Ranking the most iconic Topps Football cards of all time

Topps has produced some iconic football cards over the years. 

With the company reacquiring the NFL football license for the first time since 2015, we highlight the best cards Topps has produced in the past 75 years. 

Here is a list of the top 20 Topps and Bowman—which is owned by Topps as well—cards. It includes 19 Pro Football Hall of Fame players and one future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

This is a classic rookie card of Brett Favre scrambling while playing in college at Southern Mississippi. The “Gunslinger” wasn’t very well-known in 1991 as Topps spelled his name “Farve” on the card. An Atlanta Falcons draft pick, Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers after his rookie year and the rest is history. Favre finished his career as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history with 71,838 passing yards and 508 touchdown passes.

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During his 12 seasons in the NFL, Tony Dorsett showed off his speed and agility and was one of the best running backs of his time. When the Dallas Cowboys legend retired in 1988, he was second on the all-time list in career rushing yards, trailing just Walter Payton. Dorsett’s rookie card in the 1978 set is one of the best football cards produced in the late 1970s to early 1980s. 

Before was one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, Mike Ditka was a star on the gridiron. The No. 5 overall pick by the Chicago Bears in 1961, Ditka redefined the tight end position. He became the first tight end in the NFL to tally 1,000 receiving yards in a season to go with 12 touchdown catches. Ditka’s rookie card shows a young athlete with a flat-top hairstyle. 

Before guys like Dan Marino, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes came along, Otto Graham was an elite quarterback in professional football. During all 10 of his seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Graham guided his team to the league championship game. “Automatic Otto” threw for over 23,000 yards in his career, an astronomical number for that time period. Graham’s 1950 Bowman rookie card contains beautiful artwork of him throwing a pass.

After making a name for himself at BYU, Steve Young had stints in the USFL and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers. That is where the left-handed quarterback thrived after Joe Montana left in 1993. Young won two NFL MVP awards and three Super Bowls, one as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. Young’s 1986 Topps card—his NFL rookie card since he has a 1984 USHL card—features him in a creamsicle Bucs uniform.

The NFL career of Roger Staubach started in 1969 but Topps didn’t release his rookie card until three years later. By that point, Staubach was a star quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and led them to a Super Bowl title in the 1971 season. Staubach had a late start to his NFL career after serving four years in the United States Navy, including one year overseas during the Vietnam War. Playing for the Cowboys for 11 seasons, Staubach is arguably the franchise’s best quarterback of all time. 

With immense talent and great genes, his dad being legendary quarterback Archie Manning, Peyton was destined for greatness. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, Manning went on to win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him, the Indianapolis Colts, and another one with the Denver Broncos. During his 18-year career, Manning broke many passing records. His 1998 Topps Chrome rookie card presents an interesting camera angle with the shot showing Manning jumping in the air.

When an NFL fan thinks of the best NFL quarterbacks from the 1970s, Terry Bradshaw should be at the top of that list. A great game manager, especially in the biggest moments, Bradshaw led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl titles during a six-year span from 1974-79. The “Blonde Bomber” was the first overall pick of the 1970 draft after starring at small Louisiana Tech. Bradshaw’s 1972 Topps rookie card shows off his golden hair framed by a condition-sensitive red border.

One of the three most iconic cards from the 1957 Topps release, Paul Hornung’s rookie is a must-have in any vintage collection. “The Golden Boy,” with his all-American looks and blonde hair, was the No. 1 pick of the 1957 draft by the Green Bay Packers. Called the “greatest player I’ve ever coached” by legendary coach Vince Lombardi, Hornung was an integral member of the Packers winning four NFL championships—including Super Bowl I. 

Considered a top two or three running back of all time by many, Sanders was electric on the field. The most elusive running back in NFL history, Sanders rushed for over 15,000 yards and 99 touchdowns in just 10 seasons with the Detroit Lions. When the No. 3 overall pick of the 1989 draft unexpectedly retired in his prime at age 31, it shocked NFL fans and left them wanting more. Sanders’ 1989 Topps Traded rookie card ironically shows one of the best runners ever sitting on the bench.

A ninth-round selection in the 1955 NFL Draft, Johnny Unitas was dropped by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Baltimore Colts picked up the quarterback, who went on to produce one of the greatest careers in NFL history. Unitas won three NFL championships and one Super Bowl. “Johnny U” is one of just six players named to the NFL’s 50^th, 75^th and 100^th Anniversary All-Time Teams. His rookie card appears in the beloved 1957 Topps set. Sporting a flat-top haircut and huge smile, Unitas had the look of a football idol.

