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"Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Wentz played college football at North Dakota State, where he won five NCAA FCS national championships. He was selected second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft, making him the FCS's highest drafted player.
Wentz's most successful season was in 2017 when he led the Eagles to an 11–2 record. Although he suffered a season-ending injury, Wentz helped put the Eagles in position to obtain the top seed of the National Football Conference (NFC), which culminated with the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LII. He also earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. Wentz helped bring Philadelphia back to the playoffs during his next two seasons, but further injuries limited his participation. He was traded in 2020 to the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent one season before being traded to Washington in 2022. ...
Early years
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Wentz moved to North Dakota with his family at the age of three.[1] He played quarterback and defensive back for the football team at Century High School in Bismarck, and also played basketball and baseball for the Patriots.[2] As a freshman, he was 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) in height, grew to 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) as a senior,[3] and graduated in 2011 as valedictorian of his class.[4]
College career
2011 season
See also: 2011 North Dakota State Bison football team
Wentz attended North Dakota State, redshirting his first season with the Bison as they won their first FCS title under ninth-year head coach Craig Bohl.[5]
2012 season
See also: 2012 North Dakota State Bison football team
As a redshirt freshman in 2012, Wentz was the backup quarterback to Brock Jensen and played in his first collegiate game on September 22. He completed all eight of his passes for 93 yards and threw his first touchdown in relief of Jensen in a 66–7 blowout victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers.[6] Wentz finished the season completing 12-of-16 pass attempts for 144 passing yards and two touchdowns.[7]
2013 season
See also: 2013 North Dakota State Bison football team
Wentz was again the second-string quarterback in 2013 and appeared in 11 games. He had his best game that season on October 13, against Delaware State, completing 10-of-13 attempted passes for 105 passing yards and a touchdown.[8] Wentz ended his redshirt sophomore season completing 22-of-30 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown.[9]
2014 season
See also: 2014 North Dakota State Bison football team
Wentz became the Bison starting quarterback during his junior year in 2014. In his first start in the opener at Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference, he completed 18-of-28 pass attempts for 204 yards in a 34–14 victory on August 30.[10][11][12] During the game at Western Illinois on October 10, Wentz caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from running back John Crockett and helped lead the Bison to a 17–10 comeback victory.[13] Statistically, his best game that season was at Missouri State, where he threw for 247 yards and five touchdowns.[14]
Wentz led NDSU to a 15–1 record. On January 10, 2015, he started in his first national championship game against Illinois State and passed for 287 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 87 yards and scored a touchdown on a five-yard run to give North Dakota State the lead with 37 seconds left. NDSU won their fourth consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championship game, 29–27.[15][16] Wentz started all 16 games in 2014, completing 228 of 358 passes for 3,111 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was also the team's second leading rusher, with 642 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.[17]
2015 season
See also: 2015 North Dakota State Bison football team
As a fifth-year senior in 2015, Wentz had one of the best games of his career on October 10 against Northern Iowa, when he passed for a career-high 335 yards.[18] The following week against South Dakota, Wentz suffered a broken wrist in the first half but managed to complete the game with 16-of-28 completions, 195 passing yards, and two touchdown passes as the Bison lost 24–21.[19] After starting the first six games of the season and completing 63.7 percent of his passes for a total of 1,454 yards and 16 touchdowns, he missed the next eight weeks of the season.[20] He returned to practice in the beginning of December and was cleared to play in the national championship. On January 9, 2016, Wentz led the Bison to its fifth straight FCS title, running for two touchdowns and throwing for a third.[21] He was named the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.[22]
Wentz graduated with a degree in health and physical education, finishing with a 4.0 GPA and twice earning recognition as an Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America, first for Division I football[23] and later for all Division I sports.[24]
Statistics
Season Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2012 12 16 75.0 144 9.0 2 0 191.9 5 22 4.4 1
2013 22 30 73.3 209 7.0 1 0 142.9 10 70 7.0 0
2014 228 358 63.7 3,111 8.7 25 10 154.1 138 642 4.7 6
2015 130 208 62.5 1,651 7.9 17 4 152.3 63 294 4.7 6
Career[25] 392 612 64.1 5,115 8.4 45 14 153.9 216 1,028 4.8 13
Professional career
Pre-draft measurables Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Wonderlic
6 ft 5+1⁄4 in
(1.96 m) 237 lb
(108 kg) 33+1⁄4 in
(0.84 m) 10 in
(0.25 m) 4.77 s 1.65 s 2.75 s 4.15 s 6.86 s 30.5 in
(0.77 m) 9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m) 40[26]
All values from NFL Combine[27][28]
In February 2016, most analysts had Wentz projected to be selected in the mid-first round of the draft.[29][30][31] However, Wentz began to be regarded as a Top 10 prospect after his pro day. On January 30, 2016, he played in the 2016 Reese's Senior Bowl and finished the game completing 6 of 10 pass attempts for 50 yards.[32] At the NFL Scouting Combine, Wentz showcased his athleticism as he was in the top three in the 40-yard dash, the broad jump, and the three-cone drill among all quarterbacks. Wentz also reportedly scored a 40/50 on his Wonderlic test.[33]
Philadelphia Eagles
2016 season
See also: 2016 Philadelphia Eagles season
On April 28, 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Wentz in the first round with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.[34] He was the first quarterback the Eagles selected in the first round of an NFL Draft since Donovan McNabb in 1999, who was also taken second overall.[35] He was also the highest-selected FCS quarterback taken in draft history and the first FCS quarterback taken in the first round since Joe Flacco in 2008.[36] The Eagles traded three top 100 picks in 2016, a first round pick in 2017, and a second round pick in 2018 in order to move up in the draft order and get him.[37] Wentz signed a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $26.67 million on May 12, 2016.[38][39]
He suffered a rib injury in the team's first preseason game of 2016,[40] but was fully healthy for the beginning of the 2016 regular season. Originally intending to have Wentz sit and learn for the 2016 season, those plans changed when the Eagles traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings in September.[41] The same day, it was also reported that the team planned to start Wentz for the 2016 season when he became healthy.[42] On September 5, Wentz was named the starter for the Eagles' 2016 season opener against the Cleveland Browns.[43] In the game he threw for 278 passing yards and 2 touchdowns in the 29–10 victory.[44] He was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 1.[45] Wentz threw for 190 yards and a touchdown in a 29–14 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 2.[46] He became the first rookie quarterback since 1970 to win his first two games of the season and not throw an interception.[47] In Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wentz finished with 301 passing yards and 2 touchdowns as the Eagles won 34–3.[48] He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Steelers.[49] In Week 9, against the New York Giants, he was 27-of-47 for a season-high 364 yards and two interceptions in the 28–23 loss.[50] In his rookie season, Wentz started all 16 games for the Eagles as they finished the season with a 7–9 record.[51] Wentz threw for a league-record 379 completions by a rookie, breaking the record of 354 held by former teammate Sam Bradford, who was with the St. Louis Rams at the time.[52] His 379 completions also set a single season franchise record, breaking the record of 346 also held by Bradford from the previous season. Wentz also set a single season franchise record with 607 pass attempts, the second highest attempts by a rookie in league history (Andrew Luck had 627 in the 2012 season).[53]
2017 season
See also: 2017 Philadelphia Eagles season
Wentz in the opening game of the 2017 season
Wentz in 2017
In Week 1 against the Washington Redskins, Wentz finished with 307 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception from a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage as the Eagles won by a score of 30–17.[54] In Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Wentz threw for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. In addition, he rushed for 55 yards in the 27–20 loss.[55] In a Week 5 34–7 rout over the Arizona Cardinals, Wentz finished the game with 304 yards and a career-high four passing touchdowns.[56] In the first five games of 2017, he passed for 1,362 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions.[57][58] After this start, NFL insiders and reports ranked Wentz as a possible NFL MVP.[59] Wentz was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 7 after passing for 268 yards and a career-high tying four touchdowns in a 34–24 win over the Redskins.[60] During Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, Wentz finished with 199 passing yards and 4 touchdowns as the Eagles won 51–23.[61] During Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, Wentz left the game due to an apparent knee injury. He finished with 291 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception as the Eagles won 43–35. The win earned Wentz's first NFC East Title in the Pederson/Wentz era.[62] The next day, an MRI revealed that he suffered a torn ACL, keeping him out for the remainder of the season.[63][64] In 13 starts, Wentz finished the year with 3,296 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, a 60.2 completion percentage, and a 101.9 quarterback rating. On December 13, Wentz underwent successful surgery on his ACL.[65] Wentz was selected to his first Pro Bowl on December 19, but could not participate due to the aftermath of his recent knee surgery.[66][67] He was ranked third by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[68] Led by Nick Foles, the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41–33 in Super Bowl LII, the first Super Bowl win in franchise history.[69][70]
2018 season
See also: 2018 Philadelphia Eagles season
On June 25, 2018, prior to the start of the new season, Wentz was ranked third overall in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[71] It is the highest Top 100 debut ranking in the history of the league.[72]
Wentz missed the first two games in an effort to continue recovery from his ACL injury and Nick Foles remained as the starter. On September 17, Wentz was medically cleared and retained his starting quarterback role.[73] In his 2018 debut, Wentz would finish with 255 yards, one touchdown, and an interception in the Eagles' 20–16 win against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.[74] The Eagles experienced mixed results with Wentz as starter. He finished with a 5–6 record and passed for 3,074 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.[75] Near the end of the season, Wentz had to deal with a back injury and the Eagles not wanting to risk further injury decided to shut him down for the season and put Nick Foles as the starter for the rest of the season and the playoffs.[76]
2019 season
See also: 2019 Philadelphia Eagles season
Wentz in 2019
On April 29, 2019, the Eagles exercised the fifth-year option on Wentz's contract.[77] On June 6, 2019, the Eagles signed Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract extension with $107 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract through the 2024 season.[78] In Week 1 against the Washington Redskins, Wentz threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles won 32–27.[79] In Week 4, against the Green Bay Packers, he helped lead the Eagles to a 34–27 victory with three passing touchdowns.[80] In Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins, Wentz threw for 310 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 37–31 loss.[81] In Week 14, against the New York Giants, Wentz helped lead a comeback victory with 325 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 23–17 overtime win.[82] In Week 15 against the Redskins, Wentz threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns during another comeback victory as the Eagles won 37–27.[83] In week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys, Wentz threw for 319 yards and a touchdown during the 17–9 win.[84] Wentz helped lead the Eagles to a crucial 34–17 victory over the New York Giants in Week 17. Wentz had 289 yards and a touchdown in the victory, which gave the Eagles the NFC East title. The division title was his second in the Pederson/Wentz era.[85][86] Wentz finished the 2019 season with 4,039 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.[87] He became the first quarterback in franchise history to pass for at least 4,000 yards[88] and the first in the NFL to do so without any receiver catching at least 500 yards.[89]
In the NFC Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks, Wentz left the game with a head injury in the first quarter after defensive end Jadeveon Clowney made a helmet to helmet hit on him. He was ruled out of the game with a concussion after playing just nine snaps[90] in his post-season debut. The Eagles lost the game 17–9.[91]
2020 season
See also: 2020 Philadelphia Eagles season
Wentz made his return from injury in Week 1 against the Washington Football Team. During the game, Wentz threw for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Eagles lost 27–17. In the second quarter, the Eagles had a 17–0 lead over the Football Team, but they never managed to score for the rest of the game.[92] In Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, Wentz continued to struggle, throwing for 242 yards and two interceptions during the 37–19 loss.[93] In Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wentz threw two more interceptions during the 23–23 tie game.[94] In Week 7, against the New York Giants, he had 359 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and one interception in the 22–21 win.[95] In Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys, Wentz struggled, throwing for 123 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions during a 23–9 win.[96] In Week 11, Wentz went 21 for 35 throwing against the Cleveland Browns for 235 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, one being a pick-six in the 22–17 loss.[97] In Week 12, Wentz threw for two touchdowns and one interception for 23–17 loss against the Seattle Seahawks.[98] In Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers, Wentz was benched in the third quarter for Jalen Hurts after the Eagles were trailing 20–3. Without Wentz, the Eagles went on to lose 16–30.[99] On December 8, 2020, the Eagles named Jalen Hurts the starting quarterback for their Week 14 game against the New Orleans Saints.[100][101][102]
