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Football Autographs and Memorabilia
14 Lots
 Lot 177. Bart Starr Nicely Signed Green Bay Packers 1969 Throwback Jersey by Mitchell & Ness. In effect, Starr led the Packers to five Super Bowl championships, more than any other quarterback. Through the 1965 season, pro football’s top team was determined in the NFL Championship Game. The Super Bowl originated in 1967 after the NFL and the American Football League agreed to merge. Today, the Super Bowl is simply the NFL Championship Game – plus hype that the NFL never imagined in the early 1960s. Starr was at quarterback when the Packers won NFL championships in 1961, 1962, 1965, Jan. 1967 (Super Bowl I) and Dec. 1967 (Super Bowl II). At the end of the 20th century, “The Sporting News” ranked him as one of the top 10 quarterbacks of all time, and he ranked 51st on the NFL.com all-time list. His signature stands out boldly on the “5” of his No. 15 on the front of the jersey. Nm-m 8 to mint 9 with very minor bleeding. Starr’s number is on the back of the jersey as well. The jersey is mint, with a cloth Throwback label and a “1969 Bart Starr” label in the tail. The original price tag for the size 52 remains attached - $300 for the jersey alone. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $240.
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 Lot 178. Autographs of Army’s Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard on the Sept. 16, 1945 “Life” Issue. Blanchard and Davis were one of the best backfield tandems in the history of college football. With Blanchard at fullback and Davis at right halfback, Earl Blaik’s Army teams went 27-0-1 from 1944-46 and captured three national championships. Together, they were known as the “Touchdown Twins,” and they won back-to-back Heisman Trophies - Blanchard, known as “Mr. Inside,” in 1945, and Davis, “Mr. Outside,” in 1946. Blaik, called Blanchard “the quickest starter I ever saw” and Davis, “the greatest halfback I ever knew.” Davis died in 2006, and Blanchard, in 2009. This is one of the finest items you’re likely find signed by these two college Hall of Fame players. The magazine, without a label, is vg+ to ex with a very light stain in the upper right corner, and the autographs are mint 9 to gem mint 10. JSA Authentication and Kevin Keating authenticated the autographs. The JSA Auction Letter of Authenticity may be exchanged for a full LoA at a discount.
Winning Bid $291.
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 Lot 179. Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard Signed 6.75” x 9.5” B&W Glossy Photo. Davis signed with “1946 Heisman ‘Mr. Outside’” and Blanchard with “1945 Heisman ‘Mr. Inside’.” With Blanchard at fullback and Davis at right halfback, Earl Blaik’s Army teams went 27-0-1 from 1944-46 and captured three national championships. Together, they were known as the “Touchdown Twins.” As their autographs indicate, they won back-to-back Heisman Trophies. Davis died in 2006, and Blanchard, in 2009. Nm-m 8 to mint 9 autographs authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $95.
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 Lot 180. “Red” Grange Autographed 8” x 10” B&W Photo. A charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Grange helped to ensure the growth and success of professional football. He is also a member of the College Hall of Fame. Grange died in 1991. His signature is large, bold, mint 9 and authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $75.
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 Lot 181. Color 8” x 10” Photo Signed by Tom Harmon and His Actress Wife Elyse Knox Harmon. One of the greatest football players in University of Michigan history, Harmon earned the Heisman Trophy in 1940. Subsequently, he had a long, successful career as a sports broadcaster. He was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. Knox appeared with Lon Chaney, Jr., in “The Mummy’s Tomb” and in a series of Joe Palooka films. She and Harmon married in 1944. Their children include Mark Harmon, star of the TV “NCIS” series. Tom Harmon died in 1990, and Knox, in 2012. Their autographs are nm-m 8 on what apparently is a magazine photo double-matted to 11” x 14” and ready for framing and display. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $115.
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 Lot 182. 10 8” x 10” Photos Signed by Hall of Fame Safety Ronnie Lott. All the same, the photos show Lott as a safety for the Oakland Raiders. At the close of the 20th century, “The Sporting News” cited Lott as the best safety of all-time and the 23rd best NFL player. The autographs are nm-m 8 and nm-m 8 to mint 9. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $61.
