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1979 Topps Football box - who is pictured?
jefferyadams
Posts: 56 ✭✭
Any football experts that can identify these players on a 1979 Topps football box? I did a little number research but no luck. Rams is odd because i can see but not match a name. Also was the 30 cent sticker something added late by Topps or a dealer add on? 
1
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I am guessing that Topps purposely airbrushed the wrong numbers on these players to avoid having to pay those particular players more fees. My guess is Steve DeBerg of the 49ers is getting sacked on the top left photo, Bob Avellini of the Bears is throwing a lateral pass to Walter Payton on the top right photo (Topps airbrushed Avellini's helmet to make it appear different from a Bears helmet), the player in the lower left corner looks familiar but I can't place him, it's looks like a Browns player but Topps may have airbrushed the real team, bottom center sure looks like Rams QB Vince Ferragamo although Pat Haden was the Rams QB for most of the 1978 season, I think Topps purposely airbrushed the name on the uniform to disguise who it is, and I believe the bottom right corner is Broncos QB Craig Morton.
Pretty sure the Niner QB is Plunkett.
The Browns player is Dave Logan, pretty popular player in Cleveland.
The Broncos QB in the lower right corner could be Craig Penrose, he wore #12 from '76 to '79.
I don't think the Bears QB in the upper right corner is Gary Huff, he wore #19 and had a very distinctive face. Avellini wore #7 and it wouldn't take much for a Topps airbrusher to put a 1 before the 7. Neither of the two Bears that wore #17 in the 70's was a QB. The only other possible explanation is that it's a preseason game and the #17 QB didn't make the team.
The Rams QB in the bottom center sure looks like Vince Ferragamo but the name on the jersey starts with 'BO', I couldn't find any 70's QB's in Pro Football Reference with a last name that started with 'BO'. Ferragamo wore #15 and Ron Jaworski wore #16 as Rams but that sure isn't Jaworski. The only other possible explanation I can think of is a preseason Rams QB who didn't make the team.
Niners QB is Plunkett. In all too familiar spot for him during his Pats/Niners years. Logan-Browns, Penrose-Broncos. Penrose pictured on the box is bizarre & interesting. SDSU Aztec.
Hi,
Yes I agree with you that its not Gary Huff. I'd say #17 there looks too old for Avellini.
A crazy thought of mine; would be maybe Ken Meyer (offensive coordinator) designed some type of lateral from Brian Baschnagel #47.
That's my best that I could come up with....Maybe it might be Virgil Carter; I had to cheat on that part and looked on Wiki
¯_(ツ)_/¯
I have another theory on this one:
Could it be Joe Pisarcik from the Giants...???
I know the jersey number is not a match, but look Payton's jersey stripes, they look very close to the Giants too much gray there, and look at #34 no outline on the number.
If Pisarcik's helmet was air brushed; it looks like that there is some sun light shining on the helmet.
Some butcher from Topps had fun airbrushing this one.
Rams - Dieter Brock?
Rams QB is Joe Pendleton. FYI.
Speaking of Heaven Can Wait....I am surprised it is not on Netflix. I initially thought it was the Giants, but hadn't thought about air brushing. Thanks all of the input.