The very first column I wrote (it was the October 1993 issue) focused on my prized possession: a tattered and wrinkled 1968 Topps Bart Starr card.
Less than two weeks after the publication of that column, I received a surprise in the mail that turned out to be a new prized possession: a personal letter from Starr himself.

   The American Football League has a lasting appeal for several hobbyists, including Dave Steidel, who witnessed the AFL go from zero to 60 and way beyond during the 1960s.

The National Football League has been known for its unpredictability ever since Broadway Joe made long shots fashionable back in Super Bowl III. Since that time, a number of teams have shocked fans with memorable upsets for the ages. But while Namath’s heroics helped put the Davids of the world in the forefront and forced the Goliaths into the the background, the list of individual players who have continued that upset-minded tradition is a short one.

Collecting autographs from college football's best isn't a shot in the dark - they do answer.

Each box will offer four autograph or memorabilia cards.

In a stable that already includes Michael Jordan, Ken Griffey Jr., Tiger Woods and others, Upper Deck has signed Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to an exclusive autographed memorabilia deal.

The NFL season has just begun, but Brett Favre is already a hit on Broadway.

On the day he was dealt to the Jets, NFLShop.com reportedly sold 6,500 Favre jerseys, smashing its previous single-day record for one player (900 Tony Romo jerseys were sold on Nov. 11, 2007).

It's one of the more unqie patch ideas in the hobby – Topps' Letterman brand, which features the letters from players' jersey. And now it's expanding to football.

It's fun when card companies make spoof cards, and collectors eat that stuff up, too. Well here's another from Topps, and it involves Brett Favre, a lawn tractor and an interesting landscape in Times Square.

Looking for a theme to kick start a collection? Why not try collecting gridiron great in the "wrong" uniform?