The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 was announced during the NFL Honors Awards show last Thursday night.
The defensive heavy nine member class includes cornerback/safety Ronde Barber, coach Don Coryell, linebacker Chuck Howley, defensive end/tackle Joe Klecko, cornerback Darrelle Revis, cornerback Ken Riley, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, linebacker Zach Thomas and defensive end DeMarcus Ware.
The new class of immortals will be enshrined in Canton, OH on Saturday, August 5.
Any time a player is bestowed such an honor and a such a special capstone is put on a legendary career, the collectibles world turns to add pieces of that history to their collective collections. Rookie cards are among the most sought after and prices for those players’ first cardboard appearances rise in lock step with their election.
Below is a list of true rookie cards and the first appearances of each of the new inductees.
Chuck Howley
Howley was the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 1958 NFL Draft. After suffering what was considered a career ending knee injury, he retired after the 1959 season. From the files of ‘you wouldn’t believe this if it was written into a movie,’ he decided to make a comeback after playing in the 1961 West Virginia alumni game. He was traded to the Cowboys prior to 1961 where he starred for Tom Landry and was late named MVP of Super Bowl V, becoming the first defensive player–and the first on a losing team– to win the award. Howley finished his career with 25 interceptions, was named to six Pro Bowls, was a first team All Pro 5 times and a second team All Pro once.
Howley’s only rookie card is found in the classic 1966 Philadelphia set and can be purchased for 30-50 bucks in decent shape ungraded. The image is a rather intense portrait of Howley, busted lip and all.
Ken Riley
The former Florida A&M quarterback spent 15 seasons in the Bengals defensive backfield as one of the finest cornerbacks in the league. “Mr. Bengal” played in over 200 games, grabbed 65 interceptions, leading the team in the INT category for an astounding seven straight seasons. He ranks 5th all time on the NFL’s career interceptions list. Sadly, this most deserving candidate died a couple of years ago.
Riley has a single rookie card found in the 1973 Topps set. He is featured in a posed shot, smiling into the camera getting ready to backpedal and cover whatever poor wide receiver was lined up across from him. Ungraded copies can still be had for under $25 but high grade examples are tough with even NM 7 copies now stretching over $175.
Joe Klecko
Picked by the New York Jets in the 6th round of the 1977 NFL draft, Klecko was a key part of the infamous and formidable New York Sack Exchange defense. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year and 1981 after leading the entire league with 20 1/2 sacks. The Temple product was a two time 1st team All Pro and a member of four Pro Bowl teams. Playing defensive end, defensive tackle and nose tackle throughout his career, he became only the second player in NFL history to be selected to the Pro Bowl at three different positions.
Klecko has a single rookie card in 1978 Topps. A nice ungraded one can usually be purchased for under 15 bucks. Although it doesn’t hold the same cache the Tony Dorsett and John Stallworth rookie cards do that year, it will definitely get a pump up with his Hall of Fame nod.
Don Coryell
Coryell coached 14 years in the NFL, spending five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and nine with the San Diego Chargers. The pass first coach, nicknamed “Air Coryell”, led both teams from the basement to the penthouse…and to the playoffs for the first time in a long time. He was the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in 1974 and won various AFC and NFC Coach of the Year awards during his legendary career. He is one of only a handful of coaches to win over 100 games on both the collegiate and professional levels. Coryell is also a member of the College Football of Fame.
Coryell doesn’t have a true rookie card but his first card was found in 1976 in a Cardinals team issue and once again in 1981 in The San Diego Chargers Police set (along with a couple of other local sets in later years).
Zach Thomas
Overlooked, undersized and initially underappreciated, middle linebacker Zach Thomas made an immediate impact in Miami. He earned team MVP honors and was named the AFC Defensive Rookie of the year in 1996. He led the team from South Beach by racking up more than a 100 tackles in each of his first 11 seasons. The Texas Tech product was named first team All Pro five times and made seven trips to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.