The No. 1 overall pick from the famed quarterback class of 1983, Elway didn’t want to play for the team that drafted him, the Baltimore Colts. After being selected, he was traded to the Denver Broncos. During his 16-year NFL career, Elway was dominant on the gridiron, helping the Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s. Elway’s rookie card came out in the 1984 Topps release, which included future Hall of Famer Dan Marino. 

With Elway at No. 9, it’s only fair that Dan Marino comes in around the same spot. Five quarterbacks were selected before the Miami Dolphins took their future star with the No. 27 pick of the ’83 draft. In just his second season, he led the Dolphins to the Super Bowl, but never made it back to the big game the rest of his 17-year career. He is regarded as the best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl. Marino was the first NFL quarterback to throw for 50,000 yards and 400 touchdowns. Marino’s 1984 Topps rookie card is peak football card collecting for kids in the 1980s.

A sixth-round selection, it’s surprising that Bowman even included Brady’s rookie card in its 2000 base and Chrome products. But after Brady became the GOAT of the sport, his first-year cards exploded. During his 23-year career, Brady shattered most passing records in the NFL—including most touchdowns, passing yards, completions, attempts and wins. His seven Super Bowl titles, 10 Super Bowl appearances and five Super Bowl MVP awards are records that may never be broken. Once an afterthought in the draft, Brady showed everyone he was worth being picked No. 199 overall. 

A 17^th-round pick in the 1956 draft out of Alabama, Starr literally became a star with the Green Bay Packers. A coach on the field, Starr was instrumental in helping the Packers’ franchise return to prominence. The team won five NFL championships—including the first two Super Bowls—during a nine-year run led by legendary head coach Vince Lombardi. Starr is second only to Brady for the most NFL championships in a career. Starr’s rookie card is included in the 1957 Topps set. Wearing the No. 42, which he never wore during a game, Starr is shown throwing a football. 

Everyone thought Namath was crazy when he “guaranteed” his New York Jets of the AFL would beat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts of the NFL in Super Bowl III. But “Broadway Joe” lived up to his name by guiding the Jets to one of the biggest upsets in sports history. He became the first quarterback to start and win a national championship game in college, a major professional league championship and a Super Bowl. Namath, the No. 1 overall selection by the Jets in the 1965 AFL Draft, has his iconic rookie card in the 1965 Topps “Tall Boys” set. 

There was nothing quite like watching Walter Payton run with the football. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears really came onto the scene in his second season. In 10 of 13 seasons in the NFL, “Sweetness” rushed for 1,200 yards or more. Payton’s career hit its pinnacle in 1985 when the Bears captured their first and only Super Bowl victory. Payton has always been a big name in the collecting world, and his autographs are rare since he died young at 46 years old. His 1976 Topps rookie card depicts a smiling Payton, which is ironic because he was such a bruising runner.

It doesn’t need to be debated, Jerry Rice is the best wide receiver in NFL history. The 16^th selection of the 1985 NFL Draft, Rice shattered records during his illustrious 20-year career. Rice holds over 10 NFL receiving records, including most career receptions, receiving yards, touchdown catches and all-purpose yards. He won three Super Bowl championships during his 16 years with the San Francisco 49ers. Rice’s rookie card is the epitome of collecting in the 1980s. The 1986 Topps set with its grass green borders and white yard markers frames Rice perfectly as he’s lined up to go out for a pass. 

Even after winning a national championship at Notre Dame, Joe Montana was overlooked by NFL organizations. A third-round pick, No. 82 overall, in the 1979 draft, Montana made a name for himself in his third season. He led San Francisco to a Super Bowl XVI title, his first of four championships during his 14-year run with the 49ers. “The Comeback Kid” knew how to win on the biggest stage. Montana finished his career with over 40,000 passing yards. His rookie card in the 1981 Topps set boldly displays his patented No. 16 as his right arm is cocked back to throw a pass.

If there was a running back who defined the NFL in the late 1950s to mid-1960s, it was Jim Brown. He’s been named on endless lists as the best running back to ever play the game. In his short, nine-year career, the Cleveland Browns rushed for over 12,000 yards and 100 touchdowns. He was the league’s rushing leader in eight of those seasons. Brown is the only player in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game (104.3). The sixth overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft, Brown’s rookie card is in the 1958 Topps set. It shows a young “Jimmy Brown” running with the football.