At the time of his benching, Wentz scored 21 total touchdowns (16 passing, 5 rushing). However, he led the league in interceptions thrown (15), total turnovers (19), and sacks taken (50).[103] He ended up leading the league in all of those categories at the end of the season despite only playing in 12 games.[104]
Indianapolis Colts
Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts on March 17, 2021, in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 first-round pick.[105] He was reunited with former Philadelphia Eagles' coordinator and current Indianapolis Colts' head coach Frank Reich. During training camp, Wentz suffered a foot injury that required surgery. He underwent the surgery on August 2, 2021.[106]
Despite the foot surgery, Wentz was able to return in time for the September 12 season opener at home against the Seattle Seahawks, where he completed 25-of-38 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns, however the Colts fell short 28–16 in his Indianapolis debut.[107] Wentz threw for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns, 7 interceptions as the Colts finished the season 9–8, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after a loss in week 18 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Washington Commanders
Wentz, along with the Colts' second and seventh round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, were traded to the Washington Commanders on March 16, 2022, in exchange for 2022 second and third round picks and a conditional third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.[108]
NFL career statistics
Legend
Regular season
Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GP GS Record Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD Sck SckY Fum Lost
2016 PHI 16 16 7−9 379 607 62.4 3,782 6.2 16 14 79.3 46 150 3.3 2 33 213 14 3
2017 PHI 13 13 11−2 265 440 60.2 3,296 7.5 33 7 101.9 64 299 4.7 0 28 162 9 3
2018 PHI 11 11 5−6 279 401 69.6 3,074 7.7 21 7 102.2 34 93 2.7 0 31 202 9 6
2019 PHI 16 16 9−7 388 607 63.9 4,039 6.7 27 7 93.1 62 243 3.9 1 37 230 16 7
2020 PHI 12 12 3−8−1 251 437 57.4 2,620 6.0 16 15 72.8 52 276 5.3 5 50 326 10 4
2021 IND 17 17 9−8 322 516 62.4 3,563 6.9 27 7 94.6 57 215 3.8 1 32 227 8 5
Career 85 85 44−40−1 1,884 3,008 62.6 20,374 6.8 140 57 90.1 315 1,276 4.1 9 211 1,360 66 28
Postseason
Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GP GS Record Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD Sck SckY Fum Lost
2017 PHI Did not play due to injury
2018 PHI
2019 PHI 1 1 0−1 1 4 25.0 3 0.8 0 0 39.6 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 1 0
Career 1 1 0−1 1 4 25.0 3 0.8 0 0 39.6 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 1 0
Career awards and highlights
NFL records
Most pass completions through the first 24 games of his career (540)[109]
Most consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass with one interception or less (Current streak is 22 games surpassing Matt Ryan's 21 from December 2015– Sept. 2017)
First quarterback in history to have a 4,000 yard season without having a single receiver with at least 500 receiving yards[89]
First quarterback in history to throw for 20 or more touchdowns and seven or less interceptions in three consecutive seasons[110]
Eagles franchise records
First quarterback in team history to throw for over 4,000 yards: 4,039 (2019)[111][112]
Most passing touchdowns in a season: 33 (2017)[111]
Most pass completions in a season: 388 (2019)[111]
Most pass attempts in a season: 607 (2016 & 2019)[111]
Most touchdown passes in the 1st quarter (3, 2017)[113]
Most touchdown passes in a calendar month (14, October 2017)[114]
Consecutive games with a touchdown pass (20, November 2018 – September 2020)[115]
Season completion percentage: 69.6% (2018) (minimum 6 starts)[111]
Lowest interception percentage: 1.2% (2019) (minimum 11 starts)[111]
Awards
Super Bowl champion (LII)[69]
Bert Bell Award (2017)[116]
Pro Bowl – 2017[67]
3× Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week – Weeks 1, 3, and 5, 2016[45]
2× NFC Offensive Player of the Week – Week 3, 2016 and Week 7, 2017[49][60]
NFC Offensive Player of the Month – October 2017[117]
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month – September 2016[118]
Personal life
Wentz with his family in March 2022
Two days after the Eagles' victory in Super Bowl LII, Wentz announced that he and his girlfriend, Madison Oberg, were engaged.[119] They married on July 16, 2018.[120] The couple have two daughters, born April 2020 and November 2021.[121][122]
Wentz is a Christian.[123] He founded the AO1 Foundation in 2017.[124][125] In 2018, he helped build a sports complex in Haiti.[126] Wentz is an avid hunter and frequently visits his home state of North Dakota." (wikipedia.org)
"The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Lincoln Financial Field.[6]
The franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell secured the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia. Since their formation, the Eagles have appeared in the playoffs 27 times, won 14 division titles (11 in the NFC East), appeared in four pre-merger NFL Championship Games, winning three of them (1948, 1949, and 1960), and appeared in three Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl LII at the end of the 2017 season. Bell, Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Brian Dawkins, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Dick Vermeil, Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Harold Carmichael, Sonny Jurgensen, and Norm Van Brocklin have been inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The team has had an intense rivalry with the New York Giants. This rivalry was the oldest in the NFC East and was among the oldest in the NFL. It was ranked by NFL Network as the number one rivalry of all-time, Sports Illustrated ranks it as the fourth-best rivalry in the NFL,[7] and according to ESPN, it is one of the fiercest and most well-known rivalries in the American football community.[8] They also have a bitter rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, which has become more high-profile since the 1960s, as well as a historic rivalry with the Washington Commanders. Their rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers is another bitter rivalry known as the battle of Pennsylvania, roughly dating back to 1933.[9] The team ranked among the best in the league in attendance and sold out every game since the 1999 season.[10][11]
The Eagles are owned by Jeffrey Lurie, who bought the team from previous owner Norman Braman for $195 million on May 6, 1994. In 2017, Forbes valued the club at $2.65 billion, ranking them 10th among NFL teams in value....
Doug Pederson era (2016–2020)
See also: Super Bowl LII
The Eagles hired the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as their next head coach on January 18, 2016. Pederson had been with the Chiefs for the preceding three years after having spent the four seasons previous to those with the Eagles. He served as a quality control assistant coach for the Eagles in 2009 and 2010 before being promoted to quarterbacks coach for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He had been praised for his work with Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith over the prior several seasons, particularly 2015, as the Chiefs moved into the top 10 in scoring offense.[64][65]
Doug Pederson, Eagles head coach from 2016 to 2020
At the end of the 2015 season, the Eagles were slated for the 13th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. They traded that pick, Byron Maxwell, and Kiko Alonso to the Miami Dolphins for the eighth overall pick. Later, they traded the eighth overall pick, their third- and fourth-round picks, a 2017 first-round pick, and a 2018 second-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for the second overall pick and a 2017 fourth-round pick. They used the second overall pick to draft North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. On September 3, 2016, the Eagles traded starting quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings, who had lost Teddy Bridgewater for the season, for a 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 fourth-round pick. Following the trade, the Eagles named Wentz the starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2016 season.[66]
Carson Wentz, Eagles quarterback from 2016 to 2020
First-time head coach Pederson led the Eagles to a 3–0 record to start the season. His rookie quarterback started with five touchdowns, no interceptions and over 255 yards per game. After a Week 4 bye, they lost four out of the next five games, including losses to every team in their division. They also lost right tackle Lane Johnson to a 10-game suspension following the Week 5 loss against the Lions, which damaged Carson Wentz's hot start. In those four defeats, their average margin of loss was just under 5 points.[67] Pederson and the Eagles won just three of their final seven games. Although Wentz started off the season well, he finished with a TD–INT ratio of 8:7. The rookie head coach-quarterback tandem led the Eagles to a 7–9 record, finishing last in the division.
Super Bowl LII champions (2017)
The Eagles had a 13–3 record in 2017, including a nine-game winning streak. In a week 14 game against the Los Angeles Rams, starting quarterback Carson Wentz left the game with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and backup Nick Foles, who had been re-signed in the off-season, took over for the rest of the season.
Foles's first start was a comeback from a 20–7 deficit against the New York Giants where he scored four touchdowns to win 34–29. Foles struggled in the last two games of the season against the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys, and threw a touchdown and two interceptions in those two games. Despite this, the Eagles clinched home-field advantage after the win against Oakland in week 16. Foles led the Eagles past the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round 15–10. In the NFC Championship, the Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings 38–7, despite having been betting underdogs. Foles had his best game since week 15 and threw for 352 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles traveled to Minneapolis to compete in Super Bowl LII, their third attempt at a title, against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX from 2005.
Nick Foles was named as Super Bowl LII's most valuable player.
Zach Ertz after catching a touchdown in Super Bowl LII
With Foles at the helm, the game's first touchdown was scored by the Eagles in just three plays: a short pass from Foles to Nelson Agholor, a 36-yard run up the middle by LeGarrette Blount, and a 34-yard touchdown pass from Foles to Alshon Jeffery on the left side of the field. The ensuing extra-point attempt from Elliott was missed wide right, which made the score 9–3 in favor of the Eagles. The Patriots responded by advancing the ball to the Philadelphia 11-yard line on their next drive, which was set up by a 50-yard completion from Brady to Danny Amendola, and the quarter ended.[68]
In the second quarter, Philadelphia faced fourth-and-goal on the 1-yard line with 38 seconds left. Deciding to go for the touchdown, they attempted a similar trick play to the one that had failed for the Patriots earlier. It would be the most memorable play of the game. As Foles stepped up to the running back position, Clement took a direct snap and pitched the ball to tight end Trey Burton, who then threw the ball to Foles, who was wide open in the right side of the end zone. Foles caught the ball, making him the first quarterback ever to catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl, and the ensuing extra point was good, giving the Eagles a 22–12 lead, which was taken into the locker room after a short drive by the Patriots. The scoring play came to be known as the Philly Special.[68] The Eagles won their first Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history,[68] and their first league championship since 1960, ending the third-longest active championship drought in the NFL at 57 years.
Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation after the game.
New England's only lead was by one point in the fourth quarter, 33–32. The Eagles rallied back and scored an 11-yard touchdown to tight end Zach Ertz. The last score of the game was a 46-yard field goal by Jake Elliott to make the final score 41–33. The franchise won their first Super Bowl ever and their first championship since 1960. Foles won Super Bowl MVP going 28 for 43 with 373 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, one interception, and one receiving touchdown. Foles became the first backup quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl since his opponent Tom Brady won as the backup for Drew Bledsoe in 2002's Super Bowl XXXVI.
The combined 74 points scored was one point shy of the Super Bowl record of 75, set in Super Bowl XXIX in 1995; this game marked only the second time in the history of the Super Bowl where the teams combined for 70+ points.[69] The game also set a record for most yardage by both teams (combined) with 1,151 yards, the most for any single game, regular season or postseason.[70] The game set many other Super Bowl records as well, including fewest punts from both teams (one), most yards gained by a team (613 for New England) and most points scored by a losing team (33).[71]
Before the 2018 season started, many injuries plagued the team, including quarterback Carson Wentz, who was still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that he had sustained during the previous season. Nick Foles was named the starting quarterback to begin the season,[72] and helped the team win their opening game against the Atlanta Falcons, 18–12. Wentz returned as the starting quarterback in week 3 after Foles had led the team to a 1–1 record.[73] Injuries continued to be a major problem throughout the season, especially on defense as Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, and Rodney McLeod all suffered season-ending injuries.[74][75][76] Wentz suffered a fractured vertebra in his back after a week 14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys,[77] and Foles was again named the starter for remainder of the season.[78] The Eagles' 4–6 record after 10 games seemed to give them little chance of making the playoffs, but the team managed to win 5 of their last 6, including upsets over the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans. The Eagles finished the season with a 9–7 record and made the playoffs as the sixth seed.
