The Prodigal BALTIMORE Colt card appears

Back in 2015 I did a long series showcasing the history of BALTIMORE Colts cards and related items. It was the most fun I've had writing this meager blog. Chasing what I needed was a challenge and researching the cards very rewarding. I still lack a few odds and ends and those are listed on a wantlist page linked over in the sidebar.

As I was putting the Colts cards together I had an invaluable tool, a checklist I bought from this company. It was pretty thorough although I found a few small errors which I brought to the attention of the author. As advertised I was sent a free updated list a few weeks ago.

I figured double-checking my cards against the new list would be a good idea. Sure enough, before I even reached the bottom of the first column I hit a snag. My 1955 Bowman Colts group was a card short. I was lacking Tom Keane, card #30.

This card had been left off the original list. I immediately hit eBay and found this copy for $3. And as of Monday all is right with the world, my Colts card collection is back in order.

I love the 'Fake Reverse from Double Wing' play that graces the back of the card. Looks like something we ran at Nutley High in 1965.

Tom Keane attended both Ohio State and West Virginia, played football at both and squeezing a Naval stint in between. From Wikipedia:

Keane was a third round selection and 18th overall pick in the 1948 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams. He played four years with the Rams, where he won the 1951 NFL title. He left the Rams to go play a year for the Dallas Texans. Due to injuries, he started one game at quarterback for the Texans. He then played two years with the Baltimore Colts and finally ending his career with the Chicago Cardinals in 1955. During his career he was selected All-Pro twice and played in the 1953 Pro Bowl.

He later went on to coach for many years in the NFL with the Cardinals, Steelers and Dolphins. He was on the staff of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins squad.

Although he is pictured with Baltimore Keane was already with the Cardinals when this card was issued. I'm glad he's on a Colts card though...it's one more look at the wonderful old school logo that just screams BALTIMORE Colts to me. I'm glad the team that uses this team name in Indiana didn't carry over this sweet logo.

Super Bowl Sunday

I'm in a real party town today. My wife is running the New Orleans Marathon. I still wonder why they would schedule the race for today but here we are. Since I don't want my wife sitting in a car for a five hour trip back to Houston after she does the race we are staying over until Monday.

That means we will be trying to find a place to watch the game and enjoy some atmosphere in New Orleans. That's a little like saying I'm at the North Pole looking for snow. I really don't have a favorite today. That's usually the case in Super Bowls for me (unless of course the Cowboys are involved and in that case I root for the other team). I just want the game to be entertaining and I always hope my Buffalo wings come out tasty.

I don't have big Super Bowl parties but we do usually make it a family event. When my kids were young we would have fun decorating the living room with streamers and balloons in the teams' colors, making a 'Super Bowl cake' (it looked like a football field with the teams' mini helmets stuck in the icing of the 'end zones) and planning a junk food-laden menu.

It lost some of it's luster when my boys went off to college and couldn't always be here for the game. And obviously this year there will be no party at all. Which is a shame because for the first time in six years or so both my sons are living in Houston again after graduating.

The card at the top, a 1955 Bowman L. G. Dupre sort of ties all this together (I said 'sort of'... work with me here):

• Dupree was born in New Orleans. 
• He grew up  in Texas City, Texas, just a half hour down the road from my current home.
• He went to school at Baylor, not too awfully far from where one of my boys went (Texas State in San Marcos). 
• He began his career with my team, the BALTIMORE Colts. 
• He finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys. 
• He died in 2001 which was the year the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl. 

It's damn near the circle of Super Bowl life, no?

Dupre's real name is Louis George but he was always known as L.G. and his nickname was 'Long Gone' which is really pretty cool. Just saying 'Long Gone Dupre' brings 1950's football to mind, even if you never lived it.

He never had as many as 400 yards in any of his seven NFL seasons. But he got two World Championship rings with the Colts. And he played in the epic 1958 game in which the Colts beat the New York Football Giants 23-17 in overtime. Dupre carried 11 times for 30 yards and caught two passes for seven more. One of his carries was for 11 yards, the first play of the winning OT drive engineered by Johnny U.

And that card. It came from a one dollar bin at the TriStar show. Love that classic straight-arm, ball tucked pose. And that period Colts' jumping colt logo is a classic. Although the franchise in Indiana uses it from time to time it always makes me think of the days of Johnny U. The card's back contains some old school football terminology. Nobody is listed as a 'halfback' anymore and the 'T-formation' is ::ahem:: long gone. You better watch out for the 'Spinner from Double Wing' that's diagrammed on the bottom, though. I think Peyton Manning still calls that one from time to time.

Two more BALTIMORE Colts from my collection. Both cards from the NFL Championship season of 1959:

Long Gone Dupree, again

and Hall of Fame DE Gino Marchetti, with the two bar facemask no less.