Happy 75th birthday to Rex Kern! Kern played defensive back from 1971 to 1973 for the Baltimore Colts, and in 1974 for the Buffalo Bills. He played on two playoff teams, the 1971 Colts and 1974 Bills.
Before his pro career, Kern played quarterback at Ohio State University. In the three seasons he started, the Buckeyes had a won-lost record of 27-2. Led by Kern, the 1968 OSU team went undefeated and won the National Championship.
Kern finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1969, and fifth in 1970. (See the Gallery’s Heisman Trophy Candidates page.) He was named a First-Team All-American in 1969, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Today’s card of the day is Kern’s 1979 Ohio State Greats playing card, from the 1966 to 1978 deck. A second deck honors Ohio State All-Americans from 1916 to 1965. Kern also appeared on a couple of NFL cards, which you can see in the Gallery.