In the Wild Card game against the Chicago Bears, Foles threw 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a 16–15 win. With ten seconds left, Bears kicker Cody Parkey missed a potential game-winning field goal that became known in NFL lore as the Double Doink. This sent the Philadelphia Eagles to an NFC Divisional matchup against the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles offense initially performed well, ending the first quarter with a 14–0 lead. The Eagles would not score again after the Saints defense rallied, forcing Foles to throw two interceptions. The Eagles ended up losing by a score of 20–14, ending their opportunity to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
In 2019, the Eagles matched their 9–7 record from 2018. They won 4 straight games against divisional opponents to close the season, clinching the NFC East in Week 17 with a 34–17 win over the New York Giants[79] and clinched a playoff berth for the third consecutive season. Carson Wentz started his first playoff game in the Wild Card round against the Seattle Seahawks, but left the game early in the first quarter after suffering a concussion on a controversial helmet-to-helmet hit by Jadeveon Clowney.[80] Backup quarterback Josh McCown finished the game even after suffering a torn hamstring in the second quarter.[81] The Eagles lost to the Seahawks 17–9, ending their season.[82]
The Eagles opened the 2020 season with consecutive losses to the Washington Football Team and Los Angeles Rams. In week 3, the Eagles tied with the Cincinnati Bengals after controversially punting the ball instead of attempting a potential 64-yard game-winning field goal late in overtime.[83] The decision was widely criticized by sports media and fans as they accused head coach Doug Pederson of settling for a tie, rather than playing to win.[84] Once again, injuries continued to plague the team as almost every offensive starter had suffered an injury throughout the season,[85] and the team fielded 14 different offensive line combinations in 16 games.[86] The team entered the bye week with a 3–4–1 record and proceeded to lose their next four games. During their week 13 match-up against the Green Bay Packers, rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts entered the game in the third quarter in relief of Wentz after poor play.[87] Hurts would later be named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season after a career-worst season performance by Wentz.[88][89] Hurts led the Eagles to a 24–21 victory against the New Orleans Saints in week 14. This would be the team's last win of the 2020 season as they lost their next three games, finishing with a 4–11–1 record and missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
During the 2020 off-season, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz announced that he would step down from his position.[90] A day later, linebackers coach Ken Flajole left his position on the team.[91] After a disappointing 2020 season, Doug Pederson met with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to discuss the future of the team. Pederson proposed changes to the coaching staff that were described by internal reporters as "underwhelming" and out of line with Lurie's vision for the team.[92][93]
On January 11, 2021, the Eagles announced that they had fired Pederson.[94] In a statement, Lurie described the move as in the best interests of both Pederson and the team.[95] Pederson became just the first head coach to be fired within three years of winning a Super Bowl since the Baltimore Colts fired Don McCafferty after the 1972 NFL Season.[96]
Nick Sirianni era (2021–present)
The Eagles hired the former Indianapolis Colts' offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni as their next head coach on January 21, 2021.[97] During the offseason, the Eagles traded starting quarterback Carson Wentz to the Colts for a 2021 third-round draft pick and a 2022 conditional second-round pick.[98] In doing so, Wentz was reunited with Frank Reich, head coach of the Colts who served as the Eagles' offensive coordinator for Wentz's first two years in Philadelphia, including during their Super Bowl–winning season in 2017. The Eagles absorbed a $33.8-million dead-cap hit for trading Wentz, the largest dead-cap hit in NFL history.[99]
During the 2021 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected Heisman Trophy–winning wide receiver DeVonta Smith with the 10th overall pick,[100] and maneuvered around the draft to gain an extra first-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.[101] Smith was a highly touted prospect out of the University of Alabama, and was the first Heisman winner the Eagles drafted in over fifty years.[102] The drafting of Smith also reunited him with Jalen Hurts, his first quarterback at Alabama.
After training camp, Hurts was officially named the Eagles' starting quarterback for the 2021 NFL season by head coach Sirianni. After starting the season 2–5, the Eagles went 7–3 in their last ten games, clinching a playoff berth in week 17 after a victory over the Washington Football Team along with a loss by the Minnesota Vikings and win by the San Francisco 49ers.[103] The Eagles finished the season with the #1 rushing offense; It was the best rushing offense since the 1985 Chicago Bears, and the best in the franchise history since the 1949 Eagles team. They lost in the wild card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31–15.[104]
Logo and uniforms
See also: Protective equipment in gridiron football and National Football League uniform numbers
The choice of an eagle as the team mascot honored the insignia of the New Deal program, the National Recovery Administration, which featured a blue eagle as its insignia.[105][note 1]
Uniforms worn by the Eagles from 1985 to 1995
For several decades, the Eagles' colors were kelly green, silver, and white. In 1954 the Eagles, along with the Baltimore Colts, became the second team ever in the NFL to put a logo on their helmets, with silver wings on a kelly green helmet. In 1969 the team wore two helmet versions: Kelly green with white wings in road games, and white with kelly green wings at home. From 1970 to '73, they wore the white helmets with Kelly green wings exclusively before switching back to Kelly green helmets with silver wings. By 1974, Joseph A. Scirrotto Jr. designed the silver wings within a white outline, and this style on a kelly green helmet became standard for over two decades.
From 1948 to 1995, the team logo was an eagle in flight carrying a football in its claws, although from 1969 to 1972, the eagle took on a more stylized look.
In 1973 the team's name was added below the eagle, returning to its pre-1969 look.
Both the logo and uniforms were radically altered in 1996, when the primary kelly green color was changed to a darker shade, officially described as "midnight green." Silver was practically abandoned, as uniform pants moved to either white or midnight green. The traditional helmet wings were changed to a primarily white color, with silver and black accents. The team's logo combination (the eagle and club name lettering) also changed, with the eagle itself limited to a white (bald eagle) head, drawn in a less realistic, more cartoon-like style, and the lettering changed from calligraphic to block letters.[106]
Since 1996, the team has made only minor alterations, mostly related to jersey/pants combinations worn during specific games. For example, in 1997, against the San Francisco 49ers, the team wore midnight green jerseys and pants for the first of only two occasions in team history. The second occasion was in 2002, during the final regular season game at Veterans Stadium, a win over the division-rival Washington Redskins. A year later, in the first two games of the 2003 season (both home losses, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots), the Eagles wore white jerseys with white pants. After that, the white jerseys along with white pants were worn exclusively during preseason games from 2004 to 2011, with the exception of 2007 and 2010.
The 2003 season also saw the first (though subtle) change to the 1996-style uniform. On both white and green jerseys, black shadows and silver trim were added to both the green and white numbering. The stripe on the pants changed from black-green-black to black-silver-green on the white pants, and from a solid black stripe to one stripe of black, another of silver, with one small white stripe in between for the midnight green pants. The 2003 season also saw the team debut black alternate jerseys, with a green (instead of black) shadow on white numbers, and silver trim. These black jerseys have been worn for two selected home games each season (usually the first home game after a bye week and the season finale). In the 2003 and 2004 regular-season home finales, the team wore the green road pants with the black alternate jerseys, but lost both games. Since then, the Eagles have only worn the black jerseys with the white pants. However, due to the special 75th-anniversary uniforms serving as the "alternates" for one game in 2007, the Eagles could not wear the alternate black jersey that season per league rules at the time (alternate uniforms were permitted twice per season but only one can be used). The black jerseys with white pants, however, re-appeared for the 2008 Thanksgiving night game against the Arizona Cardinals. From 2006 to 2013, the Eagles have only worn the alternate black jerseys once a season and for the last November home game, but did not use them in 2007, 2010, and 2011. For the 2007 and 2010 seasons, the Eagles used throwback uniforms in place of the black alternates for their anniversary to commemorate past teams. The team also started wearing black cleats exclusively in 2004, although the rule was relaxed by the mid-2010s.
To celebrate the team's 75th anniversary, the 2007 uniforms featured a 75th-season logo patch on the left shoulder. In addition, the team wore "throwback" jerseys in a 2007 game against the Detroit Lions. The yellow and blue jerseys, the same colors found on Philadelphia's city flag, are based on those worn by the Philadelphia Eagles in the team's inaugural season, and had been the same colors used by the Frankford Yellow Jackets franchise prior to its suspension of operations in 1931. The Eagles beat Detroit, 56–21.[107]
The Eagles wear their white jerseys at home for preseason games and daytime games in the first half of the regular season from September to mid-October when the temperature is warmer. In night contests in the first half of the regular season, the Eagles do not need to wear white at home since the temperature is cooler. However, there have been exceptions, such as the home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003 and the Washington Redskins in 2007 that were played at night. In late October or beginning in November, the Eagles start to wear their colors at home (although they had done it earlier), be it the midnight green jerseys or a third jersey. On one occasion, the Eagles wore white at home after October in a meeting against the Dallas Cowboys on November 4, 2007, in order to make the Cowboys wear their blue road jerseys. Upon moving to Lincoln Financial Field in 2003, the Eagles wore white at home for at least their home opener, but in recent years they opted to wear their standard midnight green jerseys even during the warmest of autumn weather.
In the 2010 season against the Green Bay Packers, on September 12, 2010, the Eagles wore uniforms similar to the ones that were worn by the 1960 championship team in honor the 50th anniversary of that team.[108] In weeks 4 and 6 of the 2010 season, the Eagles wore their white jerseys in a match-up against the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons, respectively, before reverting to their midnight green jerseys for the rest of their home games.
For the 2012 season, Nike took over from Reebok as the NFL's official apparel licensee, but the Eagles decided that they would not be adopting Nike's "Elite 51" uniform technology. Aside from the Nike logo replacing the Reebok logo, the only other change is the league-wide revision of the NFL shield on the uniform (replacing the NFL Equipment logo). Other than that the uniforms essentially remain unchanged. The Eagles also revived their black alternate jersey and resumed wearing white pants with their white jerseys in the regular season.
For the 2014 season, the Eagles officially adopted the "Elite 51″ style uniform from Nike. However, they only broke out the midnight green jerseys and pants in the second half of that season due to the difficulty of producing their preferred shade of midnight green.
Recently the team has discussed bringing back the "Kelly Green" uniforms similar to the uniforms worn in the 1960 NFL Championship season, which were last worn in the 2010 season opener vs. Green Bay. Traditionally, kelly green, silver and white had been the official team colors, until the 1996 season when it changed to the current "Midnight Green" uniforms. NFL rules and restrictions require that teams go through a waiting period before any major uniform changes and alterations can be made, which means it would likely be quite some time before any uniform changes are officially made.
In Week 6 of 2014 against the New York Giants, the team introduced black pants to complement their black jerseys, giving them a blackout uniform set. The Eagles won the game 27–0. The victory was their first shutout in 18 years. In Week 16 of 2016 (also against the Giants), the Eagles wore a variation of the all-black look as part of the NFL Color Rush program, but with solid black socks as opposed to black with white sanitary socks of the original look. The black jerseys/white pants combination was last seen during a preseason road game against the New England Patriots, after which the black jerseys were paired exclusively with the black pants.
In 2018, the Eagles' midnight green pants were not worn at all, marking the first such instance since the 1996 rebrand that the Eagles wore only white pants with their primary white or midnight green jerseys.
In Week 6 of the 2017 season, the Eagles debuted an all-white look with white jerseys, white pants and solid white socks in a road game against the Carolina Panthers. The all-white look began to be utilized full-time as a road uniform set in 2019 thanks to the NFL's decision to allow teams to wear solid color socks as an alternate look.
During Week 10 of the 2021 season, the Eagles paired their white uniforms with the alternate black pants against the Denver Broncos, marking the first time the black pants were paired with a different colored uniform.
