Saturday, January 30, 2021

Cards That Never Were: Mike Phipps 1981 Topps

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I have borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts. More of my creations and a lot of other great creations can be found in the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group (and not just baseball cards).
After a stellar career at Purdue, quarterback Mike Phipps was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the third overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft. After two seasons of limited actyion, he became the started in 1973 and held the job for three seasons. In 1976, he gave way to Brian Sipe and was traded to the Chicago Bears after the season. Mostly a backup on the Bears, Phipps started 20 games over five seasons. He retired after the 1981 season.
For his efforts, Topps gave Phipps cards in every set from '71 through '82, except for '81. He started six games in '80, but Topps gave a card to Vince Evans, skipping longtime Bears QB Bob Avellini, I couldn't let that omission stand. I found a nice action shot of Phipps and filled in the '81 gap.

2 comments:

Chris said...

Nice looking custom! Better than most '81 football cards.

Johngy said...

Thanks!