Just acquired most of the 1954 Bowman football set (128 cards total). I love the way the information on the back of the cards gives insights into the way things were different then, both for the country overall and for pro athletes.

Card #89 is of Don Boll, a Tackle for the Washington Redskins. Here is the first part of what Bowman has to say about him:

Quote:Second season. Rated by many as best rookie offensive lineman in National League last year. Born in Scribner, Neb., where he attended high school. Named on Players' All-Big Seven team and several All-America squads during his senior year at the University of Nebraska.

So far, so normal, although certain phrasings are a little different from what you'd expect today. But here's the end of Bowman's little biography:

Quote:Served four years in the Marines--younger brother, Duane, also a Nebraska gridder, was killed in Korea. Has seven sisters. Works in off-season as a supervisor in a shipping warehouse.

That bit about the Marines really stands out. Figure you've got 1,600-1,700 or so "active" players on the 32 NFL team rosters. I wonder if you could find a single one who put four years in the Corps. Having a brother KIA is probably quite rare, too, although with the Iraq/Afghanistan situations, the concept is at least something that a lot of people have a little familiarity with. Not so the concept of being one of nine children (at least nine), which was notable in 1954 but almost freakish in today's America, where three kids is considered a "large" family. And then my favorite sentence about working in a warehouse during the offseason. Do you suppose there is any player on an active NFL roster who has a second job on the offseason? (endorsements, "acting" in TV/movies, autograph shows, etc., don't count). I would be shocked if there is. I wonder when was the last time any player did have a job like that. For grade-school kids whose awareness of "history" only goes back 4-5-6 years, I wonder if they would even understand the basic idea of a pro athlete having to work in the offseason. They might wonder why someone who plays in the NFL would "want" to do that, LOL.

It really is a different world today compared to then...

The only NFL player who I know of being a Marine is Ahmard Hall.

you think it's freakish for an NFL player to be one of nine children? I wouldn't find it weird at all. What I'd find weird is the dad of one of today's players having the same last name as his son

(02-20-2011 07:15 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  you think it's freakish for an NFL player to be one of nine children? I wouldn't find it weird at all. What I'd find weird is the dad of one of today's players having the same last name as his son

Or maybe it could be the other way around...sorta. Cromartie has 9 kids by 8 women in 6 states. Is it no wonder he's the only player bitching for the nfl and the player's union to get a new contract?