Editor’s note: The value of sports cards is subjective. The reality is that they are worth whatever price someone is willing pay. Collecting cards has never been about money or investments because that seems to remove some of the enjoyment of the hobby. Recently, a couple of friends gave me some baseball and football cards from the 1970s. The latest batch of cards were 1970 Topps football. Among the cardboard treasures were three players who were unknown to me. The second player featured in this three-part series is Jim Beirne. It’s a reminder that just because a player isn’t well known, there’s always a story.
Jim Beirne played nine years of professional football from 1968 to 1976.
Beirne was drafted in the fourth round by out of Purdue in 1968, while the Houston Oilers were still in the American Football League. He played all but one year of his career with the Oilers. In 1974, he was with the San Diego Chargers.
In his career, he grabbed 142 passes for 2,011 yards and 11 touchdowns. His best season came in 1969 when he was an AFL All-Star after recording 42 catches for 540 yards a four scores.
Beirne had four games in which he had six catches, while going over 100 yards twice.
The top performance of his career was in the Astrodome on Nov. 9, 1969. He had six receptions with 114 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-31 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals. He caught a 37-yard pass from Don Trull in the third period and the duo hooked up for a 34-yard score in the final quarter.
While Beirne was in college with the Boilermakers from 1965 to 1967, he was a favorite target of future Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese, according to the back of his 1970 Topps card.
Purdue was 24-6-1 during his three seasons with a No. 7 ranking in his junior year after the Boilermakers defeated Southern California 14-13 in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, 1967. That year, he had 64 catches for 768 yards and as he led the Big 10 with eight touchdown receptions.