Today’s vintage football card of the day is a 1935 National Chicle card of Stan Kostka. Kostka played fullback and linebacker in 1935 for the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was his only season in the NFL, and his stats were unremarkable: 63 carries for 249 yards and no touchdowns.
Prior to his short pro career, Kostka starred at the University of Minnesota. In 1934, he led the Golden Gophers to an 8-0 record and the NCAA national championship. He was also a member of the baseball and track teams at Minnesota, and in 1935 he played minor league baseball for the Middle Atlantic League’s Dayton Ducks.
According to thedailygopher.com, Kostka’s negotiations with NFL teams in 1935 prompted the league to start the draft in 1936. In 1935, all nine NFL teams tried to sign Kostka, and he instigated a bidding war between them. In 1936, to keep the richer teams from signing all the best players, the NFL had the teams take turns choosing them. The Philadelphia Eagles, the team with the worst record in 1935, chose first.
Kostka’s card, number 28, is one of the scarcer cards in the 1935 National Chicle set. Cards 25-36 appear to have been printed in much smaller numbers than cards 1-24.
