Monster Card Monday: 1977 Walter Payton

What’s this, a football Monster Card??

It’s been a while I’ve played an APBA Football game.  When I was really into it though, guess who was the premiere running back of the era?  That’s right, Walter Payton.  That’s his 1977 APBA card you see above.

When I was a kid, the Chicago Bears were my favorite team and Walter Payton came as close to being a football hero for me as anyone.  He came up as a kick returner and his skills on special teams and as a running back hearkened back to the former Bear, Gale Sayers.  Of course with time, Payton blossomed into a full fledged superstar surpassing even Sayers and gave us Bears fans something to cheer about.

Now Geoff Giordano of the APBA Football Club could give a much better breakdown of Payton’s 1977 card than I ever could (15s are still good for rushers, right?) But even I can recognize a good card when I see it.   Payton is prone to the long run (66-1) borne out by his stats with a season high 73 yard dash.

In 1977, ‘Sweetness’ hadn’t returned any punts but was delegated by APBA as a backup returner (based on his previous years in the special teams role).  If pressed into duty, he’d do pretty well if I remember my football boards. He’s got nine 2s and a fair number of 4s.

But it’s Payton’s rushing that does it for me. Yes, the 66-1 is nice but aside from the unusual play results, he only has five results that will put him behind the line of scrimmage.  His card is simply and consistently good.

Geoff features APBA football players’ cards on their birthday on the APBA Football Club.  When he posted this card on Walter Payton’s birthday, it was almost enough to crack the APBA Football boards again.

See other Monster Card Monday selections