Happy 85th birthday to Ervin “Sonny” Bishop! Bishop was an offensive lineman for eight seasons in the AFL: 1962 for the Dallas Texans, 1963 for the Oakland Raiders, and 1964 to 1969 for the Houston Oilers. He was a member of the Texans team that won the AFL Championship in 1962, and he was selected for the AFL Eastern Division All-Star team after the 1968 season.
Bishop played college football for the Fresno State University Bulldogs.
Today’s card of the day is Bishop’s rookie card, a 1965 Topps “tallboy.” The card is one of the 22 double prints in the set. (See the Gallery’s virtual uncut sheet of 1965 Topps cards for details.) The card pictures Bishop in his Raiders uniform, though he had not played for the Raiders since 1963. He also appeared on a 1969 Topps card with the Oilers.
