Ord players had pro experience, including Sam Baker and Rudy Bukich. 1956 (Dec. 9) vs. Baltimore, 31-7 win, Lon Keller cover, 22 pages, a page of player photos for each team; spine professionally repaired, ex+. 1957 (Sept. 13) vs. San Francisco, pre-season game, 22 pages, photos of Elroy Hirsch, Y. A. Tittle, Leo Nomellini and others; center spread of four pages missing, otherwise vg+ to ex. 1957 (Sept. 29) vs. Philadelphia, 17-13 win, 22 pages, a page of player photos for each team; vg+ to ex. 1958 (Aug. 22) vs. New York Giants, pre-season game, 22 pages, Lon Keller cover, a page of player photos for each team plus two pages devoted to Will Sherman; vg with the back cover attached with tape. Otherwise, it has an ex appearance. 1959 (Aug. 29) vs. Chicago Cardinals, pre-season game, 30 pages, photos of Ollie Matson, Lamar Lundy, Night Train Lane, Woodley Lewis and others; vg-ex. 1959 (Oct. 25) vs. Detroit, 7-17 loss, 30 pages, Lon Keller cover, photos of Jon Arnett, Lou Michaels, Yale Lary, Joe Schmidt, John Henry Johnson, Alex Karras and others, and two pages of Don Burroughs photos; vg+ to ex. 1960 (Dec. 11) vs. Baltimore, 10-3 win, 30 pages, team photo, page of Colts photos including Johnny Unitas; ex. 1961 (Oct. 29) vs. Detroit, 10-28 loss, great illustration (consistent with the loss) across the front and back covers, 32 pages, 4 pages of player photos, Frank Varrichione profile and illustration; vg-ex with the staples removed. 1962 (Dec. 16) vs. Green Bay, 17-20 loss, 38 pages, photos of Roman Gabriel, Les Richter, rookie Merlin Olsen, Vince Lombardi, Jim Ringo, Paul Hornung, Bart Starr and others; ex, staples removed.
Winning Bid $55
Lot 509. New York Giants Publications from 3 Decades – 2 Programs and a Yearbook. The earlier program is for an Oct. 30, 1955 game with the Washington Redskins. The Giants, in their final season at the Polo Grounds, won, 35-7. Vg-ex, minor writing on the front cover. The Redskins were the Giants’ opponent also in an Oct. 16, 1960 game at Yankee Stadium. The teams played to a 24-24 tie. Sam Huff, Rosey Grier and Pat Summerall are pictured in this 32-page ex program. Frank Gifford is shown in an advertisement. Norm Snead is on the cover of the “New York Giants 1973 Sports Focus Football Issue,” which presents 64 pages of photos, player profiles, previews of opponents, articles and statistics. Ex with the pages stapled along the spine but separated from the covers, which remain connected with no splits along the spine.
Winning Bid $25
Lot 510. Nov. 20, 1955 Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Football Program. These Browns repeated as NFL champions, and the Steelers were one of their regular-season victims, 44-14. The 36-page program is vg+ to ex. It has a full-page photo of head coach Paul Brown. Players pictured include Otto Graham, Frank Gatski, Len Ford, Fred Morrison, Chuck Noll, Dante Lavelli, Lou Groza and Jim Finks.
