Happy Valentine’s Day! Today’s card of the day is a 1961 Golden Tulip Chargers card of Charlie Flowers. (Valentine’s Day, Tulip, Flowers–clever, huh?) Flowers played fullback for three seasons in the American Football League: 1960 with the Los Angeles Chargers, 1961 with the San Diego Chargers, and 1962 with the New York Titans.
Before his pro career, Flowers starred at the University of Mississippi. He finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1959 (see the Gallery’s page of football cards of Heisman candidates), and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
Flowers’s card is one of 22 in the 1961 Golden Tulip Chargers set. The cards are small (about 20% shorter than a standard card), and they were printed on thin card stock, more like thick paper than cardboard. They were distributed in bags of Golden Tulip potato chips, and they are challenging to find in any condition.
The backs of the Golden Tulip cards promote a mail-in offer for an “8-by-10 picture of San Diego Chargers players,” but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an example of the picture. The wording makes me wonder if it’s a team photo or a collection of individual photos. Maybe one of you readers has one?
Charlie Flowers appeared on a few other cards, as well. You can see all of Flowers’s cards and the full Golden Tulip set in the Gallery.