Rivalries
Dallas Cowboys
Main article: Cowboys–Eagles rivalry
The Eagles and Cowboys rivalry has been listed among the best and most acrimonious in the NFL.[109][110] The Eagles won the first game in this rivalry 27–25 on September 30, 1960. Dallas leads the all-time series 69–54 as of the 2020 season, but in recent years, the series has been close, with each team winning 12 games since 2006. There is considerable hostility between the two teams' fan bases, with incidents such as the 1989 Bounty Bowl. The rivalry has even spilled over into Draft Weekend, with Cowboys legend Drew Pearson and Eagles legend David Akers exchanging insults at the opposing franchise in 2017 and 2018, respectively.[111][112]
New York Giants
Main article: Eagles–Giants rivalry
Their rivalry with the Giants began in 1933 with the founding of the Eagles, and slowly strengthened when both teams came to relative prominence in the 1940s and 1950s. The two teams have played in the same division in the NFL every year since 1933. The ferocity of the rivalry can also be attributed to the geographic New York-Philadelphia rivalry, which is mirrored in Major League Baseball's Mets–Phillies rivalry and the NHL's Flyers–Rangers rivalry. It is ranked by NFL Network as one of the greatest rivalries of all-time,[113] Sports Illustrated ranks it as the fourth best NFL rivalry of all time,[114] and according to ESPN, it is one of the fiercest and most well-known rivalries in the football community.[115] The Eagles lead the all-time series 89-88-2 as of Week 13 of the 2021 NFL season.
Washington Commanders
Main article: Commanders–Eagles rivalry
While not as big as the rivalries with the Giants and Cowboys, the Eagles' rivalry with division foes Washington Commanders has still shown to be fierce. Although the two franchises played in the same division in the Eagles' inaugural 1933 season, their first meeting would not take place until October 21, 1934, during Washington's first year under the Boston Redskins moniker; the Redskins defeated the Eagles 6–0 at Fenway Park. Washington currently leads the all-time series 87–80–8. Since 2010, the rivalry has been very even overall with the Eagles winning 12 of the last 20 matchups.[116]
Pittsburgh Steelers
Main article: Eagles–Steelers rivalry
The Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers are both located in Pennsylvania and began play in 1933. From that season through 1966, this was a major rivalry for both teams, as both were part of the same division. In 1967 they were placed in separate divisions, but remained in the same conference for three years. In 1970 the Steelers (along with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts) moved to the American Football Conference, while the Eagles stayed with the rest of the old-line NFL teams in the National Football Conference. As a result, the Eagles and Steelers no longer played each other every year; instead, they are scheduled to meet once every four years in the regular season, the most recent meeting being in 2020 at Heinz Field, with the Steelers winning 38–29. The Steelers have lost nine straight games on the road against the Eagles dating back to 1966, which was also the start of the Super Bowl era. The Eagles lead the all-time series 48–29–3.
Atlanta Falcons
Main article: Eagles–Falcons rivalry
The Eagles lead the Falcons 21–15–1, with a 3–1 lead in playoff games. The rivalry first emerged after the Falcons upset the Eagles in the 1978 Wild Card Round, and only intensified further thanks to the rivalry between prominent dual-threat quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick. Recently, the Eagles' path to winning Super Bowl LII included a 2017 divisional round victory over the Falcons....
From 2008 through 2010, Eagles games were broadcast on both rock-formatted WYSP and sports-talk Sports Radio 610 WIP, as both stations are owned and operated by CBS Radio. In 2011, CBS dropped the music on WYSP, renaming it WIP-FM and making it a full simulcast of WIP. Later, 610 AM became a CBS Sports Radio national broadcast, and 94 WIP was broadcast on WIP FM. The Eagles extended their broadcasting contract with WIP-FM through 2024.[126]
Merrill Reese, who joined the Eagles in 1976, is the play-by-play announcer, and former Eagles wide receiver Mike Quick, who replaced offense lineman Stan Walters beginning in 1998, is the color analyst. The post-game show, which has consisted of many Philadelphia sports personalities, as of the 2014 season is hosted by Kevin Riley, a former Eagles linebacker and special-teamer, and Rob Ellis. Riley was the former post-game host for the show on 94 WYSP before the WIP change over; Rob Ellis hosts a weekly show nightly from 6–10 on 94.1 WIP-FM.
Spanish language broadcasts are on WEMG Mega 105.7FM with Rickie Ricardo on play-by-play, and Oscar Budejen as color commentator.
In 2015, the preseason games were being televised on WCAU, the local NBC owned and operated station.
During the regular season, games are governed by the NFL's master broadcasting contract with FOX, CBS, NBC, and ESPN. Most games can be seen on FOX-owned WTXF-TV. When hosting an AFC team, those games can be seen on CBS-owned KYW-TV.
Training camp
Philadelphia Eagles training camp at the NovaCare Complex in 2019
The Eagles previously held their preseason training camp from the end of July through mid-August each year at Lehigh University in Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley.[127] In 2013, with the addition of head coach Chip Kelly, the Eagles moved their training camp to the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia.[128][129] Training camps were previously held at Chestnut Hill Academy in 1935, Saint Joseph's University in 1939 and 1943, Saranac Lake from 1946 to 1948, Hershey from 1951 to 1967, Albright College from 1968 to 1972, Widener University from 1973 to 1979, and West Chester University from 1980 to 1995.[129]
Fight song
Further information: Fly, Eagles Fly
This fight song is heard during Eagles' home games after touchdowns and before the team is introduced prior to kickoff.
Eagles' cheerleaders
Main article: Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders
Eagles' cheerleaders doing a routine in 2008.
The Eagles have their own cheerleading squad, which performs a variety of dance routines for the fans and the Eagles on the sideline.[130] The squad also releases a swimsuit calendar each year, and is the first squad in the league to release the calendar on the Android and iOS mobile systems.[131][132]
Fans
Full house at "The Linc" for a playoff game in January 2011
An Eagles fan in attendance at U.S. Bank Stadium celebrates following the team's victory at Super Bowl LII.
Eagles fans celebrating along Benjamin Franklin Parkway at the Super Bowl victory parade
Devotion
Although the method may vary, studies that attempt to rank the 32 fan bases in the NFL consistently place Eagles fans among the best in the league, noting their "unmatched fervor."[133] Eagles fans have numerous dedicated web communities, ranking the Eagles just The American City Business Journals, which conducts a regular study to determine the most loyal fans in the NFL, evaluates fans based primarily on attendance-related factors,[134] and ranked Eagles fans third in both 1999[135] and 2006.[136] The 2006 study called the fans "incredibly loyal", noting that they filled 99.8% of the seats in the stadium over the previous decade.[137] Forbes placed the Eagles fans first in its 2008 survey,[138] which was based on the correlation between team performance and fan attendance.[139] ESPN.com placed Eagles fans fourth in the league in its 2008 survey, citing the connection between the team's performance and the mood of the city.[140] The last home game that was blacked out on television in the Philadelphia market as a result of not being sold out was against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, September 12, 1999, which was Andy Reid's first home game as new head coach of the Eagles.[141]
The studies note that—win or lose—Eagles fans can be counted on to pack their stadium. As of August 2008, the team had sold out 71 consecutive games, and 70,000 were on the team's waiting list for season tickets.[140] Despite finishing with a 6–10 record in the 2005 season, the Eagles ranked second in the NFL in merchandise sales, and single-game tickets for the next season were sold out minutes after phone and Internet lines opened.[142]
Eagles fans have also been known to chant the famous, "E-A-G-L-E-S – Eagles!" at Flyers, Phillies, and 76ers games when the team is getting blown out late in a game and a loss is inevitable, signifying their displeasure with the given team's performance, and that they are instead putting their hope into the Eagles.
Bad behavior
Along with their fierce devotion, Eagles fans have a reputation for bad behavior and sports-related violence, especially when the team plays its rivals.[143] In If Football's a Religion, Why Don't We Have a Prayer?, Jereé Longman described the fans of the 700 Level of Veterans Stadium as having a reputation for "hostile taunting, fighting, public urination and general strangeness."[144] So many incidents occurred at a 1997 game against the 49ers that at the following home game, Judge Seamus McCaffery began presiding over a temporary courtroom at the stadium; 20 suspects came before him that day.[143] Fan behavior improved after the team's move to Lincoln Financial Field, and "Eagles Court" ended in December 2003.[145]
In popular culture
The 1976 draw was the subject of the movie Invincible. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg as Vince Papale, and part-time school teacher, and also a diehard Eagles fan who became an Eagles player. The film differs slightly from true events as the selection process was invitation-only, and Papale had at least some previous playing experience.[146] The film Silver Linings Playbook highlights the 2008 Philadelphia Eagles season, and the novel mentions the 2006 team. The film was critically acclaimed and nominated for several awards including 8 Academy Awards.
In the 1978 Academy Award-winning movie The Deer Hunter, the Eagles are referenced when Nick talks to Stan in the bar, saying: "Hey, I got a hundred bucks says the Eagles never cross the fifty in the next half and Oakland wins by 20!" Stan responds; "And I got an extra twenty says the Eagles' quarterback wears a dress!"[147]
The award-winning comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia makes several references to the Philadelphia Eagles, most notably Season 3, Episode 2 – "The Gang Gets Invincible," the title being a reference to the Wahlberg film." (wikipedia.org)
"The North Dakota State Bison is the name of the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison....
Sports sponsored
Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross country Golf
Football Soccer
Golf Softball
Track and field† Track and field†
Wrestling Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.
A member of the Summit League, North Dakota State University sponsors teams in eight men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned intercollegiate sports:[2] The football team competes as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The wrestling team competes as an affiliate member of the Big 12 Conference.
In the past, North Dakota State has been a member of the North Central Conference, the Great West Football Conference, and the United Soccer Conference. It has also been an independent.
Football
Main article: North Dakota State Bison football
The Bison football team, which since 1993 played their home games at the Fargodome, was a dominant force in Division II. Through January 2020, they have won 16 NCAA National titles. Eight were at the Division II level (1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1990) before moving up to Division I-AA (now FCS) in 2004 where they have won eight national championships (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019). NDSU is the only team at any level of NCAA football to have won five straight national championships. The program was the winningest in the history of the NCAA Division II North Central Conference, with 17 outright championships and 27 total league football titles. The program has also been quite successful since moving up to the D1 FCS classification. In 2006 the Bison posted a 10–1 record that included a win over FBS Ball State. During a 2006 game against FBS Minnesota, NDSU led for much of the game, but a last-second field goal attempt was blocked by Minnesota, resulting in a 10–9 loss. The following season, the Bison won their first Great West Football Conference championship and achieved the number 1 ranking in major FCS polls for a majority of the season. During this season the 2007 Bison football team defeated FBS members Central Michigan University and the University of Minnesota. In 2010 the Bison defeated the FBS Kansas Jayhawks, 6–3, for their first win over a Big 12 program. The Bison won the 2011 FCS national championship, defeating Sam Houston State University, 17–6. The 2011 title was their ninth overall. The Bison returned to the FCS championship game in 2012 and soundly defeated Sam Houston State University in a rematch of the 2011 title game, 39–13. Expectations were high entering the 2013 season. The season commenced with a game against the Kansas State Wildcats, the reigning Big 12 Champions. The Bison took a quick lead, but let a 7–7 halftime score get away from them; trailing 21–7 in the third quarter. The Bison finished the game with an 18-play 80-yard drive that used 8+1⁄2 minutes, leaving 28 seconds on the clock for the Wildcats, trailing by 3. NDSU Linebacker Grant Olson intercepted the first pass attempt by the Wildcats, sealing their 7th win over FBS teams since their move to FCS. ESPN College GameDay broadcast an episode from Fargo. The Bison finished the season 15–0 with a victory over the Towson Tigers, 35–7. Despite a cast of new coaches, the 2014 Bison finished the season with a 15–1 record, including another win over Big 12 Iowa State and won their fourth consecutive national championship. ESPN College GameDay was broadcast from Fargo for the 2nd consecutive year.
