Steve Shields 1999-00 BAP Millennium auto
For $2 I was able to nab my third autograph of former Michigan goalie Steve Shields. He's rocking a cool mask on this card, so I'm guessing Douglas from Sports Cards From the Dollar Store will give it a thumbs-up. I just really like his nice signature that includes his jersey number.
Ed Frutig 2002 TK Legacy auto
This pair of TK Legacy autos came from the same seller as the Shields and also cost $2 apiece, which I'll take ANY day of the week--I need as many of these as I can get! I'm also very excited that they're both new to the PC, meaning I now have 97 different guys in the football PC. I'll spare you my usual paean to that set and give a little background on a couple guys I didn't know very well until today:
Timberlake was a Wolverine from 1962-64 and since versatility was still a thing then, he played at HB, QB, P and PK. His greatest success was QBing the Wolverines to the 1964 Big Ten and Rose Bowl titles. He wasn't so successful in the NFL, where the Giants drafted him as a QB but installed him as a kicker for long FGs and extra points. He would go 1/15 on FGs that year, which obviously looks bad, but then again, it's not like he was the starting kicker. That would be his only season in the NFL, and he would go on to become a Presbyterian minister, a faculty member at Marquette, and a bit of a humanitarian.
Frutig, who passed away in 2011, was a receiver for the Maize and Blue from 1938-40. A Michigander from River Rouge, his sophomore year coincided with Fritz Crisler debuting Michigan's now-ubiquitous winged helmet. He was even more fortunate that his tenure coincided with that of Heisman-winner Tom Harmon. Ed's performance was worthy of praise itself, though, as he blocked FIVE punts during the 1940 season; can your best WR claim that? He was then drafted by the Packers, was a Navy pilot during WWII, played a few seasons for the Lions, and coached at Washington State. Wikipedia also mentions that he was part of a committee attempting to install former teammate Forest Evashevski as Michigan's HC and AD in 1967, but those jobs famously went to Bo and fellow legend, AD Don Canham. What would life had been like otherwise?!
Al Wistert 1951 Bowman
Wistert was one of three brothers to play for Michigan, though this card confuses things. See, this is clearly Al Wistert, an OT for the Eagles (including the famous "Phil-Pitt Steagles" of 1943) throughout his nine-year NFL career. Confusing things further is the fact that all three brothers wore #11 for the Wolverines. FURTHER further confusing things, one of his brothers, Francis, was actually nicknamed "Whitey." And now, getting into "Screwy, ain't it?" territory, Al's OTHER brother was named Alvin.
Anyway, this Wistert (I'm pretty sure at this point anyway), played in Ann Arbor from 1940-42, played tackle, just like his brothers (with the same jersey number, as mentioned), and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, just like--you guessed it--his brothers. He was also good enough to get his number retired by the Wolverines. All that pales in comparison to his outstanding NFL career, though: eight straight All-Pro nods, a member of the all-1940s team, a five-time team captain and winner of two championships, who'd then have his number retired by the team. Looking at all that I'm not really sure why he's not in the NFL Hall of Fame, but what do I know? Anyway, when do you think you'll ever see a trio of players like THAT again?
This card, which isn't a rookie, but may be the oldest of everything in my entire collection--baseball included, I'd have to look--inspired me to create a whole new album: Michigan Football vintage. I hope to be adding more to it soon, but it's got a pretty good start already. Wister's entry is in pretty good shape for being almost 65 years old! It's a bit smaller than the traditional 2.5x3.5 we know today, and a great way to get me into collecting some very historical stuff!
Ok, now that those are up I'll be back with some more COMC stuff this week, at least one more eBay pickup, and maybe a Blowout purchase while I'm at it. Til then, GO BLUE!
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