Winning Bid $30
Lot 511. 6 Baltimore Colts Home Game Programs, 1955-60, vs. the 49ers, Lions, Bears and Rams. The Colts were NFL champions in 1958 and 1959. In a Nov. 27, 1955 game, they defeated San Francisco, 26-14. The 46-page program has three pages of Baltimore player photos and two pages of 49ers. Future Hall of Fame coach Don Shula is among the players, along with Gino Marchetti, Art Donovan, Buddy Young, Raymond Berry, Y. A. Tittle, Leo Nomellini, Joe Perry, Bob St. Clair, Hugh McElhenny and others. Pages 23-26 are missing; the overall appearance is vg-ex except for the owner’s name and the score on the front cover. Sept. 7, 1957 vs. Detroit, 34-14 victory, 50 pages, two pages of Lions photos including Layne and J H Johnson and full-page photos of five Colts, Ameche, Preas, Pellington, Donovan and Rechichar; vg-ex except the score added to the cover. Oct. 5 1957 vs. the Bears, 21-10 win, 50 pages, full-page photos of Ameche, Marchetti, Lipscomb, Unitas and Berry, and smaller photos of 12 Bears, including George, Jones and Gallimore; g-vg. Sept. 27, 1959 vs. Detroit, a 21-9 win in a 9-3 season, the best in the NFL West. These Colts defeated the New York Giants in the NFL Championship game, 31-16. The 62-page program is vg+ to ex with the score added to the front cover. The interior offers a photo and profile of 35 Colts players and 10 Lions. Oct. 16, 1960 vs. Los Angeles, a 31-17 win, 74 pages, photos and profiles of many Colts and some Rams, vg+ to ex. And Nov. 27, 1960 vs. San Francisco, Colts lost 22-30, 74 pages, photos and profiles of Donovan, Parker, Marchetti, Lipscomb, Berry, Moore, Unitas and 23 additional Colts and Tittle, St. Clair, Brodie and Bosley and 16 other 49ers. Vg+ with the spine repaired at the bottom left.
Winning Bid $50
Lot 512. 3 Detroit Lions Programs – 1956 vs. the Rams and Steelers and 1958 vs. the 49ers. The Lions won the Oct. 14, 1956 game with Los Angeles, 24-21. The 56-page program is vg+ to ex with photos of players for each team, including Bobby Layne, Leon Hart, Lou Creekmur, Yale Lary, Jack Christiansen, Joe Schmidt, Bob Boyd, Crazy Legs Hirsch and Norm Van Brocklin. December 9, 1956 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, a 45-7 victory, 56-page program with player photos for each team, including Ernie Stautner for Pittsburgh, and many car advertisements; vg-ex. And Nov. 16, 1958 vs. the 49ers, a 35-31 win, 38 pages, photos of Tittle, Nomellini, St. Clair, McElhenny, Perry, Brodie, Rote, Lary, Karras, Christiansen, Morrall and others; vg+ to ex.
Winning Bid $30
Lot 513. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers Programs, 1956-60, vs. the Cardinals, Redskins and Giants. Three are for home games. The earliest is for a Nov. 25, 1956 game at Comiskey Park against the Chicago Cardinals. Pittsburgh lost, 27-38. The 32-page vg+ to ex program pictures such Cardinals as Woodley Lewis, Stan West, Joe Childress, Gern Nagler, Lindon Crow, Dave Mann, “Night Train” Lane and Ollie Matson. Unlike the Cardinals’ program, the Oct. 4, 1959 “Official Bicentennial Souvenir Program for the 1959 Steelers” shows numerous Pittsburgh players, including Len Dawson, Jack Butler and Ernie Stautner. Tom Tracy and Ray Mathews are in a full-page photo. And some Redskins are also presented. The 136-page program, vg+ to ex with the staples removed, has substantial information on Pittsburgh area football and other sports history. The Steelers lost to the Redskins, 17-23. The Dec. 13, 1959 program, also for the Bicentennial, is for a game with the Cardinals, which Pittsburgh won, 35-20. This program has a few photos of contemporary Steelers and otherwise largely replicates the edition for the Oct. 4 game. It does offer four pages of Steeler alumni, including Jim Finks, Bill McPeak, Elbie Nickel, Whizzer White, Bill Dudley, Johnny Blood McNally, Lynn Chandnois and coach Jock Sutherland. There also is a page titled “Steeler Games of ‘59” with five action photos. Vg+ to ex, 136 pages, Bert Bell on the front cover. The Oct. 9, 1960 program, with 34 pages, is vg+. Pittsburgh lost to the New York Giants, 17-19. The program has a large photo of Bobby Layne and his son with Tom Tracy.
Winning Bid $35
Lot 514. Nov. 3, 1963 Pittsburgh at Green Bay Football Program. Vg+ to ex 44-page program with photos on 15 pages. Among the players and coaches pictured are Vince Lombardi, Herb Adderley, Willie Davis, Bill Forester, Forrest Gregg, Buddy Parker, John Henry Johnson, Ray Nitschke, Henry Jordan, Jim Ringo, Willie Wood, Jim Taylor and Bart Starr. The staples that hold the program together at the spine have been removed. Each page is intact. The Packers won, 33-14. They finished the season in second place in the NFL Western Division with an 11-2-1 record.