Basketball
Main articles: North Dakota State Bison men's basketball and North Dakota State Bison women's basketball
The Bison basketball program includes a men's and a women's team. The teams play at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex (SHAC). The women's basketball team was a dominant force in Division II throughout the 1990s. They won five NCAA National Championships during the decade (1991, 1993–1996). The men's basketball team won an upset victory over the University of Wisconsin on January 21, 2006, potentially increasing its chances of being accepted into a conference. The Bison also upset Marquette University on their home court at their tournament, 64–60, on December 2, 2006. On March 10, 2009 the Bison defeated Oakland 66–64 to win the Summit League Tournament and a bid to the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
On February 28, 2009, the Bison men's basketball team captured the Summit League regular-season championship, the school's first at the Division I level, by defeating Oral Roberts 75–72 in Tulsa, OK. Two weeks later, NDSU earned its first men's basketball NCAA berth by winning the Summit League Tournament played at Sioux Falls, SD. The Bison defeated Centenary 83–77 in the tourney quarterfinals, stopped Southern Utah 79–67 in the semifinals, and edged Oakland 66–64 in the championship game. The Bison traveled to Minneapolis for a first-round game with the defending national champions, the Kansas Jayhawks, and fell 84–74. NDSU's tournament appearance marked the first time in almost 35 years that a Division I men's program qualified for the tournament in its first season of eligibility.
2013 NDSU season highlights included a win over Notre Dame for their first ever win over an ACC team. NDSU advanced to the NCAA tournament for a 2nd time and received a #12 seed. They defeated #5 Oklahoma 80–75 in a second-round matchup of the NCAA basketball tournament and fell to San Diego State, one win short of the Sweet 16.
In 2014, NDSU won the Summit League Tournament and advanced to their 3rd NCAA Basketball Tournament as a #15 seed, eventually falling to #2 seed Gonzaga 86–76.
Wrestling
Main article: North Dakota State Bison wrestling
The Bison wrestling program had success under coach Bucky Maughan, winning four NCAA Division II team National Championships (1988, 1998, 2000, 2001). Maughan retired in 2011 after 37 years and his successor is two-time NCAA All-American Roger Kish. Kish led the 2013–14 NDSU to career highs in rankings and tournament placement since the Bison joined the Division I ranks. In 2013, NDSU earned its first D1 All American and four through 2015. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference.
Volleyball
The 2008–2009 season was when the school first became fully eligible for Division I competition. In December 2008 NDSU's women's volleyball team captured the Summit League's regular season and tournament championships (doing so with a perfect league record) to become the first program at the school to earn a berth in a Division I NCAA tournament. The Bison dropped their opening round match to the University of Minnesota.[citation needed]
Softball
Main article: North Dakota State Bison softball
In the spring of 2009, the Bison women's softball team won the Summit League tournament in Macomb, Illinois, becoming the school's third team to appear in an NCAA tournament in the calendar year. In its opening game in May, the Bison upset 9th-ranked Oklahoma, 1–0, in an 11-inning game that spanned two days due to a weather delay. The Bison won the regional with victories over Tulsa, 3–2 and 4–1, to advance to the Super Regional (Sweet Sixteen) of the tournament, where they were eliminated.
Soccer
In fall 2010, the Bison women's soccer team achieved the program's first NCAA tournament bid with a victory over Western Illinois in the Summit League tournament final.[citation needed]
Mascot
"Thundar" redirects here. For the animated series, see Thundarr the Barbarian.
"Thundar" is the official mascot of NDSU athletics. The mascot, which resembles the American Bison, comes from the term "thundering herd," a nickname given to NDSU athletic teams since changing its name from "Aggies" to "Bison" in 1919.[3] While some form of a "Bison Mascot" has been used at NDSU athletic events since the mid-1960s, "Thundar" did not become the official mascot of the university until 1991.[4]
Media
NDSU athletics radio coverage rights are held by Radio FM Media with games also airing on the 24-station Bison Radio Network.[5] TV rights for the Bison are held by Forum Communications, a Fargo-based communications company that owns TV stations affiliated with ABC, for both football and basketball.[6]
In addition to broadcast rights, the NDSU Bison also receive dedicated print coverage in Bison Illustrated. The monthly magazine brings readers behind the scenes coverage of NDSU teams, players, coaches, administration, and alumni. The magazine is distributed free of charge in locations around the Fargo-Moorhead area and is available via paid subscription for out-of-state readers." (wikipedia.org)
"North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University (NDSU), is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as the state's land-grant university. NDSU is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[11] As of 2021, NDSU offers 94 undergraduate majors, 146 undergraduate degree programs, 5 undergraduate certificate programs, 84 undergraduate minors, 87 master's degree programs, 52 doctoral degree programs of study, and 210 graduate certificate programs.[12]
NDSU is part of the North Dakota University System. It is the largest university in the state of North Dakota. The university also operates North Dakota's agricultural research extension centers distributed across the state on 18,488 acres (75 km2). In 2015, NDSU's economic impact on the state and region was estimated to be $1.3 billion a year according to the NDUS Systemwide Economic Study by the School of Economics at North Dakota State University.[13][14] In 2016, it was also the fifth-largest employer in the state of North Dakota....
Athletics
Main article: North Dakota State Bison
NDSU's sports teams are known as the North Dakota State Bison, or simply The Bison (pronounced "biZon").[10] They are also known as "The Thundering Herd." NDSU's athletic symbol is a caricature of the American Bison.
North Dakota State's intercollegiate sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in all sports (Division I Championship Subdivision in football). NDSU was a charter member of the Division II North Central Conference (NCC), and made the move to Division I sports in the fall of 2004. NDSU spent the next two years as an independent in Division I in all sports other than football, in which it was a member of the Great West Football Conference. The school was accepted into the Summit League on August 31, 2006, and began play in that conference on July 1, 2007. The football team left the Great West Football Conference and joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference on March 7, 2007. They became a full member of the conference during the 2008 season. NDSU joined the Big 12 Conference in wrestling in 2015.[35]
Football
Main article: North Dakota State Bison football
The Bison football team was the winningest program in NCAA Football history with thirty-three conference championships and eight national championships (1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990) before moving to Division I Championship Subdivision in 2004. In January 2012, NDSU defeated Sam Houston State in the FCS National Championship game becoming the 2011 season National Champions. NDSU football is a major event in the city of Fargo and the region, averaging over 18,000 fans per home game. The Bison play their home games at the Fargodome (cap. 19,287). In January 2013, NDSU football won the NCAA Division I championship title for a second year in a row, defeating Sam Houston again. They also defeated Kansas State and hosted ESPN College Gameday. In January 2014, NDSU defeated Towson to win its 3rd consecutive national championship in FCS football. It is only the 2nd team in NCAA history to achieve this feat. NDSU also defeated FBS Iowa State for their 6th consecutive win over an FBS opponent and hosted ESPN College Gameday for the 2nd straight season. January 2015, for the 2014 season, NDSU defeated Illinois State to win its 4th consecutive national championship in FCS football. The feat had never been accomplished in Division I football.[citation needed]
In the 2015 season, NDSU defeated Jacksonville State for a record 5th consecutive NCAA Division I FCS national championship. No football team in the modern history of the NCAA has accomplished this feat. In the 2016 season, NDSU was defeated by James Madison, 27–17, who eventually went on to win the championship. This ended the Bison's reign of 5 consecutive championships.[36] The following season the Bison went on to win the FCS National Championship again for the sixth time in seven years, by beating James Madison, 17–13. In 2018, the Bison completed an undefeated season going 15–0 and defeating the Eastern Washington Eagles, 38–24, and winning their 7th FCS championship in 8 years. After defeating James Madison in 2019 for a third straight title, the Bison lost in the 2020-21 FCS quarterfinals in thespring season to eventual champion Sam Houston State before reclaiming the title in 2021 with a decisive 38-10 victory over Montana State.[37] North Dakota State University has the most NCAA FCS football championships, as of 2021.[38]
On September 17, 2016, the Bison upset the No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes, 23–21.[39] It was the Bison's sixth-straight win against a team in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.[39]
Basketball
Main articles: North Dakota State Bison men's basketball and North Dakota State Bison women's basketball
The Bison men's and women's basketball| teams have played since 1970 in a venue that was known before 2016 as the Bison Sports Arena. Following a $41 million renovation that nearly doubled the facility's seating capacity, the venue was renamed the Sanford Health Athletic Complex (commonly known as the SHAC), with the basketball arena called The Scheels Center, beginning with the 2016–2017 season. Both teams play in The Summit League
The women's basketball team won five NCAA National Championships during the 1990s – 1991, 1993 through 1996. In January 2006, the NCAA recognized NDSU's four consecutive Division II Women's Basketball Championships (1993–1996) as one of the "25 Most Defining Moments in NCAA History."
NDSU's men's basketball team gained national recognition in 2006 with an upset win at #13 ranked Wisconsin, and again in the 2006–07 season with a win at #8 ranked Marquette.
On March 10, 2009, North Dakota State gained an automatic invitation to the NCAA Basketball Tournament in its first year of eligibility for Division I postseason play, by defeating Oakland 66–64 in the Summit League Tournament Championship game. The #14 seeded Bison lost to #3 Kansas in the 1st Round in a game played in Minneapolis, MN.
In the 2nd Round of the 2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament, the #12 seeded Bison team defeated #5 Oklahoma 80–75 for the program's first NCAA tournament win in Spokane, WA; then it lost to #4 San Diego State in the 3rd Round.
NDSU also made the 2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament, with the #15 seeded Bison falling 86–76 to #2 seeded Gonzaga in the Round of 64. (Gonzaga went on to the Elite Eight, before losing to Duke, the eventual Tournament Champion.) The Bison last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2019, winning a First Four game against North Carolina Central by a 78-74 score. This advanced the Bison to the opening round bracket where they took on #1 seed Duke, eventually falling 85-62. The 2020 men's team went 25-8 during the season, won the Summit League tournament title, defeating in-state rival North Dakota in the championship game but were not able to compete in the NCAA Tournament, which was cancelled due to
Wrestling
Main article: North Dakota State Bison wrestling
Formed in 1957, Bison wrestling won Division II team titles in 1988, 1998, 2000, and 2001. The team first became fully eligible for the Division I tournament competition in 2009. In 2015, following the disbanding of the Western Wrestling Conference, the Bison and all other former WWC members joined the Big 12 Conference for wrestling. NDSU wrestlers compete in the Bison Sports Arena but will be moving into the Sanford Health Athletic complex for the 2016 season.
Other sports
The Bison hockey team plays in the ACHA and has won eight men's club hockey national championships. North Dakota State's Bison dance team won a National Championship by taking 1st place at nationals in 2012 and 2013 in pom in Orlando, Florida.
The NDSU Track and Field team has won nine consecutive conference championships in the Summit League.
Amy Olson (née Anderson), a member of the women's golf team, set the NCAA record for most career match victories (20).[40]
Student life
Campus media
Thunder Radio, an NDSU radio station, operates on KNDS-LP 96.3 FM and offers online streaming. The Bison Information Network, founded in 2008, is a student-run TV station. It focuses on student and athletic news, and is broadcast on campus channel 84 and Fargo public-access television cable TV channel 14.
Publications
The Spectrum is NDSU's student newspaper. It has been in print since 1896.
Bison Illustrated is a magazine covering North Dakota State Bison athletics.
NDSU magazine is a magazine for alumni and friends of North Dakota State University. Story ideas and information for NDSU magazine come from a variety of sources. The inaugural issue was October 2000.[41]
"Northern Eclecta" is a literary journal produced by students in NDSU's Literary Publications class. It accepts creative writing, photographs, and artwork from NDSU students and community students in grades 7–12.
