• Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on Ebay
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
      • Hottest Baseball Hobby Boxes
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • NBA Top Shot
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, we may receive a commission.  It helps keep us afloat!

  • Sports Memorabilia News
    • Barnebys Sports Auction Highlights
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
    • Hobby Shops Selling, Breaking Online During COVID-19
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Around the Hobby / Veterans Day: Honoring Athletes Who Served
Baseball Card Exchange

Veterans Day: Honoring Athletes Who Served

November 10, 2015 By Bob D'Angelo

As the United States honors its military veterans on this Veterans Day, it’s instructive to understand that some very real sacrifices were made by athletes to keep the country free. Some  paid with their lives; others sacrificed the primes of their athletic careers to serve in the military.

Some are household names. Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson come to mind. Hank Greenberg was the first American League player to register for America’s first peacetime draft, taking the oath on May 7, 1941. He was discharged on December 5, 1941, but re-enlisted the following February after Pearl Harbor was attacked two days after his honorable discharge. Greenberg would miss 3 1/2 seasons before returning in 1945.

Others athletes have been obscured by history, but are just as important. One who comes to mind is Eddie Grant, one of the few players killed during World War I. The New York Giants had a plaque dedicated to his memory at the Polo Grounds on Memorial Day, 1921.

It would take a lengthy series to mention all of those military heroes, but here are just a few:

Jack LummusLummusOBAK2011SP

Lummus was a defensive end for the New York Giants. One month after New York lost the NFL’s Eastern Division title to the Chicago Bears, Lummus became an officer in the Marine Corps.

Lummus, who also starred collegiately at Baylor, distinguished himself at Iwo Jima in 1945 and received the Congressional Medal of Honor. He continued to fight despite being injured in the shoulder and helped his platoon eliminate fortified enemy positions.

He stepped on a land mine, which blew off both his legs. As doctors tried to save him, Lummus was quoted as saying, “Well, doc, the New York Giants lost a mighty good end today.”

Lummus was one of 23 NFL players killed during World War II.  He didn’t have any cards during his playing days but Tri-Star’s Obak series has honored him.

Yogi Berra

He might have been famous for his pithy statements and a stellar baseball career — three American League MVP awYogi Berra rookie cardards, a 15-time all-star, and catcher/outfielder for 14 pennant winners (and 10 World Series champions) and manager for the 1964 A.L. champion Yankees — but Lawrence Peter Berra saw some major action during World War II.

Berra served in the Navy from 1944 to 1945, joining the armed forces as an 18-year-old. He was a gunner’s mate on a landing craft on D-Day, as Allied troops stormed Omaha Beach on the Normandy coast on June 6, 1944.

Berra told interviewer Keith Olbermann that the attack “was like the Fourth of July.”

“I said, “Boy, it looks pretty, all the planes coming over.” And I was looking out and my officer said, “you better get your head down in here, if you want it on.’”

Berra would keep his head and go on to a Hall of Fame baseball career, one that included cards and autographs from 1948-present.

Bob Feller

“Rapid Robert” won 266 games during his 18 seasons with the Cleveland Indians. He won 20 games six times, including 27 in 1940.

He also lost nearly four years of pitching time, enlisting in the Navy the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. In the three years leading up to his enlistment, Feller won 24, 27 and 25 games. When he returned from the war he put together 26- and 20-win seasons. It’s fair to say that Feller would have won more than 300 games had World War II not interrupted his career.

2015 Cooperstown Bob FellerFeller was signing autographs before a spring training game in Winter Haven, Florida, about a decade ago. One fan told him it was a shame that he lost so many prime seasons to the war effort.

Feller didn’t even hesitate. “I’d do it all over again,” he said.

Feller was not happy serving in a special physical fitness program. He enrolled in gunnery school and was assigned to the USS Alabama in late 1942. He spent the next 26 months as the Alabama’s chief specialist in charge of a crew that controlled the ship’s anti-aircraft equipment.

Feller was involved in several battles in the Pacific, including skirmishes in the Gilbert and Marshall island chains.  He was used in numerous War-era advertising campaigns which are very popular collectibles today and appeared in the ‘Armed Forces’ subset of this year’s Panini Cooperstown set.

Rocky Bleier

After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1968 and playing a season, Bleier was drafted by the U.S. Army and shipped to Vietnam in May 1969.bleier75toppsrc

He was part of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade and took a load of shrapnel in his leg during fighting. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, but doctors told Bleier he’d never play football again.

Undaunted, Bleier returned to the Steelers in 1971 and became the blocking back for Franco Harris. He played 130 regular-season games and 10 playoff contests over the next decade and won four rings as a member of Pittsburgh’s four Super Bowl championship teams.

Bleier included some Army inscriptions on this rather unique signed Steelers helmet.  His rookie card was in the 1975 Topps set and he appeared in a few others as well.

Bob Kalsu

He was an All-American offensive tackle in 1967 at Oklahoma, the year the Sooners went 10-1 and beat Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. Bob Kalsu was drafted in 1968 by the Buffalo Bills and by season’s end was voted the team’s rookie of the year.