Winning Bid $10
Lot 515. Nov. 3, 1963 Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings Program. Minnesota won, 21-13. The program has an interview with Ed Sharockman and photos of Fran Tarkenton, Jim Marshall, Tommy Mason, Mick Tingelhoff, Lenny Moore, Johnny Unitas, Zeke Bratkowski, Terry Baker, Lamar Lundy, Roman Gabriel and many other players. There also is a full-page cartoon feature of Vikings’ guard Larry Bowie. The staples have been removed from the 52-page program, which otherwise is vg+ to ex.
Minimum Bid $10
Lot 516. Nov. 10, 1963 Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears Program. In 2007, ESPN ranked these Bears as the ninth greatest team in NFL history. Their success stemmed substantially from a zone pass defense created by defensive coach George Allen, who is pictured in the 48-page program. He later coached the Washington Redskins. Chicago’s defense prevailed in this game, a 6-0 victory with two Roger LeClerc field goals accounting for all the scoring. The Bears won the NFL Western Conference title and then defeated San Francisco in the NFL Championship game, 14-10. The staples have been removed from the 48-page program, which otherwise is vg+ to ex.
Winning Bid $10
Lot 517. 7 Notre Dame Football Programs – 5 Homes Games and the 1990 Orange Bowl. Nov. 18, 1972 vs. Miami of Florida, includes Tom Clements, Dave Casper and Chuck Foreman, 72 pages, ex. Oct. 22, 1977 vs, Southern Cal, includes Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Anthony Munoz. The week before, Montana led the Fighting Irish to a comeback win against Purdue. He and his teammates went on to win the National Championship; 72 pages, ex. Oct. 20, 1979 vs. Southern Cal, includes Marcus Allen and Ronnie Lott; 76 pages, ex. Nov. 10, 1979 at Tennessee, 90 pages, vg+ to ex. Oct. 10, 1981 vs. Florida State, includes Mike Golic, 76 pages, center folio loose, vg+ to ex. Oct. 9, 1982 vs. Miami, includes Mike Golic, Bernie Kosar and Vinnie Testaverde, 76 pages, ex-m+. And Jan 1, 1990 Orange Bowl, Notre Dame defeated unbeaten Colorado and finished the season as runner-up to Miami for the National Championship. The 144-page program is ex-m+.
Winning Bid $25
Lot 518. 3 Super Bowl Programs – XIII (1979), XXV (1991) and XXXVI (2002). Super Bowl XIII was lucky enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they defeated Dallas, 35-31, for their third Super Bowl trophy of the 1970s. Vg+ to ex 128-page program. In Super Bowl XXV, the New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills, 20-19. Ex-m+ program, 272 pages. Super Bowl XXVI pitted the New England Patriots against the St Louis Rams, and Tom Brady against Kurt Warner. Brady earned his first Super Bowl ring and MVP Award. Ex+, 136 pages.
Minimum Bid $25
Lot 519. Vintage 1945 Acme News Photo Featuring Sammy Baugh Intercepting a Pass. In a very different football era, star quarterbacks saw double-duty, playing defense as well as offense. In this Sept. 23, 1945 b&w 7” x 9” photo, Baugh intercepts a pass for the Washington Redskins in a game against the Green Bay Packers at Griffith Stadium. The Redskins won this pre-season finale, 21-7. An Acme caption identifies Packers’ wide receiver Nolan Luhn and Jim Watson of the Redskins as the other players in the photo, which is vg+ to ex with a crease toward each of the two lower corners. The caption, which is attached, identifies the photo as an Acme product.
Winning Bid $30
Lot 520. 1966 Gayle Sayers Team-Issued B&W Photo. This photo is widely recognized among football collectors because it was used by the Philadelphia Gum Co. for Sayers’ 1966 rookie card. Sayers made his NFL debut with the Chicago Bears in 1965 and was named the league’s Offensive Rookie of the year. Stamped on the reverse “Jan 21, 1966,” the photo measures 3 5/8” x 5 ½”. Paper loss on the top right and left affects Sayers’ facsimile autograph, but not his image. Have not seen this piece before.
Minimum Bid $20
