1976 Wonder Bread Football Cards

There are 24 cards in the 1976 Wonder Bread set, and the cards are as plain as white bread. The players in the set compose a starting lineup of 11 offensive players, 11 defensive players, a kicker, and a punter--a cool concept. The offensive players and kicker have blue borders, and the defensive players and punter have red borders. The punter, Ray Guy, switched sides in 1976: In the 1975 Wonder Bread set, Guy was with the offense. Moving him to the defense evened out the set at twelve red cards and twelve blue ones.

The player selection in the set is curious. If asked to select an All-Star starting lineup in 1976, how many people would have chosen Craig Morton as their quarterback? Probably not many, with Stabler, Tarkenton, Bradshaw, and Staubach around. Maybe Topps (who printed the set for Wonder Bread) wanted to include a Giant in the set, since New York is a large market.

The backs of the cards are unremarkable, each one showing a diagram of one of Hank Stram’s favorite plays. Stram had just taken over as the Saints’ coach in 1976, and perhaps Topps was trying to capitalize on the news. Alas, the Saints went 4-10 for the year. Maybe Stram shouldn't have published all his best plays.