1960 Oilers Matchbooks
1960 Oilers Matchbooks were printed by the Universal Match Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri. 1960 was the American Football League's first year of play, and the first year of the Oilers' existence. The matchbooks have pictures of Oilers players inside the cover; the outsides of the matchbooks are all the same.
Nine of the ten players on the matchbooks also appear in the 1960 Fleer set, the exception being Mark Johnston. Most of the players' images are the same as on their 1960 Fleer cards, but cropped far closer. The star of the group is George Blanda, who came out of retirement to play in the new league. Notably absent is 1959 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon.
The Oilers won the AFL Championship in 1960, and again in 1961.
| Image | Set | # | Card Title/Players | Pro Team | Position | College | Honors | Notes | Grades available at Nearmint Sports Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | George Blanda | Houston Oilers | quarterback, kicker | Kentucky | Pro Football Hall of Fame 1981, Titans Ring of Honor 1999 | |||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | John Carson | Houston Oilers | end | Georgia | ||||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | Doug Cline | Houston Oilers | fullback | Clemson | ||||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | Don Hitt | Houston Oilers | center | Oklahoma State | ||||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | Mark Johnston | Houston Oilers | defensive back | Northwestern | Johnston played five years in the AFL--four with the Oilers, and one with the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders--but he never appeared on a regular issue football card | |||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | Dan Lanphear | Houston Oilers | end | Wisconsin | ||||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | Jack Lee | Houston Oilers | quarterback | Cincinnati | ||||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | Bill Mathis | Houston Oilers | halfback | Clemson | ||||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | Hogan Wharton | Houston Oilers | guard | Houston | ||||
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1960 Oilers Matchbooks | Bob White | Houston Oilers | fullback | Ohio State |