Performing arts
The Division of Performing Arts offers four performance facilities:
Festival Concert Hall – An acoustically tuned 1,000-seat hall, opened in 1982. FCH is the concert home for all NDSU music major ensembles, such as the Gold Star Concert Band and the NDSU Concert Choir, and the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony and Fargo-Moorhead Opera.
Beckwith Recital Hall – A smaller setting with a seating capacity of 200. It is used as a classroom for art and music as well as faculty, student and small group recitals.
Askanase Auditorium – A 380-seat proscenium theater. Theatre NDSU uses the theater for a majority of their plays.
Walsh Studio Theatre – A flexible studio-laboratory black box theater. It is located in Askanase Hall.
NDSU's Gold Star Marching Band performs for Bison football games at the Fargodome.
Residence life
The Department of Residence Life operates 13 residence halls.[42] The department also operates 4 apartment complexes on campus.[43] NDSU requires all first year students to live in an on-campus residence hall.[44]
The Memorial Union
Construction of the Memorial Union was completed in 1953, and the grand opening held during Homecoming weekend of that same year.[45] The Memorial Union initially had a ballroom and dining center. In 2005, the building underwent a $22 million expansion and remodeling.[46] Today, the Memorial Union consists of three floors. The main floor is home to the NDSU Bookstore, a coffee shop, bank, and various offices. A ballroom and several conference rooms comprise much of the second floor, and the basement is home to a dining center, food court, and various recreation facilities including a bowling alley and e-sports gaming lab.[47]
Entrance to Bison Court, one of the University Apartments
Dining
There are three dining centers on campus. Two (the Residence Dining Center and the West Dining Center) are located to the north of campus near the majority of the dormitories, and one situated in the Memorial Union. A number of restaurants are located on campus as well, such as Panda Express and the Bison Beanery.[48]
Residence Dining Center
Greek life
Greek life has been a part of the NDSU campus since 1904 when the first social fraternity was formed offering membership to men in all fields of study.[49] The first women's social fraternity was formed on campus in 1908.[50]
Fraternities and sororities have built several historically significant "Fraternity Row" homes along University Ave. N, 12th St. N, and 12th Ave. N, in Fargo.
As of 2020, approximately 1,000 members made up about 7% of the campus population. NDSU presently has 14 national fraternities and sororities, 12 of which are open to individuals in any field of study and 2 that restrict membership to students in specific professional disciplines and/or areas of career interest." (wikipedia.org)
"An American football card is a type of collectible trading card typically printed on paper stock or card stock that features one or more American football players or other related sports figures. These cards are most often found in the United States and other countries where the sport is popular.
Most football cards features National Football League (NFL) players, but can also feature college football players. Player cards normally list the player's statistics and a narration about their play. Some special edition packs of cards include authentic autographs or jersey cards. Some may include bubble gum or a special edition player card. Many cards are serial-numbered, meaning that there are only so many of that particular card produced. These include unique prints (numbered 1/1). Included in these are printing plates, used in the actual production of the card. ...
In 1962, a cereal manufacturer, Post Cereal, released its first football cards set, which could be ordered directly from the company or available from cereal boxes. Another cereal company, Kellogg's, released its first set in 1970. Kellogs would launch sets regularly until 1983. A new brand, Score, entered into market in 1989 with its collection of football cards. Two years later, Upper Deck obtained licenses from the NFL to produce trading cards. Upper Deck established itself so quickly that it rivaled Topps. Upper Deck produced cards under license of the NFL until 2010.[8] In 1992, SkyBox International (a company founded only three years ago) produced its first set of football cards.[6] Collector's Edge was another company that produced football cards in the 1990s.
Donruss, a company that had been in the non-sports trading cards market since 1961 manufacturing products related with movies or TV shows, released its football set in 1995, remaining in the business until March 2009 when Italian Panini Group purchased assets of the industry's second-oldest trading card company, Donruss, and formed the new subsidiary, "Panini America".[9][10]
In 2015, Panini signed a long-term contract with the NFL that secured the company exclusive trading card and sticker rights of the league.[9]
Reception
In 2007, one of the earliest known football cards featuring John Dunlop from Harvard, was sold for $10,000, the highest price paid for a football card up to that time.[11]
In their humor book Football Uncyclopedia, Michael Kun and Adam Hoff compare football card collectors to baseball card collectors claiming among other things that "Baseball fans keep their old baseball cards in firm plastic sleeves...[and] include their baseball-card collections in their wills" while "Football fans could not give two craps about collecting football cards" which they present as "Exhibit A for why football fans are smarter than baseball fans."[12]
In January 2014, football cards from the collection of Jefferson R. Burdick, including ones dating to 1894, were displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[13]
"[14] In March 2016, veteran sports card dealer Brian Cataquet discovered 1970 Football cards produced by Topps with players wrong names printed on the back of the cards. These cards pictured the correct players photo and name on the front of the card, but on the back of the cards had a different players name printed by error. "There were five in the collection Cataquet acquired: Tommy Nobis front/ Chuck Walton printed on reverse Bill Brown front/ Steve Delong on reverse Rich Jackson front/Bart Starr reverse Roland Lakes front/ Dave Robinson reverse Len St. Jean front/ Dave Rowe reverse" " (wikipedia.org)
"Panini is an Italian company headquartered in Modena, Italy, named after the Panini brothers who founded it in 1961.[1] The company produces books, comics, magazines, stickers, trading cards and other items through its collectibles and publishing subsidiaries.[2][3] Panini distributes its own products, and products of third party providers.[4] Panini maintains a Licensing Division to buy and resell licences and provide agency for individuals and newspapers seeking to purchase rights and comic licences.[5] Through Panini Digital the company uses voice-activated software to capture football statistics, which is then sold to agents, teams, media outlets and video game manufactures.[6]
New Media operates Panini's on-line applications, and generates income through content and data sales.[7] Forming a partnership with FIFA in 1970, Panini published its first FIFA World Cup sticker album for the 1970 World Cup.[8][9] Since then, collecting and trading stickers and cards has become part of the World Cup experience, especially for the younger generation.[10] In 2017, a 1970 World Cup Panini sticker album signed by Pelé sold for a record £10,450.[11][12]
Up until 2015, Panini produced stickers and trading cards for the UEFA Champions League. As of 2019, Panini had license rights of football international competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Nations League and Copa América, as well as domestic leagues including the Premier League (from the 2019–20 season),[13] Spanish La Liga,[14] Italian Serie A,[15] and Argentine Primera División[16] among others. ...
History
Pelé trading card from the Mexico 70 series, Panini's first FIFA World Cup collection
Benito and Giuseppe Panini were operating a newspaper distribution office in Modena, Italy in 1960, when they found a collection of figurines (stickers attached with glue) that a Milan company was unable to sell. The brothers bought the collection, and sold them in packets of two for ten lire each. They sold three million packets. Having had success with the figurines Giuseppe founded Panini in 1961 to manufacture and sell his own figurines. Benito joined Panini the same year. Panini sold 15 million packets of figurines in 1961.[17][18][19] 29 million units were sold the following year, and brothers Franco and Umberto Panini joined the company in 1963.[17] Umberto Panini died on 29 November 2013 at the age of 83.[20] Panini Group start sponsor Modena Volley 1968–1989. The company became well known in the 1960s for its football collections, which soon became popular with children. Rare stickers (figurine) can reach very high prices on the collectors' market. Some popular games were invented which used stickers as playing cards.
In 1970 Panini began publishing L'Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio Italiano (The Illustrated Guide to Italian Football), after purchasing the rights from publishing house Carcano. Panini also published its first FIFA World Cup trading cards and sticker album for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, in addition to using multilingual captions and selling stickers outside of Italy for the first time.[8] Initiating a craze for collecting and trading stickers, Panini's stickers were an instant hit, with The Guardian stating in the UK “the tradition of swapping duplicate [World Cup] stickers was a playground fixture during the 1970s and 1980s.”[10][21] Another first for Panini, in the early 1970s, was introducing self-adhesive stickers; as opposed to using glue.[17]
Diego Maradona trading card issued by Panini for the 1986 World Cup
In 1986 Panini created a museum of figurines which they donated to the city of Modena in 1992.[22][23] Panini begins assembling each World Cup squad for their sticker album a few months before they are officially announced by each nation, which means surprise call ups often do not feature in their album. A notable example of this was 17-year-old Brazilian striker Ronaldo who was called up for the Brazil squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[24]
In May 2006, Panini partnered with The Coca-Cola Company and Tokenzone to produce the first virtual sticker album for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The album was viewable in at least 10 different languages, such as Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.[25] For the 2014 World Cup, three million FIFA.com users took part in the Panini Digital Sticker Album contest.[26] Panini developed an app for the 2018 World Cup where fans could collect and swap virtual stickers.[27] Five million people gathered digital stickers for the 2018 World Cup.[28]
Sticker trade in Brazil for Panini's 2018 World Cup sticker album
The classic football stickers today are complemented by the collectible card game Adrenalyn XL, introduced in 2009. In 2010 Panini released a UEFA Champions League edition of Adrenalyn XL, containing 350 cards from 22 of the competing clubs, including defending champions FC Barcelona. Beginning in 2015, Topps signed a deal to produce stickers, trading cards and digital collections for the competition.[29] The fourth edition of Panini FIFA 365 Adrenalyn XL was released for 2019, featuring top clubs, teams and players.[30]
In January 2009, Panini acquired an exclusive licence to produce NBA trading cards and stickers effective with the 2009-10 NBA season.[31] On 13 March 2009, Panini acquired the US trading card manufacturer Donruss Playoff LP. With it, Panini inherited Donruss' NFL and NFLPA licences.[32]
Panini at the Comic Con Germany 2018
In March 2010, Panini acquired a licence from the NHL and NHLPA.[33] The 2010-11 ice hockey season was the first in five years that more than one company, with Upper Deck producing their own NHL cards.[34] In July 2010, Panini acquired a licence to create an official sticker collection for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London 2012.[35]
In 2014, Panini made cards for that year's FIFA World Cup, and did the same for the 2018 edition, albeit with price hikes for packets across the world. Dubbed the “Panini Cheapskates”, in 2018 a UK couple won fans all over the world by filling in their 2018 World Cup sticker album by drawing in each player.[36] Panini (Along With Bandai) were distributors of the 2012 English dub of the 2011 Spanish television series Jelly Jamm.
During the 2018 World Cup, Panini produced an average of 8 and 10 million card packages per day.[37] In 2018, Panini signed a deal with the English Premier League to produce cards under license from the 2019–20 season.[13]
Some of Panini's releases in 2019 include collections of movies Avengers: Endgame[38] and Toy Story 4.[39] and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[40]
Panini America
Superstars Kobe Bryant (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo signed exclusive deals with Panini in 2009 and 2015, respectively
In January 2009, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced Panini would become the exclusive trading card partner of the league beginning with the 2009–10 season.[41] In March of the same year, The Panini Group purchased assets of the industry's second-oldest trading-card company, Donruss, and formed the new subsidiary, "Panini America". The company continued to operate out of Irving, Texas, with much of the existing upper management.[42]
Panini signed an exclusive agreement with five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers as its official company spokesman and global trading card ambassador in 2009. Bryant's special affiliation to Panini goes back to his time growing up in Italy where he collected Italian football stickers.[21][41] In March 2010, the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and National Hockey League (NHL) granted the Panini Group a multi-year trading card license, marking the third major sports license that The Panini Group had secured since establishing a presence in the U.S. in 2009.
