Wendell Harris, who played four seasons for the Baltimore Colts and two for the New York Giants, passed away on December 7. He was 83 years old. Harris was Baltimore’s first-round selection in the 1962 NFL Draft, and the ninth pick overall. Though Harris had been a running back at LSU, the Colts moved him to defensive back, and he spent his NFL career at that position.
Today’s card of the day is Harris’s 1962 Topps card, one of the short prints in the set. 1962 was his first year in the NFL, so this is a true rookie card–a rarity in the early 1960s. Since the images Topps used back then were usually from years prior, I’m guessing that Harris’s photo is from LSU, and that he isn’t among the pile of players in the black-and-white inset photo.
Harris also appears on a 1965 Philadelphia card and a 1966 Giants Coke Cap in the Gallery.