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 Lot 183. Autographs of Dan Marino and 33 Pitt 1980 Teammates on a Wilson Football. To some lesser selectors of national champions, the 1980 Pitt football team was the best in the country. The “New York Times,” the College Researchers Association and Sagarin Ratings thought so. The Associated Press didn’t agree, however, and 1980 is not regarded as a championship season by the Panthers. The mythological title went to unbeaten Georgia. Pitt lost once, leaving Marino and his teammates so very close to a championship. Marino’s autograph is on one of three brown panels on the Wilson football, along with Bill Maas, who would become the 1984 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year; Ron Killen and Danny Daniels. Two widely recognized Pitt names are on the white panel, Hugh Green and Mark May, along with Rick Trocano, Emil Boures, Willie Collier, Bill Neill, Ron “Moose” Sams, Dave Trout, Rob Fada and Mark Reichard. The ball is signed also by Tom Flynn, Tom Johnson, Paul Dunn, Denny Ballard, Pat McQuade, Dwight Collier, J C Pelusi, Dave Bucklew, Tony Magnelli, Joe McCall and Jimbo Covert. The autographs are generally nm 7 with some better. The ball is slightly deflated but seems as though it can be fully inflated. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $321.
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 Lot 184. 1969 NFL Press Information Mailings Sent to Bud Goode, Pioneer Statistical Analyst. Goode has been called the “godfather of NFL statistical analysis.” It was Goode who made the case that one of the best measures of quarterback performance is net yards per pass. This collection comprises 43 mailings of press releases and some statistical data sent to Goode primarily in September 1969. Twenty-six mailings are from the National Football, American Football and Continental Football Leagues and NFL teams; 10 from college football associations and schools; four from Major League Baseball; one from the American Basketball Association and two from the NBA. The NFL mailing contains a five-page release previewing games for the upcoming weekend, identifying team co-captains and summarizing some games from the previous weekend. A Dallas Cowboys’ release previews a pre-season game with the Houston Oilers and provides pre-season stats. Denver offers vignettes concerning various players, a team roster and a depth chart. A Pittsburgh Steelers’ release relates the story of running back Warren Bankston’s mostly nightmarish NFL debut. Against Detroit, Bankston lost two fumbles that led to Lions’ scores, one with less than five minutes left in the game. But he found redemption as he swept left end from the Lions’ six yard line, broke three tackles and scored the winning TD. The other NFL mailings contain similar information. The Big 10 package has a list of 50 trivia questions. A Big 8 release focuses on Steve Owens, the 1969 Heisman Trophy winner who played for Oklahoma. Conference standings and leader information are included. A National League release discusses the pennant race. The ABA enclosed nine pages of final statistics for the 1968-69 season. Twenty-nine of the 43 envelopes remain unopened. Plenty of interesting reading material awaits our winning bidder.
Winning Bid $225.
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 Lot 185. 3 Vintage Walter Camp Books Including a “Captain Danny” First Edition. By the time he was 33, Camp was already known as the “Father of Football.” He played at Yale and then coached there and at Stanford. In addition to his full-time job, Camp wrote articles and books, primarily on football. Published in 1914 by D. Appleton and Company, “Captain Danny” is one of Camp’s rare baseball novels. This copy is vg. The binding is firm. The paste-down illustration on the cover shows some soiling, and the book has minor stains along the edges of a number of pages. Stampings on the spine are faded. The two other Camp books, both non-fiction, are: “Athletes All: Training, Organization, and Play,” a 1919 first edition published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, vg+ to ex, no dust jacket. And “The Book of Sports and Games,” 1923, ex with illustrated boards. These books represent very desirable additions to a sports library.
Minimum Bid $95.
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 Lot 266. Autographed Rare Early Football History by Dr. Harry March, “Father of Pro Football.” March may not be a household name, but he significantly influenced the early days of the professional game. His account of those days is presented in “Pro Football: Its ‘Ups’ and ‘Downs’ (A Light-hearted History of the Post Graduate Game),” which was originally published in 1934. This updated version from 1939 is ex, published without a dust jacket and with gilt lettering on the red boards. It contains illustrations by Burris Jenkins, the New York “Journal-American” cartoonist whose original artwork appears elsewhere among the collectibles from the Bert Randolph Sugar estate. Photos also punctuate the book, which contains an introduction by Grantland Rice and a brief, concluding essay by Paul Gallico. A reporter who became a physician and historian, March helped to organize the National Football League and the second American Football League. He talked Tim Mara into buying the NFL New York franchise, which became the Giants, a team March served as secretary and the president from 1925-33. Spending much of his life in Ohio, he was one of the team doctors for the early 1900s Canton Bulldogs. He was present for the 1906 betting scandal related to the Bulldogs and Massillon Tigers. His account of the scandal, presented here, has been questioned by more recent football historians. March signed the flyleaf on Sept. 25, 1939. The autograph is personalized to Rud Rennie, a sportswriter for the “New York Tribune” (later the Herald-Tribune”). In 1940, Rennie passed the book on to Jesse Abramson, a Herald-Tribune writer who became the first reporter inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame. Kevin Keating authenticated the autograph March applied with a steel-tipped pen. It is nm-m 8.
