Today’s card of the day is Steve DeLong’s 1966 Topps football card. The card is a bit of a mystery: for some reason, Topps decided to cut DeLong’s left shoulder off. Topps used the same image on DeLong’s 1965, 1967, and 1969 cards, but with both shoulders intact. Maybe they just didn’t want to look like they were using the same picture over and over and over?
DeLong played defensive end for eight seasons in the NFL and AFL: 1965 to 1971 for the San Diego Chargers, and 1972 for the Chicago Bears. In 1969, he led the AFL, unofficially, with 15.5 sacks.
DeLong played college football at the University of Tennessee. He won the Outland Trophy in 1964, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993. His son, Keith DeLong, also played at Tennessee and in the NFL.
For a defensive player, Steve DeLong appeared on a surprising number of cards. You can see them all in the Gallery.