According to the Panini Group, the 2010 FIFA World Cup sticker album sold 10 million packs in the U.S. alone.[21] In 2016, Panini America paid Cristiano Ronaldo $170,000 for signing 1,000 Panini stickers, while Neymar received $50,000 for signing 600.[43]
This subsidiary holds official licenses for NBA, NFL, WWE, FIFA, The Collegiate Licensing Company, Disney, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Panini also has exclusive partnerships with Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc., the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In January 2021, Panini America signed an exclusive multi-year trading card deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[44] Later in August 2021, Panini America also partnered with the commemorating big fights, milestones and moments.[45]
Panini family philanthropy
Giuseppe Panini, the eldest brother and the founder of this business, and a collector himself, financed the creation of the Raccolte Fotografiche Modenesi (Modena's photographic collections), an archive of more than 300,000 photographs and a similar number of postcards, describing the life of the city and the evolution of photographic art." (wikipedia.org)
"A Refractor Card is a trading card that has a reflective coating and displays a rainbow when held at a specific angle. They are parallels of base set issues and were introduced with the release of the 1993 Topps Finest Baseball set. Later releases have confirmation of a Refractor on the back of the card in the form of either an R or the word Refractor printed, usually, beside or beneath the card number, but the first Refractors did not include this designation and are therefore sometimes more difficult to differentiate from base issues....
Variants
There are many Refractor variants that have been produced over the years, though most are simple color swaps of the base Refractors. These variants are typically serial numbered, but that is not always the case. The very first Refractor variant that was available was the Embossed Refractor, in 1997. [1]
Variants that typically appear in Topps Finest, Topps Chrome, and Bowman Chrome releases often include Gold, Blue, Red, Orange, Green, and Black. Less often, Refractor color variants including Pink, Purple, and White can be found. Usually, the Orange and Red Refractor parallels are extremely rare and have low serial numbers, while the Blue and Green ones are more common. This is not always the case, though, and tends to vary slightly from set to set and year to year.
In addition to regular Refractors and color swap Refractors, Topps Chrome and Bowman Chrome (and on occasion Topps Finest) sometimes include a parallel called an Xfractor or X-fractor. They typically have a checkerboard background design in addition to the regular Refractor finish and sometimes have serial numbers. Xfractors sometimes have color swap issues available or even Die-cut versions, too.
Bowman's Best sets have a unique issue called an Atomic Refractor that is much more rare than the regular Refractor parallel. Atomic Refractor parallels typically have serial numbers that are 4 times as low as the regular Refractors. For example, if a regular Refractor is numbered out of 400, then the Atomic version would be numbered out of 100. If the regular Refractor is numbered out of 100, the Atomic one would be numbered out of 25. In addition to the lower serial numbers, Atomic Refractors feature a different background design than regular Refractors.
The rarest Refractor variant is called the SuperFractor. It is a card that has a production run of just 1 and is serial numbered 1/1 (or sometimes "01/01," "001/001," or "One-of-One"). The backgrounds of SuperFractors have a gold spiral design, usually. There are even SuperFractor variants such as White SuperFractors, Bordered SuperFractors, and Die-cut SuperFractors in certain releases. These SuperFractor variants are all serial numbered 1/1, as well.[2]
In recent years, some new Refractor variations have appeared in products. Among these include, but are not limited to Blue Wave Refractors (and color swaps of those), Sepia Refractors, Prism Refractors, Mosaic Refractors, and Pulsar Refractors.
Some Refractor variants were tested and found to be not popular and therefore discontinued. One example of this is the Pigskin Refractor which appeared in the 2009 Topps Finest Football release.
There have even been some special edition Refractors variants for specific purposes such as Camo Refractors, which feature a camouflage border pattern and were issued to honor the US Armed Forces, and BCA Pink Refractors, which were issued for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Copycats
Because the term Refractor is a registered trademark of The Topps Company, Inc., other sports card brands that offer similar parallel cards are not able to use the name "Refractor".
Some other names of similar issues include Reflectors (made by Press Pass), Prizms (made by Panini), and Mirrors (made by Leaf)." (wikipedia.org)
"A rookie card is a trading card that is the first to feature an athlete after that athlete has participated in the highest level of competition within their sport.[1][2] Collectors may value these first appearances more than subsequent card issues. Athletes are often commemorated on trading cards which are highly collected based on the popularity of the athlete. Prices for rookie cards fluctuate based on consumer interest, supply and demand and other factors, but can surpass thousands of dollars....
Definition
A rookie card is not necessarily always produced during a player's rookie season because there could have been cards that fit the definition printed in previous years. It is generally agreed that to be a true rookie card, the card must be counted as part of a product's base set. Thus, limited quantity insert cards of any type are generally not considered to be rookie cards.[4]
In 2006 Major League Baseball instituted a set of guidelines which dictated what cards could and could not bear the official MLB rookie card logo.[5] Despite these guidelines, many collectors still regard a player's "true" rookie card as being their first officially licensed prospect card.
Debate
Debate within the hobby exists, as some collectors and pundits believe that an athlete's first appearance on any trading card qualifies as his rookie card. Others believe that a rookie card is the first licensed issue from a major manufacturer that is widely distributed. There can be more than one rookie card for a player. In 2006, Major League Baseball added a "RC" logo to rookie cards, and prohibited cards of players who have not yet appeared in a Major League game from being in the base set.[6]
This debate was exemplified when in 2001, Upper Deck, a trading card company, created a set of golf cards which featured Tiger Woods. However, Woods already had many cards from other manufacturers such as Sports Illustrated which included a young Tiger in a 1996 edition of their Sports Illustrated for Kids periodical, which routinely contains trading cards of various athletes. SI Kids cards have perforated edges and are normally unlicensed by the athlete. Hobby publication Beckett gave the 2001 Upper Deck Golf card a rookie card designation despite its arrival five years after the SI Kids release, sparking controversy.
The market, it appears, gives far greater credence and value to the 1996 Sports Illustrated for Kids release which sells for exponentially more. As it remains, there is no formal definition of a "rookie card," though some players do have cards that are considered "rookies" by all.
Famous rookie cards
Most of the top most expensive sports cards are rookie cards. Among those are the famous T206 Honus Wagner,[7][8][9] or 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle.[10]
1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr.
In the 1989 Upper Deck baseball set, Ken Griffey, Jr. was selected to be featured on card number one.[11] At press time, Griffey had not yet played a major league game, so Upper Deck used an image of Griffey in a San Bernardino Spirit uniform.[12] Competitors such as Score and Topps neglected to include a card of Griffey in its 1989 base set, but later included him in their traded issues. Such neglect helped Upper Deck gain exposure due to the popularity of Griffey in the 1989 MLB season. Donruss and Fleer included Griffey rookie cards in their respective base sets, but they were never as popular as the Upper Deck issue. Also an afterthought was Griffey's 1989 Bowman Rookie Card. [13][14]
Despite the popularity of the Griffey card, it was not a scarce card. The card was situated in the top left hand corner of the uncut sheets and was more liable to be cut poorly or have its corners dinged. Company policy was that if a customer found a damaged card in its package, the company would replace it.[12] Many Griffey cards were returned and the result was that Upper Deck printed many uncut sheets (sheets consisting of 100 cards) of just Ken Griffey, Jr.[12] According to Professional Sports Authenticator, the Ken Griffey, Jr. would become the most graded card of all time with the company. PSA graded over 50,000 of the cards. The Beckett Grading card service has evaluated over 25,000 of the Ken Griffey, Jr. rookie cards.[12]
1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan Rookie card
Michael Jordan Rookie Card, graded as a 9 by PSA, was sold for USD12,500 on April 24 2020." (wikipedia.org)
"A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other text (attacks, statistics, or trivia).[1] There is a wide variation of different types of cards.
Trading cards are traditionally associated with sports (baseball cards are particularly common) but can also include subjects such as Pokémon and other non-sports trading cards. These often feature cartoons, comic book characters, television series and film stills. In the 1990s, cards designed specifically for playing games became popular enough to develop into a distinct category, collectible card games. These games are mostly fantasy-based gameplay. Fantasy art cards are a subgenre of trading cards that focus on the artwork. ...
History
Origins
Main articles: Trade card and Cigarette card
Trade cards are the ancestors of trading cards. Some of the earliest prizes found in retail products were cigarette cards—trade cards advertising the product (not to be confused with trading cards) that were inserted into paper packs of cigarettes as stiffeners to protect the contents.[2] Allen and Ginter in the U.S. in 1886, and British company W.D. & H.O. Wills in 1888, were the first tobacco companies to print advertisements.[3] A couple years later, lithograph pictures on the cards with an encyclopedic variety of topics from nature to war to sports — subjects that appealed to men who smoked - began to surface as well.[4] By 1900, there were thousands of tobacco card sets manufactured by 300 different companies. Children would stand outside of stores to ask customers who bought cigarettes for the promotional cards.[5] Following the success of cigarette cards, trade cards were produced by manufacturers of other products and included in the product or handed to the customer by the store clerk at the time of purchase.[4] World War II put an end to cigarette card production due to limited paper resources, and after the war cigarette cards never really made a comeback. After that collectors of prizes from retail products took to collecting tea cards in the UK and bubble gum cards in the US.[6]
Early baseball cards
Main article: Baseball card
Adrian C. Anson depicted on an Allen & Ginter cigarette card, c. 1887
The first baseball cards were trade cards printed in the late 1860s by a sporting goods company, around the time baseball became a professional sport.[7] Most of the baseball cards around the beginning of the 20th century came in candy and tobacco products. It was during this era that the most valuable baseball card ever printed was produced - the T206 tobacco card featuring Honus Wagner.[8] The T206 Set, distributed by the American Tobacco Company in 1909, is considered by collectors to be the most popular set of all time.[9] In 1933, Goudey Gum Company of Boston issued baseball cards with players biographies on the backs and was the first to put baseball cards in bubble gum.[10] The 1933 Goudey set remains one of the most popular and affordable vintage sets to this day.[11] Bowman Gum of Philadelphia issued its first baseball cards in 1948.
Modern trading cards
Topps Chewing Gum, Inc., now known as "The Topps Company, Inc.", started inserting trading cards into bubble gum packs in 1950 with such topics as TV and film cowboy Hopalong Cassidy; "Bring 'Em Back Alive" cards featuring Frank Buck on big game hunts in Africa; and All-American Football Cards. Topps produced its first baseball trading card set in 1951, with the resulting design resembling that of playing cards.[12] Topps owner and founder Sy Berger created the first true modern baseball card set, complete with playing record and statistics, the following year in the form of 1952 Topps Baseball.[13] This is one of the most popular sets of all time; its most valued piece was 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311, which is sometimes erroneously referred to as Mantle's rookie card, though he had in fact appeared in the 1951 Bowman Baseball set.[14]
Topps purchased their chief competitor, Bowman Gum, in 1956.[15] Topps was the leader in the trading card industry from 1956 to 1980, not only in sports cards but in entertainment cards as well. Many of the top selling non-sports cards were produced by Topps, including Wacky Packages (1967, 1973–1977), Star Wars (beginning in 1977)[16] and Garbage Pail Kids (beginning in 1985).[17] In 1991 Topps ceased packaging gum with their baseball cards, making many collectors happy that their cards could no longer be damaged by gum stains[18] The following year, in 1992, Topps ceased using heavily waxed paper to wrap their packs of cards and began using cellophane plastic exclusively, thus eliminating the possibility of wax stains on the top and bottom cards in the packs.[19]
Digital trading cards
In an attempt to stay current with technology and digital trends, existing and new trading card companies started to create digital trading cards that lived exclusively online or as a digital counterpart of a physical card.
In 1995 Michael A. Pace produced "computer based" trading cards, utilizing a CD ROM computer system and floppy discs.[20]
In 2000, Topps launched a brand of sports cards, called etopps. These cards were sold exclusively online through individual IPO's (initial player offering) in which the card is offered for usually a week at the IPO price. That same year, Tokenzone launched a digital collectibles platform that was used by media companies to distribute content in the form of digital trading cards. The quantity sold depended on how many people offered to buy but was limited to a certain maximum. After a sale, the cards were held in a climate-controlled warehouse unless the buyer requests delivery, and the cards could be traded online without changing hands except in the virtual sense. In January 2012, Topps announced that they would be discontinuing their eTopps product line.[21]
Digital collectible card games were estimated to be a $1.3B market in 2013.[22] A number of tech start-ups have attempted to establish themselves in this space, notably Stampii (Spain, 2009),[23][24] Fantom (Ireland, 2011), Deckdaq (Israel, 2011), and 2Stic (Austria, 2013).