Winning Bid $180.
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 Lot 267. Knute Rockne Book and 1931 Metal Relief Plaquette. The bust sculpture, 5” x 6.75”, is signed (facsimile) by known artist Morgan V. Hinchman and dated 1931. Nm-m. The book is a biography, “Goals: The Life of Knute Rockne” by H. W. Hurt, 1931 apparent first edition, vg-ex, not dust jacket. Lowell Thomas wrote the book’s introduction. The sculpture is a very rare item produced after Rockne died in a plane crash in 1931. Closing in on one century after his death, he remains one of the most highly regarded coaches in football history.
Minimum Bid $100.
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 Lot 268. “Illustrated Football Annual” Complete Run of 24 Issues, 1930-53. Forget the huge volume of quality photographs in each issue and the excellent articles by staff and guest writers such as Walter Camp and John Heisman. The covers alone are worth a strong bid for these annuals, which provide some of the best coverage ever of college football. Issues contain either 72 or 96 pages. All but five issues have been bound in four hardcover volumes: 1930-35, 1936-41, 1945-47 and 1948-51. These magazines have been trimmed by about 5/16” top-to-bottom to fit the hardcover format. Covers through 1941 feature illustrations. Frank Sinkwich adorns the 1942 cover, and later subjects include Herm Wedemeyer, Bobby Layne, Chuck Bednarik and Les Richter. The pages of the hardbound issues generally are nm. Most covers in these issues are ex-m or better. The 1930 cover is vg-ex; 1934 f-g; and 1945 and 1947, ex. The unbound annuals are 1942 vg-ex, 1943 ex, 1944 g+ to vg, 1952 g-vg and 1953 vg.
Winning Bid $121.
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 Lot 269. F. (Frank) Leahy Autograph on a Typed 1949 Letter to Bert Sugar. In the letter typed on Notre Dame stationery, Leahy thanks Sugar for his interest in Notre Dame and transmits a photo (not included) of the 1948 football team. A case can be made that only Knute Rockne, who coached Leahy as a player, was more successful as a college football coach. His career record is 107-13-9. He won national championships at Boston College in 1940 and at Notre Dame in 1943, 1946, 1947 and 1949. He was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 1970. Leahy died in 1973. His signature is nm-m 8 and authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $50.
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 Lot 307. Impressive Print Signed by 53 Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 1970s Dynasty. This 23” x 39” Wayne Prokopiak lithograph was autographed by Steelers’ stars and support players alike at the 1999 “Team of the Decade Reunion Weekend” in Pittsburgh. In includes Lynn Swann, who did not sign some of these prints because of a contract dispute with the promoter. The sharpie signatures are strong 10s by Larry Anderson, Matt Bahr, John Banaszak, Tom Beasley, Theo Bell (died 2006), Rocky Bleier, Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Ed Bradley, Larry Brown, Jim Clack (d. 2006), Robin Cole, Craig Colquitt, Dick Conn, Steve Coursin (d. 2005), Bennie Cunningham, Gary Dunn, Glen Edwards, Frenchy Fuqua, Steve Furness (died 2000), Reggie Garrett, Roy Gerela, Joe Greene, L. C. Greenwood (d. 2013), Randy Grossman, Jack Ham, Terry Hanratty, Franco Harris, Reggie Harrison, Greg Hawthorne, Ernie Holmes (d. 2008), Ron Johnson, Marv Kellum, Jon Kolb, Mike Kruczek, Jack Lambert, Rick Moser, Gerry Mullins, Chuck Noll, Ted Petersen, Dave Reavis, Andy Russell, Donnie Shell, John Stallworth, Cliff Stoudt, Lynn Swann, J. T. Thomas, Sidney Thornton, Mike Wagner, Bobby Walden, Mike Webster (d. 2002), Dwight White (d. 2008) and Dwayne Woodruff. The print, No. 406 of 1,000, is professionally matted and framed to 30 ½” x 44 ½”. The autographs, generally mint 9 or gem mint 10, have been authenticated by Kevin Keating and JSA Authentication. The JSA Auction Letter of Authenticity may be exchanged for a full LoA at a discount.
Winning Bid $587.
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