Happy 75th birthday to Jack Ham! Ham played linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1971 to 1982. He made the Pro Bowl eight years straight, and he played on the Steelers teams that won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV. Ham was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Today’s card is Ham’s 1979 Stop N Go card, one of eighteen in the set. Stop N Go was a convenience store company based in Houston, Texas, so the set is heavy on Houston Oilers and Dallas Texans. The Steelers, who were the NFL champions at the time, are also represented on four cards.
There might be nicer examples out there, but the 1979 Stop N Go cards I have are quite unattractive: they’re yellowed and dark, and the players’ names at the bottom are blurry. They appear to have been printed by the same company as 1970 and 1971 Kellogg’s cards, which are generally bright and sharp, so I don’t know why their quality would be so poor. Anyone have a guess?
You can see the full set of 1979 Stop N Go cards in the Gallery. And lots of Jack Ham cards, too.