In 1969, he was called to serve in Vietnam, leaving his pregnant wife Jan and 10-month-old daughter Jill.  A 1st lieuteKalsu-2011 Tri-Starnant for the 11th artillery unit of the 101st Airborne unit, Kalsu was killed on July 21, 1970, at the remote Firebase Ripcord in Thua Thien, along with 60 other fellow soldiers.

At the time of his death, Kalsu and his unit had been pinned down for weeks by enemy fire.

He was the only active NFL player to die in the Vietnam war.

Early on July 23, 1970, Jan Kalsu gave birth to a son, named Robert Todd Kalsu. That afternoon, a uniformed Army officer informed the family of the death of Bob Kalsu. Later that night, Jan changed the boy’s name to James Robert Kalsu Jr.

In 2000, the Bills added Kalsu’s name to the Wall of Fame at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Kalsu also appears in the Obak sets.

Warren Spahn

2007 Topps Warren Spahn Distinguished ServiceSpahn is the winningest left-handed pitcher in major-league history with 363 victories. He won 2o or more games 13 times and won the Cy Young Award in 1957, receiving 15 out of a possible 16 votes after a 21-11 season.

Spahn made his major-league debut with the Boston Braves in 1942, but had no decisions in four games. He spent the next three seasons in the Army with the 276th Engineer Combat Battalion, the 1159th Engineer Combat Group.

Spahn’s unit fought in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, and then monitored and protected the flow of traffic over the Ludendorff Bridge — the only bridge spanning the Rhine River that allowed passage into Germany.

A staff sergeant, Spahn was injured by shards of shrapnel in his foot as the Germans maintained a steady, daily fire.

Spahn was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart and was promoted to 1st lieutenant.

Topps included him in its 2007 Distinguished Service set.

Ted Williams

One of major-league baseball’s greatest hitters and the last player to bat .400 in a season, Williams had a career .3tedwilliams39playballrc44 average and hit 521 home runs. He won the Triple Crown in 1942 and ’47 and was a two-time American League MVP.

Williams enlisted in the Navy after the 1942 season. His goal was to become a Naval fighter pilot, and by May 1944 he had earned his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant. Until June 1945, he served as an instructor with the U.S. Marine Corps reserves.

Williams also served a second stint in the military, recall
ed in 1952 and deployed with Marine Aircraft Group 33 to Korea.

Williams flew 39 combat missions over Korea before being relieved due to complications from an ear infection.

He had missed most of the 1952 and ‘’53 baseball seasons, but returned full time in 1954 and remained with the Red Sox until his retirement after the 1960 season. He homered in his final at-bat, on September 28, 1960.

His best cards span three decades.

Pat Tillman

Tillman would have turned 38 on Novempattillmanber 6. He was the first NFL player to be killed in combat since Bob Kalsu in 1970.

Tillman is the only player to ever give up a multimillion dollar contract to serve his country, and he did it voluntarily. Tillman turned down a three-year, $3.6 million offer from the Arizona Cardinals after the 2001 season and enlisted in the Army.  He appeared in the 2001 Upper Deck set.

Joining the Army Rangers was motivated by the September 11 attacks. Tillman already was an all-pro safety with the Cardinals and was 25 in 2002, entering the prime of his career.

He was deployed to Iraq, then was serving in Afghanistan when he was killed by friendly fire on
April 22, 2004.

After his death, the Pat Tillman Foundation was established, in hopes of inspiring and supporting individuals seeking positive change in themselves and the world.

Eddie LeBaron

The left-handed “Littlest General” was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1950. He played two preseason games, then entered the Korean War as a 2nd lieutenant with the Marinlebarones.

He was wounded twice during his nine-month hitch in Korea and won a Purple Heart. He also won a Bronze Star.

LeBaron appears in several 1950s and 60s football sets.

Forest K. Ferguson Jr.

“Fergie” is the classic case of what could have been.fergiehirez

The second All-American in University of Florida history, Ferguson set the pass receiving record at Florida with a 74-yard catch against Miami in 1941.

He had received letters from several NFL teams, including the Steelers and Lions, but his mission after graduation was to enlist in the Army.

Ferguson distinguished himself at D-Day, helping to blow a gap in the German lines on Omaha Beach. He was mortally wounded that day, halting his athletic career.

Ferguson would die from his wounds in 1954, nearly 10 years to the day after the Normandy landings. Florida named an annual award after Ferguson, presenting it to the Gators senior who displays leadership and courage.

