Vintage Breaks Blog

Overlooked NFL Hall of Fame Rookie Cards in 1989 Score Football

Written by Monte Jennings | May 18, 2023 9:50:58 PM

You may know that you can find rookie cards of NFL legends Barry Sanders, Troy Aikman, and Deion Sanders in 1989 Score football, but did you know that this set is LOADED with rookie cards of other Hall of Famers? Here are a few overlooked rookie cards in this iconic debut set.

In 1989, Score jumped into the football card scene. When Score joined the hobby, you had options to choose from aside from the traditional Topps football card releases. What a year to join the card market, too; the 1989 NFL draft is still magical to this day. You're probably aware that you can find rookie cards of Barry Sanders, Troy Aikman, and Deion Sanders in the set, but there are double-digit rookie cards of NFL Hall of Fame players that often get overlooked! 

In total, there are 330 cards in the 1989 Score set. Each pack was released with 15 cards and you can find 36 packs in a box. You're eyes are usually looking for the Big 3 above, but check out who else calls '89 Score home:

  • Michael Irvin #8 
    • A National Championship in 1987 at The U, 3 Super Bowl Championships with his teammate, Troy Aikman, and a trip to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2005 for "The Playmaker" makes us wonder how this rookie card isn't talked about more!
      • Total cards graded by PSA = 4,465
  • Chris Carter #72
    • The eight-time Pro Bowler lead the NFL in TDs in 1995, 1996, and 1997. When Carter retried, the 2008 Hall of Famer was second all-time in receiving touchdowns behind only Jerry Rice.
      • Total cards graded by PSA = 5,690
  • Rod Woodson #78
    • The Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 made 11 Pro Bowls and own a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in 2000. In 2009, Woodson was elected to the Hall of Fame. His 12 interceptions returned for a TD still stands as a record today!
      • Total cards graded by PSA = 2,187
  • Tim Brown #86
    • Brown won the coveted Heisman Trophy in 1987 and then turned a Hall of Fame college career into a Hall of Fame Pro Career. Brown made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. A 9-time Pro Bowler, Brown is 7th all-time in receiving yards and 9th in TDs.
      • Total cards graded by PSA = 3,663
  • Thurman Thomas #211
    • The 1991 NFL MVP logged 12,074 career rushing yards and helped the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances. Thomas is 16th all-time in rushing yards and hasn't played a game in 23 years. The Hall of Fame welcomed him in 2007.
      • Total cards graded by PSA = 4,647
  • Derek Thomas #258
    • A 9-time Pro Bowler, Thomas was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and never looked back. With 126.5 career sacks, Thomas still sits at 25th all-time today and was enshrined into the HOF in 2009. Sadly, we lost Thomas in a car accident at the age of 33.
      • Total cards graded by PSA = 4,151 
  • Steve Atwater #263
    • Atwater made the Hall of Fame in 2020 after a career that includes 8 Pro-Bowls and a pair of Super Bowl championships with the Denver Broncos. In Super Bowl 32, Atwater had a sack and a forced fumble against fellow Hal of Famer, Brett Favre. 
      • Total cards graded by PSA = 1,397

Let's take a look at the number of cards PSA has graded of "The Big 3"

  • Barry Sanders  #257 = 27,119
  • Troy Aikman #270 = 16,102
  • Deion Sanders  #246= 8,470

At this moment, the total number of PSA-graded cards of the 7 rookies listed above are 26,200; that is still not as many as the Barry Sanders rookie! Hard to imagine that the likes of a Michael Irvin rookie card can be considered overlooked, but '89 Score is STACKED! The GOAT of the set does belong to Barry Sanders and the numbers reflect it. Here is a beauty we pulled in a pack for you last week:

 

If you'd like to try and pull either one of these Hall of Famers, we have spots in our next break available now! Back when Michael Keaton was Batman, The California Raisins made music, Zack Morris and Bart Simpson ruled the world, and you really wanted a Gameboy. ...we still want a Gameboy.

You can get all details and join the next 1989 Score break for $6.00 here:

Here is an example break of a 1989 Score personal pack break; we pulled a Prime Time here:

 

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