1983 Dallas Cowboys Police

 The 1983 Cowboys police set consists of 28 cards; twenty-three players, Hall of Fame head coach Tom Landry and four cheerleaders. Fronts have game-day photos, with a Cowboys helmet and Kiwanis Club logo located at the bottom left and right. Card backs feature "Cowboys Tips" and a listing of the sponsors (Kiwanis Club, local law enforcement agency and the Dallas Cowboys Weekly). 

Notable cards include Hall of Famers Landry, running back Tony Dorsett and defensive tackle Randy White. The cards are not numbered except for the player's uniform numbers, and the year "1983" is not mentioned anywhere on the cards. Twenty-three of the photos were taken by photographer Ron Scribner.

 Die-hard 'Boys fans will be interested in four cards featuring players that never appeared on a regular Topps card, but played for Dallas multiple seasons -- safety Dextor Clinkscale (1980-85), guard Kurt Petersen (1980-85), guard Howard Richards (1981-86) and wide receiver Doug Donley (1981-84).

The 1983 set was apparently released in modest quantities, but anyone interested in finding the cards should find a steady trickle of them on eBay. A fair price for a NRMT complete set is in the $20 to $25 range.

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(1) Rafael Septien, K

(11) Danny White, QB

(20) Ron Springs, FB

(24) Everson Walls, CB

(26) Michael Downs, S

(30) Timmy Newsome, RB

(32) Dennis Thurman, CB

(33) Tony Dorsett, RB

(47) Dextor Clinksdale, S

(53) Bob Breunig, LB

(54) Randy White, DT

(65) Kurt Petersen, G

(67) Pat Donovan, T

(70) Howard Richards, G/T

(72) Ed Jones, DE

(78) John Dutton, DT

(79) Harvey Martin, DE

(80) Tony Hill, WR

(83) Doug Donley, WR

(84) Doug Cosbie, TE

(86) Butch Johnson, WR

(88) Drew Pearson, WR

(89) Billy Joe DuPree, TE

Tom Landry, Head Coach

Melinda May, Cheerleader

Dana Presley, Chherleader

Judy Trammell, Cheerleader

Toni Washington, Cheerleader

1980-81 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

The Wildcats basketball team were featured on their first police card issue during the 1980/81 season. A large color, borderless, posed photo dominates the front of each card, with a white stripe across the bottom stating the player's uniform number and name. Card backs feature a short player bio, a basketball term and safety tip. Sponsors are listed at the bottom: Golden Eagle Distributors, Mr. Bill Clements President and the Tucson Police Department. Cards are not numbered, with the exception of player uniform numbers.

Ten-year Wildcats head coach Fred Snowden is probably the best-known name in the set. Two cards (Greg Cook and David Mosebar) were pulled before distribution and are extremely scarce -- fortunately, we somehow grabbed examples of both for our collection, and I'll try to add scans of them when I dig them out. Because the two "short prints" were never officially distributed, many collectors consider the set complete at 17 cards.

The cards are not easy to find. A lack of big names keeps the value modest, probably in the $25 to $30 range for a set without the two short prints. A set with the short prints (19 cards) might sell in the $100 range, in the unlikely event that one comes up for sale.

It is interesting to note that the design of the Arizona sets (basketball, football and baseball) changed very little during their run of ten-plus years. To make matters worse, the first two basketball sets were printed without any mention of the year of issue. One way to distinguish the two years is by looking at the player's uniform number and name across the front bottom of the card. The 1981/82 set features a black circle between the number and name, while the inaugural 1980/81 set features nothing but a space. In addition, the backs of the 1981/82 set give the Golden Eagle business address at the bottom (705 E. Ajo Way).

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(10) Russell Brown, G

(12) Ricky Walker, G

(14) John Smith, G

(15) Ron Davis, F

(21) Robbie Dosty, F

(24) Jeff Collins, G

(31) Frank Smith, F

(34) Harvey Thompson, G

(35) Donald Mellon, F

(41) Jack Magno, F

(52) Charles Miller, F

(55) John Belobraydic, F

Greg Cook (Short Print)

David Mosebar (Short Print)

Mike Frink, Asst. Coach

Len Gordy, Asst. Coach

Mike Green, Asst. Coach

Fred Snowden, Head Coach

Ernie Valenzuela, Equip. Mgr.

1980 Houston Oilers Police

The Houston Oilers were the subject of just one police set, released in 1980 by several Houston-area police departments. New Oilers quarterback Ken Stabler is the key card here, and this is his only appearance in a police safety set. Linebacking great and snubbed Hall of Famer Robert Brazile can be found on one of several cards with outstanding action photos. Yet another card worth mentioning in this gem of a regional set is of legendary defensive lineman Curley Culp, whose last Topps card was issued in 1978 (making this 1980 specimen the last card issued during his playing career). Head Coach "Bum" Phillips appears on his only card as Head Coach of the Oilers. The set features action photos on the fronts, with the exception of Stabler and Phillips. A complete set consists of 14 cards, and the cards were sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, the Oilers and local law enforcement agencies.

While the set is somewhat hard to find, the absence of Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell has kept prices quite reasonable (I'm not sure why Campbell wasn't featured, but I'm guessing its probably a reason similar to why he wasn't on any Topps cards after 1979). 

When found online, a set will usually run in the $6 to $10 range.

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(00) Ken Burrough, WR

(12) Ken Stabler, QB

(14) Gifford Nielsen, QB

(18) Cliff Parsley, P

(26) Rob Carpenter, RB

(36) Carter Hartwig, DB

(47) Ronnie Coleman, RB

(52) Robert Brazile, LB

(54) Gregg Bingham, LB

(55) Carl Mauck, C

(78) Curley Culp, MG

(82) Mike Renfro, WR

(84) Billy Johnson, WR

Bum Phillips, Head Coach