The Dolphins defensive dominator has a very manageable eight true rookie cards. His better rookies are found in 1996 Bowman’s Best and in the then high end Upper Deck product 1996 SP. Lower end rookie card such as Scoreboard lasers, Collector’s Edge Advantage and Collector’s Choice Update are readily available for little cost. Interestingly enough, every single one of his rookie cards has him in the home white Dolphins jersey.
Ronde Barber
Barber played his entire 16-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1997 to 2012. The cornerback turned safety played in 241 regular season games and started 215 consecutive games. He finished his career with 47 regular season interceptions, a Buccaneers franchise record. Barber is the NFL’s all-time leader in career sacks for a cornerback and the only player in NFL history to sang at least 45 interceptions and secure 25 sacks. He’s a three time All Pro, 5 time Pro Bowler and a member of the NFL All Decade Team of the 2000’s.
The career Buccaneer only has two true RCs, a lower end card in Upper Deck’s 1997 Collector’s Choice product and a higher end card in 1997 SP Authentic, his most notable and noteworthy rookie. The SP Authentic sells for around $30-50 in mid grade raw form. A PSA 9 Mint copy recently sold for over $300.
Darrelle Revis
One of the first defensive backs to welcome the opposition to their own small island found on a piece of dry land in the middle of the football sea was Revis Island. Cornerback Darrelle Revis is next in line football Hall of Fame induction. Quite possibly the best corner back of the era, Revis was selected 14th overall in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Revis defined a lockdown corner and was the blueprint at the position moving forward. A four time 1st Team All Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, the Pitt product was named the NFL’s All Decade Team for the 2010’s.
You definitely don’t have to be on an island to find a Revis rookie as he has 34 true RCs from back in 2007. They run the gamut from low end to high end with some of the high end cards being his SP Authentic SPx, and Ultimate Collection rookie cards. Revis has more than his fair share of serial numbered, autographed and memorabilia rookie cards to choose from. His Exquisite Collection Rookie Signatures is one of the nicer RCs available.
Demarcus Ware
Picked 11th overall in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Ware led Dallas in sacks from his rookie season of 2005 through 2012, a total eight consecutive seasons. He led the entire league in sacks twice with 20 in 2008 and 15.5 in 2010. Ware got to the quarterback a 138.5 times in this career and still holds the Cowboys franchise sack record with 117. The nine time Pro Bowler was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000’s.
Ware has a wide range of true rookie cards to choose from with 40 in total. You can purchase his low end flagship Topps and Bowman rookie cards for a few dollars or you could buy his 2005 Exquisite Collection auto rookie card for over a $100. Ware’s 2005 Ultimate Collection rookie card is another high end option. There is a DeMarcus Ware rookie card for every price range and budget. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, many of Ware’s rookie cards have him pictured in practice gear or in training camp gear and not his official NFL uniform.
Joe Thomas
The only offensive lineman in this class is a great one who could be considered the best of his generation, offensive tackle Joe Thomas played his entire career with the Cleveland Browns. That tenure included 11 seasons and a 167 games.
He developed into a top NFL prospect at Wisconsin, earning the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top interior lineman. He was selected third overall by the Brownies in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Known for a wide array of skills and abilities including his strength, agility and durability, Thomas played an NFL record 10,363 consecutive snaps, while allowing a microscopic 30 sacks in his entire NFL career. The human wall was the first offensive lineman in NFL history to be named a Pro Bowler in each of his first 10 seasons.
Being one of the most highly touted linemen of the generation, there was no shortage of Thomas rookie cards. In fact, there are 37 different true rookies for Mr. Thomas, including a number that feature jerseys, autographs and low serial numbers. His rookie card in the classic Playoff Contenders set was numbered to just 129 copies. The new HOFer also has RPAs in SPx, SP Authentic and more high end Upper Deck products. His Ultimate Collection RC features an autograph and a serial number to 150 copies. Collectors can’t forget about as iconic National Treasures jersey/auto/rookie card numbered to 99 copies.
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Notes: Monday Show; REA Results; Bounced Checks = Trouble for Ohio Breaker; Football Hall’s Aquisition MO