I don’t believe any cards have been released of Ferguson, but I know of at least one recent book written about him.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Ramblings: Cardboard Heroes Became Real Heroes During War Time Don Newcombe 1950 Bowman rookie card1950 Bowman Baseball a Trend Setter Turk KaramTopps’ Scout Hunted Players’ Signatures in 1952 Signed baseball cardsSignatures for Soldiers Turns Autographs into Assistance Found at Flea Market, Rare Mascot Dog Food Mantle, Berra Bring $28,000 Play Ball 1941 collectionThought Lost, Pristine 1941 Play Ball Collection Emerges from Attic Topps 1954 uncut sheet1954 Topps Baseball Set Offers Ted x 2; Aaron’s Debut 1952 Berk Ross Baseball Set Offered Joe D, Mantle, Mays, Jackie Jackie Robinson 1954 Topps cardsHuge High-Grade 1950s Find Includes Crazy Haul of HOFers
Avatar

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Around the Hobby, Popular Stories Tagged With: Bob Feller, military, pat tillman, players who served, Ted Williams, veterans, Yogi Berra

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click one and make a purchase, we receive a commission.  The revenue is what helps keep SC Daily afloat!

What\
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs
  • Graded Rookie Cards
  • Authenticated Photos
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $75
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less
  • Pre-1985 Graded Football Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1980 Graded Basketball Cards $10 and less
  • Pre-1990 Graded Hockey Cards $5 and Less
  • Complete Sets Under $10 with Free Shipping
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1

RSS Auction Report

  • SCP Auctions Winter Premier Auction Is Right Around the Corner
  • Most Expensive Kobe Bryant Card Ever Hits $1.2 Million In Ongoing Auction at Goldin Auctions
  • Steve Novella Offers 1956 Topps Baseball PSA Partial Set Break Ending March 2, 2021


Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forum
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cards
  • Game Used Jerseys
  • 1952 Topps Baseball
  • Championship Rings For Sale
  • Vintage Basketball Cards
  • NBA Signed Items
  • Signed Sports Memorabilia
  • UFC Memorabilia
  • Autographed Baseballs
  • NASCAR Autographs
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cards
  • Player Pictures
  • Vintage Football Cards
  • Sports Card Boxes
  • Sports Collectors Store

Pages

  • 10 Hottest Kareem Hunt Rookie Cards
  • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
  • 100 Hottest UFC Trading Cards
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 20 Hottest Barry Sanders Football Cards
  • 2016 Cubs Replica Championship Rings Don’t Cost a Fortune
  • 2017 Topps Definitive Collection Box Breaks, Most Watched
  • 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Championship Memorabilia Guide
  • 2019 US Women’s World Cup Apparel, Merchandise, Memorabilia Guide
  • 50 Hottest Baseball Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Kevin Durant Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • 8 Types of Kobe Bryant Collectibles to Remember Him By
  • Aaron Judge Game Used Memorabilia Inventory Growing
  • About Us/Contact/Advertise
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Affordable Vintage Sports Cards and Collectibles
  • Barnebys Sports Memorabilia Auctions
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Best Derek Jeter Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Best Display Cabinets for Sports Memorabilia
  • Best Joey Votto Rookie Cards
  • Best Pascal Siakam Rookie Cards
  • Chiefs Super Bowl Champs Memorabilia Hits the Market
  • Current Most Watched Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Dale Murphy Rookie Card Remains Popular, Affordable
  • Eagles Super Bowl Champions Memorabilia Guide
  • Fanatics Under Wraps 2017 Next Level Edition Autographed Baseballs
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Frank Gore Rookie Cards Get No Respect
  • Gardner Minshew Rookie Cards Heat Up as Fun-Loving Rookie Shows His Ability
  • Great Gifts for Cubs Fans
  • Guide to 2018-19 Clemson Tigers National Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Houston Astros Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to LSU National Championship Merchandise, Memorabilia
  • Guide to Nationals World Series Champs Memorabilia, Merchandise
  • Guide to St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Champions Merchandise, Memorabilia
  • Guide to Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Memorabilia
  • Hank Aaron Cards on eBay
  • Henrik Lundqvist Rookie Cards a Strong Long-Term Play
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Hottest 2019 Baseball Rookie Cards
  • Hottest 2019 NFL Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Chicago Bulls Memorabilia Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Devin Booker Rookie Cards as Suns Star Piles Up Points
  • Hottest Kyle Lewis Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Lonzo Ball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini World Cup Stickers on eBay
  • Hottest Pokémon Card Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Topps NOW Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Xander Bogaerts Rookie Cards
  • LeBron James Lakers Jerseys Already Available
  • Links
  • Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Popular Mark McGwire Rookie Card Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Kobe Bryant Basketball Card Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Topps Project 2020 Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Nick Bosa Rookie Cards Getting Collectors’ Attention
  • Patriots Super Bowl 51 Champions Merchandise
  • Ryne Sandberg Rookie Cards, Minor League Issues Still Collector Favorites
  • Selling Sports Cards on eBay for Cash
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Test
  • The 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Kris Bryant Auto Saga: A Timeline
  • Tony Gwynn Rookie Cards Recall “The Best Hitter Since Ted”
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Top Selling Patriots Super Bowl Championship Items
  • Upper Deck Authenticated Autographs Remain Popular, Accessible
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
  • Wade Boggs Rookie Cards Still a Collector Favorite
  • Wayne Gretzky Cards
  • What’s Hot on eBay
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Where to Buy the Anthony Fauci Topps Baseball Card
  • Write About Your Sports Collection
  • Write for Sports Collectors Daily

Copyright © 2021 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Genesis Web Design by Wickam Group