Leo Sanford, who played linebacker for eight years in the NFL, passed away on March 21. He was 94. Sanford played for the Chicago Cardinals from 1951 to 1957, and for the Baltimore Colts in 1958. He was a member of the Colts team that beat the New York Giants for the NFL Championship in 1958.
Sanford made the Pro Bowl twice with the Cardinals, in 1956 and 1957. In 1955, he had the league’s longest interception return, 92 yards.
Today’s card of the day is Sanford’s rookie card, a 1953 Bowman. The card shows him wearing number 11, but, according to pro-football-reference.com, he wore only numbers 73 and 51 for the Cardinals. My guess is that the image was originally black-and-white, and whoever colored it simply thought the number 11 looked better.
Sanford also appeared on a few other cards, which you can see in the Gallery.
