New York Jets

Hey, the Jets are 1 win away from the Super Bowl. When was the last time that happened?

Here are the 1968 New York Jets... on their way to Super Bowl III. We have 3 receivers, 2 linebackers, and no linemen. (Back in the day, I only had the Joe Namath and Cornell Gordon cards.)


#65 Joe Namath - Joe promised a victory in Super Bowl III - and delivered. He was the AFL rookie of the year in 1965, and played high school football in western Pennsylvania (as did Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, and Tony Dorsett).


#117 Matt Snell - This fullback was the Jets' #1 pick in 1964. He played his entire career (1964-72) with the Jets.


#169 Don Maynard - Don was drafted by the New York Giants in 1957. After playing 1 season (1958) with the Giants, he joined the new AFL New York Titans (Jets) in 1960 and was their star receiver through the 1972 season. He also played briefly with the Cardinals in 1973.

#13 George Sauer - The Jets' split end had a short (1965-70) but productive career as Namath's favorite target. He retired after the 1970 season, because of the violent nature of the game.


#143 Pete Lammons - Pete played tight end for 6 years (1966-71) with the Jets before finishing up with the Packers in 1972.


#195 Al Atkinson - Al was the Jets' middle linebacker from 1965 to 1974. He played for the same suburban-Philadelphia high school as John Cappelletti, then went to nearby Villanova.


#38 Ralph Baker - Ralph played his entire career (1964-74) as the Jets' left linebacker.


#91 Cornell Gordon - A rookie in 1965, this cornerback played 5 seasons with the Jets, and 3 with the Broncos.


Also check out the 1972 Jets.

.

Oakland Raiders

Here are the 1968 Oakland Raiders - the defending AFL champions.

The Raiders and the NFL champion Packers have a different card style than all the other teams. (Compare to the Chiefs' cards posted earlier.) There are only 8 cards for the Raiders this year. I got the Daryle Lamonica, George Blanda, and Fred Biletnikoff cards (all in the 2nd series) a few years ago. All the other cards are from the first series, which I've had since 1968.


#194 Daryle Lamonica - Lamonica spent his first 4 seasons (1963-66) backing up Jack Kemp in Buffalo. He also punted in his rookie season. He was traded to Oakland and was their starting quarterback from 1967-72, leading the AFL with 3302 passing yards in 1969. His last 2 seasons (1973-74) were spent backing up Ken Stabler.


#90 Clem Daniels - This halfback was the AFL's MVP in 1963, leading the league in rushing with 1099 yards. After a rookie season with the Dallas Texans in 1960, he spent the next 7 seasons as the Raiders' halfback, and wrapped up his career in 1968 with the 49ers.


#64 Hewritt Dixon - Dixon played his first 3 seasons (1963-65) with the Broncos, including 2 seasons as a tight end. He was Oakland's fullback from 1966-1970.


#168 Fred Biletnikoff - Fred spent his entire career (1965-78) as a wide receiver for the Raiders. In the late 1960s, he (along with Lance Alworth, Don Maynard, and Otis Taylor) was one the top receivers in the AFL. (The back of this card is part of the Bart Starr puzzle.)


#37 Billy Cannon - Cannon was the first overall pick in the 1960 NFL draft. Rather than sign with the Rams, he signed with the AFL's Houston Oilers. This was one of the first skirmishes between the 2 leagues. After 4 seasons as the Oilers' halfback, Cannon moved on to the Raiders, where he switched to tight end in his 2nd season. In 1970, he played with the Chiefs before retiring.


#142 George Blanda - It seems like Blanda played forever. After quarterbacking the Bears for much of the 1950s, he found new life as the Houston Oilers' quarterback during the early AFL years. After moving to Oakland, he was primarily their kicker, but played occasionally at QB.


#116 Tom Keating - Tom played 11 seasons (1964-67, 69-75) with 4 different teams, but the middle 6 seasons were spent as Oakland's right defensive tackle. He made the AFL All-Star team in 1966 and 1967, and played in Super Bowl II following the 1967 season.


#12 Kent McCloughan - Kent was the Raiders' left cornerback for 6 seasons (1965-70). He was a 2-time All-Pro.


Also check out the 1971 Raiders.


Next time: New York Jets
.