November 2016 Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/19/2016
Bert Bell (d. 1959) was the NFL commissioner from 1945 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he introduced competitive parity into the NFL to improve the league's commercial viability and promote its popularity, and he helped make the NFL the most financially sound sports enterprise and preeminent sports attraction in the United States (US). He was posthumously inducted into the charter class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bell played football at the University of Pennsylvania, where as quarterback, he led his team to an appearance in the 1917 Rose Bowl. During the Great Depression, he was an assistant coach for the Temple Owls and a co-founder and co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Eagles, Bell led the way in cooperating with the other NFL owners to establish the National Football League Draft in order to afford the weakest teams the first opportunity to sign the best available players.
Henry Jordan (d. 1977 at the age of 42) was a Cleveland fifth-round draft pick in 1957 and traded to the Packers for a fourth-round pick in 1959. He became an 11-year fixture at right defensive tackle and was a quick, smart defender, specializing in pressuring the quarterback. He was on six All-NFL teams, played in four Pro Bowls, won seven NFL title games, and also won Super Bowls I, II. He was elected to the FB HOF in 1995. This is a very rare signed personal check.
George Trafton (d. 1971) attended the University of Notre Dame for one year and was a center for the Decatur Staleys (now known as the Chicago Bears) of the NFL from 1920 to 1921 and 1923–1932. He is credited as being the first center to snap the ball with one hand. He defiantly wore No. 13 and was nicknamed "The Brute". Trafton was inducted into the American Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.
3 awesome autographs!!
Letter of Authenticity from Richard Albersheim