I started casually collecting football cards in 1972 but by 1973 I was obsessed with putting together the '73 set. My favorite player was Joe Namath and I used to use my allowance to buy 5 packs of cards every Sunday on our way home from church. I gotta confess that during the "moment of silence meditation and prayer" at church, I always prayed that I would pull Joe Willy out of a pack on the way home.
Lo and behold, one Sunday a miracle occurred! Here's the actual card I pulled. As you can tell, it's gotten a lot of love over the years. Diamond cut and all, it didn't matter in '73.
jeff