Berry was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round of the 1969 AFL Draft. He played for the Bengals from 1969 to 74 and for the Chicago Bears in 1976.
Back to the greatness of 1970s Topps football card. Today's card is the 1970 Topps #86. It is considered Berry's rookie card although there was a 1969 Bengals Tresler Comet card.
The front of this card is beautiful. I love the colors, the graphics and fonts. Best of all, I love the picture. He looks like a tough guy to me. Remember the character Nate Scarboro played by Michael Conrad from the original movie The Longest Yard? The old coach/player who used to play pro ball? I think they look very similar. Looks like a nice guy, but you wouldn't want to cross him.
But the star of this card is the back. The description of his career is pretty good with comments like that he was "one of the toughest linemen out of the college ranks in 1969." But the funniest part is the cartoon with the label "Royce was one of Houstons better players." What a brilliant analysis! First of all is the simplicity. He wasn't the fastest or strongest or led the team in tackles or anything more detailed like that. He was just one of the better players. But besides the simplicity, the comment is pretty obvious. On most teams, if a player makes it in the pros, he was probably one of the better players on the team. Usually the worst players on the team don't get drafted and play in the pros.
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2 comments:
He still lives here in Houston. He was a great ball player and a funny guy to boot. He is my dad.
It's awesome to hear from a relative or friend of Cougar greats. We also heard from Hogan Wharton's granddaughter. It's even better to hear these are great guys and not just great athletes.
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