Panini launched their Adrenalyn XL platform with an NBA and NFL trading card collection. Connect2Media together with Winning Moves, created an iPhone Application to host a series of trading card collections, including Dinosaurs, James Bond - 007, Celebs, Gum Ball 3000, European Football Stars and NBA. In 2011, mytcg Technologies launched a platform that enabled content holders to host their content on.
On July 1, 2011, Wildcat Intellectual Property Holdings filed a lawsuit against 12 defendants, including Topps, Panini, Sony, Electronic Arts, Konami, Pokémon, Zynga and Nintendo, for allegedly infringing Wildcat's "Electronic Trading Card" patent.[25]
In 2012, Topps also launched their first phone application. Topps Bunt was an app that allowed users to connect with other fans in a fantasy league type game environment wherein they can collect their favorite players, earn points based on how well they play and trade and compete with other fans. Three years later, the same company launched a digital experiment in Europe (geotargeted to exclude the USA) with its Marvel Hero Attax, using digital as an overlay to its physical product.[26]
Value
Today, the development of the Internet has given rise to various online communities, through which members can trade collectible cards with each other. Cards are often bought and sold via eBay and other online retail sources. Many websites solicit their own "sell to us" page in hopes to draw in more purchase opportunities.[27]
The value of a trading card depends on a combination of the card's condition, the subject's popularity and the scarcity of the card. In some cases, especially with older cards that preceded the advent of card collecting as a widespread hobby, they have become collectors' items of considerable value. In recent years, many sports cards have not necessarily appreciated as much in value due to overproduction, although some manufacturers have used limited editions and smaller print runs to boost value. Trading cards, however, do not have an absolute monetary value. Cards are only worth as much as a collector is willing to pay.[28]
Condition
Card condition is one aspect of trading cards that determine the value of a card. There are four areas of interest in determining a card's condition. Centering, corners, edges and surface are taken into consideration, for imperfections, such as color spots and blurred images, and wear, such as creases, scratches and tears, when determining a trading card's value.[29] Cards are considered poor to pristine based on their condition, or in some cases rated 1 through 10.[30] A card in pristine condition, for example, will generally be valued higher than a card in poor condition.
Condition Description
Pristine Perfect card. No imperfections or damage to the naked eye and upon close inspection.
Mint condition No printing imperfections or damage to the naked eye. Very minor printing imperfections or damage upon close inspection. Clean gloss with one or two scratches.
Near Mint/Mint No printing imperfections or damage to the naked eye, but slight printing imperfections or damage upon close inspection. Solid gloss with very minor scratches.
Near Mint Noticeable, but minor, imperfections or wear on the card. Solid gloss with very minor scratches.
Excellent/Near Mint Noticeable, but minor, imperfections or wear on the card. Mostly solid gloss with minor scratches.
Excellent Noticeable imperfections or moderate wear on the card. Some gloss lost with minor scratches.
Very Good/Excellent Noticeable imperfections or moderate wear on the card. Heavy gloss lost with very minor scuffing, and an extremely subtle tear.
Very Good Heavy imperfections or heavy wear on the card. Almost no gloss. Minor scuffing or very minor tear.
Good Severe imperfections or wear on the card. No gloss. Noticeable scuffing or tear.
Poor Destructive imperfections or wear on the card. No gloss. Heavy scuffing, severe tear or heavy creases.
Popularity
Popularity of trading cards is determined by the subject represented on the card, their real life accomplishments, and short term news coverage as well as the specifics of the card.[28]
Scarcity
While vintage cards are truly a scarce commodity, modern-day manufacturers have to artificially add value to their products in order to make them scarce. This is accomplished by including serial-numbered parallel sets, cards with game-worn memorabilia, autographs, and more. Time can also make cards more scarce due to the fact that cards may be lost or destroyed.[8]
Catalogs
Trading card catalogs are available both online and offline for enthusiast.[31] They are mainly used as an educational tool and to identify cards. Online catalogs also contain additional resources for collection management and communication between collectors.
Terminology
Phrase Definition
9-pocket page A plastic sheet used to store and protect up card in nine card slots, and then stored in a card binder
9-Up Sheet Uncut sheets of nine cards, usually promos.
Autograph Card Printed insert cards that also bear an original cast or artist signature.
Base Set Complete sets of base cards for a particular card series.
Binder A binder used to store cards using 9-card page holders.
Break An online service where someone (usually for the exchange of currency) opens packages of trading cards and sends them to the buyer. Breaks have "spots" for sale, typically sorted by team.
Blaster Box A factory sealed box with typically 6 to 12 packs of cards. Typically sold at large retail stores such as Walmart and Target.
Box Original manufacturer's containers of multiple packs, often 24 to 36 packs per box.
Box Topper Card Cards included in a factory sealed box.
Blister Pack Factory plastic bubble packs of cards or packs, for retail peg-hanger sales.
Card sleeve Sleeves that cards are to be put in to protect the cards.
Cartophily Hobby of collecting trading cards, mostly cigarette cards.
Case Factory-sealed crates filled with card boxes, often six to twelve card boxes per case.
Chase Card Card, or cards, included as a bonus in a factory sealed case.
Common Card Non-rare cards that form the main set. Also known as base cards.
Factory Set Card sets, typically complete base sets, sorted and sold from the manufacturer.[28]
Hobby Card Items sold mainly to collectors, through stores that deal exclusively in collectible cards. Usually contains some items not included in the retail offerings.
Insert card Non-rare to rare cards that are randomly inserted into packs, at various ratios (e.g. 1 card per 24 packs). An insert card is often different from the base set in appearance and numbering. Also known as chase cards.[32]
Master Set Not well defined; often a base set and all readily available insert sets; typically does not include promos, mail-in cards, sketch cards, or autograph cards.
Oversized Card Any base, common, insert, or other cards not of standard or widevision size.
Parallel Card A modified base card, which may contain extra foil stamping, hologram stamping that distinguishes the card from the base card.
Pack Original wrappers with base, and potentially insert, cards within, often called 'wax packs', typically with two to eight cards per pack. Today the packs are usually plastic or foil wrap.
Retail Card Cards, packs, boxes and cases sold to the public, typically via large retail stores, such as K-mart or Wal-Mart.
Rack Pack Factory pack of unwrapped cards, for retail peg-hanger sales.
Promo Card Cards that are distributed, typically in advance, by the manufacturer to promote upcoming products.
Redemption Card Insert cards found in packs that are mailed (posted) to the manufacturer for a special card or some other gift.
Sell Sheet Also 'ad slicks'. Usually one page, but increasingly fold-outs, distributed by the manufacturers to card distributors, in advance, to promote upcoming products. With the proliferation of the Internet, sell sheets are now typically distributed in digital form to trading card media outlets such as Beckett and The Cardboard Connection so that collectors can preview sets months before they are released.[33]
Singles Individual cards sold at hobby or online stores.
Sketch Card Insert cards that feature near-one-of-a-kind artists sketches.
Swatch Insert cards that feature a mounted swatch of cloth, such as from a sports player's jersey or an actor's costume.
Tin Factory metal cans, typically filled with cards or packs, often with inserts.
Top Loader A hard plastic sleeve used to store a single card to prevent scratches, corner damage and other blemishes.
Unreleased Card Cards printed by the manufacturer, but not officially distributed for a variety of reasons. Often leaked to the public, sometimes improperly. Not to be confused with promo cards.
Uncut Sheet Sheets of uncut base, insert, promo, or other cards.
Wrapper Original pack covers, often with collectible variations.
Sports cards
Sports card is a generic term for a trading card with a sports-related subject, as opposed to non-sports trading cards that deal with other topics. Sports cards were among the earliest forms of collectibles. They typically consist of a picture of a player on one side, with statistics or other information on the reverse. Cards have been produced featuring most major sports, especially those played in North America, including, but not limited to, American football, association football (soccer), baseball, basketball, boxing, golf, ice hockey, racing and tennis.
The first set with a sporting theme appeared in 1896, a cricket series by W.D. & H.O. Wills of 50 cricketers. The tobacco companies soon realised that sports cards were a great way to obtain brand loyalty. In 1896 the first association football set, "Footballers & Club Colours", was published by Marcus & Company, a small firm in Manchester. Other football sets issued at that time were "Footballers & Club Colours" (Kinner, 1898); "Footballers" (J. F. Bell, 1902); "Footballers" (F. J. Smith, 1902) and "Footballers" (Percy E. Cadle, 1904).[34]
The first stage in the development of sports cards, during the second half of the 19th century, is essentially the story of baseball cards, since baseball was the first sport to become widely professionalized. Hockey cards also began to appear early in the 20th century. Cards from this period are commonly known as cigarette cards or tobacco cards, because many were produced by tobacco companies and inserted into cigarette packages, to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands. The most expensive card in the hobby is a cigarette card of Honus Wagner in a set called 1909 T-206. The story told is that Wagner was against his cards being inserted into something that children would collect. So the production of his cards stopped abruptly. It is assumed that less than 100 of his cards exist in this set. The 1909 T-206 Honus Wagner card has sold for as much as $2.8 million.[35]
Sets of cards are issued with each season for major professional sports. Since companies typically must pay players for the right to use their images, the vast majority of sports cards feature professional athletes. Amateurs appear only rarely, usually on cards produced or authorized by the institution they compete for, such as a college.
Many older sports cards (pre-1980) command a high price today; this is because they are hard to find, especially in good quality condition. This happened because many children used to place their cards in bicycle spokes, where the cards were easily damaged. Rookie cards of Hall of Fame sports stars can command thousands of dollars if they have been relatively well-preserved.
In the 1980s, sports cards started to get produced in higher numbers, and collectors started to keep their cards in better condition as they became increasingly aware of their potential investment value. This trend continued well into the 1990s. This practice caused many of the cards manufactured during this era to stay low in value, due to their high numbers.
The proliferation of cards saturated the market, and by the late 1990s, card companies began to produce scarcer versions of cards to keep many collectors interested. The latest trends in the hobby have been "game used memorabilia" cards, which usually feature a piece of a player's jersey worn in a real professional game; other memorabilia cards include pieces of bats, balls, hats, helmets, and floors. Authenticated autographs are also popular, as are "serially numbered" cards, which are produced in much smaller amounts than regular "base set cards".
Autographs obtained by card manufacturers have become the most collected baseball cards in the hobby's history. This started in 1990 in baseball when Upper Deck randomly inserted autographs of Reggie Jackson into boxes. They are commonly referred to as "Certified Autographed Inserts" or "CAI's". Both the athlete's and card company's reputations are on the line if they do not personally sign these cards. This has created the most authentic autographs in existence.[citation needed] These cards all have some form of printed statements that the autographs are authentic, this way, no matter who owns the autograph there is no question of its authenticity. CAI's have branched out into autographs of famous actors, musicians, Presidents, and even Albert Einstein. Mostly these autographs are cut from flat items such as postcards, index cards, and plain paper. Then they are pasted onto cards. In 2001, a company called Playoff started obtaining autographs on stickers that are stuck on the cards instead of them actually signing the cards. There is strong opposition against these types of autographs because the players never even saw the cards that the stickers were affixed to.[citation needed]
The competition among card companies to produce quality sports cards has been fierce. In 2005, the long-standing sports card producer Fleer went bankrupt and was bought out by Upper Deck. Not long after that, Donruss lost its MLB license. Currently, Topps is the official baseball card of the MLB." (wikipedia.orG)