1949 Leaf Football Cards

1949 Leaf football card wrapper There are 49 cards in the 1949 Leaf set, skip-numbered between 1 and 150. The company might have intended to print more cards to fill in the numbering, because a promotional poster for the set advertised "More than 100 Extra Large, Beautiful, Color Pictures." Unlike the 1948 Leaf set, which contains both NFL and college players, the 1949 set contains only NFL players. Because Leaf did not introduce any new players in 1949, the 1949 set does not include any rookie cards.

The fronts of the 1949 Leaf cards are identical to the fronts of 1948 Leaf cards, but the backs are different. One of my blog articles, L is for Leaf, shows examples of the backs from the two years. The full 1949 Leaf set was printed exactly once on a single sheet, so there are no short prints or double prints in the set. You can see the configuartion of an uncut sheet on the Gallery's 1949 Leaf virtual uncut sheet page.

Image Set #Card Title/Players Pro Team Position College Honors Notes Grades available at Nearmint Sports Cards
1949 Leaf Bob Hendren 1949 Leaf 1 Bob Hendren Washington Redskins tackle, defensive tackle Culver-Stockton, USC Error card

Hendren's name is misspelled "Hendreen" on the front of this card, but spelled correctly on the back.
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1949 Leaf Joe Scott 1949 Leaf 2 Joe Scott New York Giants halfback, end Texas A and M, San Francisco
1949 Leaf Frank Reagan 1949 Leaf 3 Frank Reagan Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, defensive back Pennsylvania
1949 Leaf John Rauch 1949 Leaf 4 John Rauch New York Bulldogs quarterback Georgia College Hall of Fame 2003
1949 Leaf Bill Fischer 1949 Leaf 7 Bill Fischer Chicago Cardinals tackle, guard Notre Dame College Hall of Fame 1983, Outland Trophy 1948 Fischer was the last player chosen in the 1948 NFL Draft. See the Gallery's Mr. Irrelevant page for cards of more players who were drafted last. ex
1949 Leaf Elmer Angsman 1949 Leaf 9 Elmer Angsman Chicago Cardinals halfback Notre Dame
1949 Leaf Billy Dewell 1949 Leaf 10 Billy Dewell Chicago Cardinals end SMU
1949 Leaf Tommy Thompson 1949 Leaf 13 Tommy Thompson Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, coach Tulsa
1949 Leaf Sid Luckman 1949 Leaf 15 Sid Luckman Chicago Bears quarterback Columbia College Hall of Fame 1960, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1965
1949 Leaf Charley Trippi 1949 Leaf 16 Charley Trippi Chicago Cardinals halfback Georgia Cardinals Ring of Honor 2006, College Hall of Fame 1959, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1968 Trippi led the NFL with 1552 all-purpose yards in 1949.
1949 Leaf Bob Mann 1949 Leaf 17 Bob Mann Detroit Lions end Michigan Packers Hall of Fame 1988 Mann led the NFL with 1014 receiving yards in 1949. vg+
1949 Leaf Paul Christman 1949 Leaf 19 Paul Christman Chicago Cardinals quarterback Missouri College Hall of Fame 1956 Christman was a television announcer for the American Football League from 1960 to 1967.
1949 Leaf Bill Dudley 1949 Leaf 22 Bill Dudley Detroit Lions halfback Virginia College Hall of Fame 1956, Commanders Ring of Fame , Pro Football Hall of Fame 1966, Steelers Hall of Honor 2017
1949 Leaf Clyde LeForce 1949 Leaf 23 Clyde LeForce Detroit Lions quarterback Tulsa Error card

LeForce's name is misspelled "LaForce" on this card.
1949 Leaf Sammy Baugh 1949 Leaf 26 Sammy Baugh Washington Redskins quarterback, coach TCU College Hall of Fame 1951, Commanders Ring of Fame , Pro Football Hall of Fame 1963 Baugh led the NFL in completion percentage for the ninth time in 1949.
1949 Leaf Pete Pihos 1949 Leaf 28 Pete Pihos Philadelphia Eagles end Indiana College Hall of Fame 1966, Eagles Honor Roll 1987, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1970
1949 Leaf Tex Coulter 1949 Leaf 31 Tex Coulter New York Giants tackle, end Army ex
1949 Leaf Mal Kutner 1949 Leaf 32 Mal Kutner Chicago Cardinals end Texas College Hall of Fame 1974
1949 Leaf Al Wistert 1949 Leaf 35 Al Wistert Philadelphia Eagles tackle Michigan College Hall of Fame 1968, Eagles Honor Roll 2009 Wistert was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020. See the Gallery's Almost Hall of Famers page.
1949 Leaf Ted Fritsch Sr. 1949 Leaf 37 Ted Fritsch Sr. Green Bay Packers fullback Wisconsin - Stevens Point Packers Hall of Fame 1973 Fritsch attempted a league-high 20 field goals in 1949. He made just 5 of them.
1949 Leaf Vince Banonis 1949 Leaf 38 Vince Banonis Chicago Cardinals defensive tackle Detroit Mercy College Hall of Fame 1986
1949 Leaf Jim White 1949 Leaf 39 Jim White New York Giants tackle Notre Dame White placed ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1943. See the Gallery's page of football cards of Heisman candidates. PSA 5, PSA 4, PSA 1
1949 Leaf George Connor 1949 Leaf 40 George Connor Chicago Bears linebacker Holy Cross, Notre Dame College Hall of Fame 1963, Outland Trophy 1946, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1975
1949 Leaf George McAfee 1949 Leaf 41 George McAfee Chicago Bears halfback Duke College Hall of Fame 1961, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1966 McAfee's number 5 is one of fourteen jersey numbers that have been retired by the Chicago Bears. See the Gallery's retired numbers page for the retired numbers of all of the NFL teams.
1949 Leaf Frank Tripucka 1949 Leaf 43 Frank Tripucka Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Notre Dame Broncos Ring of Fame 1986 The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Tripucka with their first pick in 1949, but they traded him to the Detroit Lions. He played for the Lions just one season.