Michael Moore

By Michael Moore, PWTorch collectibles specialist

In A Sentence: Long before they had their own wrestling cards, many wrestlers were found in popular football sets.

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Thanks to commentators like Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon, many wrestling fans are familiar with some wrestling stars’s football pasts.

But, did you know that some wrestlers appeared on football cards long before they ever had a wrestling card? Some of wrestling’s top stars from yesteryear are captured on cardboard from their days as star players at the collegiate, NFL, or CFL level.

Three of wrestling’s biggest stars from the 1970s – “Big Cat” Ernie Ladd, Blackjack Mulligan, and Wahoo McDaniel – were NFL stars before joining the ranks of professional wrestling. McDaniel has just one football card, a 1967 Topps #82. You can find a raw, slightly beat-up copy on eBay pretty cheap, usually for under $10. However, a graded copy in good condition is tough to come by, and will cost you significantly more.




Ladd had several different cards made between 1962 and 1969. The card of choice for most collectors is his 1962 Fleer Rookie Card #86, valued at about $25 for an ungraded copy.

Mulligan – identified as “Wayne Mulligan” on his football cards – had several produced from 1972 to 1976. His 1972 Topps Rookie Card #236 is tough to find, and will cost you about $5 for a decent ungraded copy.

There aren’t many cards of note of any stars from the 1980s, but several are available for some of the biggest stars of the 1990s. Bill Goldberg and The Rock – arguably the top acts behind Steve Austin in the late-‘90s – have football cards from their collegiate days at Georgia and Miami, respectively. Goldberg was included in the 1988 Georgia Bulldogs set, while Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can be found in the 1994 Bumblebee Miami Hurricanes set, along with Ray Lewis and other future NFL stars. Both cards are tough to find and are likely run you at least $40 each.

Darren Drozdov, who briefly wrestled during the Attitude Era as “Puke” and “Droz,” was included in the 1993 Bowman and Stadium Club sets. You can find either of his cards for under $1.

Big John Hawk was a big, raw rookie in the Global Wrestling Federation in 1992, but just a year earlier was playing for the San Antonio Riders in the World League of American Football under his given name: John Layfield. His only football card was included in the 1991 Proset World League Football set. It’s not always easy to find, but when one does pop up, you can probably find it for less than $5.

Steve McMichael and Lawrence Taylor are certainly known more for their time on the football field than in the wrestling ring, but both had historical moments in wrestling. Taylor has countless football cards, but also has one oddball wrestling collectible. A special card commemorating his main event match against Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania XI was included in special retail boxes of the 1995 Action Packed product.

Like Taylor, McMichael also has many modern era football cards. Interestingly enough, though, McMichael has never had a certified autograph card produced in any football sets. His only autograph was included in TRISTAR’s 2008 TNA Cross the Line product.

Perhaps the most popular card ever made of a wrestler during his football days is that of Brian Pillman. “The Loose Cannon” was included in the 1986 JOGO set of Canadian Football League cards. At that time, JOGO cards were sold exclusively in sets, and in very limited quantities.




In order to find one of Pillman’s cards, you’ll have to find someone who bought the set in the first place, and then broke it up, which is very unlikely. If you’re fortunate enough to find one at all, you’ll probably have to buy the entire set – which could cost you at least $150.

Do you have a unique item or collection that you’d like to share with other readers? Contact Michael Moore at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

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