Does anyone else remember these ?

[shaunaconda]

Lots of cool stuff here!

[Makernaut]

I've had a lifelong obsession with the NFL that is probably rooted in that awesome section of the old Sears catalog. That's probably the only interest of mine back then that didn't get tamped down or crowded out by Star Wars. Thought the NFL Action Team Mates were one of the coolest things ever, at the time, and I loved getting about anything that had all the teams represented like pencil sets, poster, helmet push pins for a cork board, etc. Then there were jackets, toboggans, t-shirts, jerseys, a Chiefs trashcan, a Monday Night Football board game, sheets, curtains, not to mention tons of Football cards from Topps and Wonder Bread. It was a really cool time to have that interest as a kid and seeing the catalog pages brings back a lot of cool memories.

And JB, I completely agree about the Atlanta Falcons uniforms. Much cooler looking when Red was the primary color. I was always a little fascinated by them because they were a team I hardly ever got to see on TV and that made them kind of "exotic" for lack of a better term.

[J.B.]

Another Sears NFL gem was the Vibrating Football Game. This was fun and frustrating at the same time. For the most part, at least with me, the plays ended up in pure chaos; but every once in a while, the stars align, and the Offensive Line (as planned) opens up a nice hole in the A Gap and your Running Back goes right through and all the way in for a Touchdown. A thing of beauty.

[Makernaut]

^ All 28 teams for about $20? Where’s a time machine when you need one?

[shaunaconda]

I did recently get these “McDonald’s History of the Super Bowl”.

F6785FFE-3FE5-454E-BCFC-88B0D5A9CBB8.jpeg

[Mr.Marion]

What's interesting about 70's NFL is the Cowboys were considered a dynasty they only won twice and 6 years apart, Hardly a dynasty by today's standards.

[74SpaceAce]

The Falcons never should have changed their colors. Still have fond memories of Bartkowski slingin' it, rockin' the 2-bar facemask and those beautiful uni's.

Heartily agreed. I miss many of the former uniforms and colors. Around 1979-80 I collected these mini football helmets by pumping quarters into the gumball machine at the supermarket (and managed to collect all 28 teams except the elusive Falcons!)
IMG_8211.jpg
Comparing the 1979 helmets and colors to the ones now, the teams that made the best changes are: the Oilers (now the Titans), the Redskins (for simply changing their name), and the Bengals (love the stripes). Worst changes: the Seahawks (especially the neon green, ugh), Patriots, Falcons, Broncos, Rams (why? it was perfect), Buccaneers (from boldly unique to utterly dull).

[74SpaceAce]

Love all these Sears items! Thanks for sharing. The reason why I'm customizing football figures now goes back to all this.
For comparison, here's an Action Team Mate next to my Mego-sized figure. IMG_8212.jpg

[shaunaconda]

What's interesting about 70's NFL is the Cowboys were considered a dynasty they only won twice and 6 years apart, Hardly a dynasty by today's standards.

I guess it depends on your definition of a dynasty. Clearly the Steelers are the dynasty of the 70’s. But the Cowboys did go to 5 Super Bowls, 7 conference championship games and I believe won the most games of the 70’s. I think you could add the Dolphins in there too.

[Makernaut]

I guess it depends on your definition of a dynasty. Clearly the Steelers are the dynasty of the 70’s. But the Cowboys did go to 5 Super Bowls, 7 conference championship games and I believe won the most games of the 70’s. I think you could add the Dolphins in there too.

I think that is about as good a response as could be given. Dynasty being the big trophy in hand, in this case the Lombardi, it's the Steelers with 4 in the 70s. And what's more, the AFC won 8 times that decade. The NFC's two wins came from Dallas.

The 70s were interesting in that there were just a few teams that dominated the decade. Ranked by wins in the 70s it's Cowboys, Dolphins, Raiders, Steelers, Vikings, Rams...in that order. Between the Cowboys, Dolphins, Raiders, and Steelers there are 9 of the decade's 10 championships. The Steelers had 4, Cowboys 2, and Dolphins 2....the only teams to repeat. Between 3 teams...8 of 10 Championships in the 70s.

The 70s were the early part of my life and the mid to late 70s were the formative years of my NFL interests. However, despite all the ups and downs of teams over 4 more decades of football watching, the winningest teams over my lifetime are 1) Steelers 2) Cowboys 3) Patriots and 4) Dolphins. Pittsburgh has won two more championships since the 70s, Dallas 3, Miami 0. Meanwhile, the Patriots have won 6 to tie the Steelers for most and Brady has won 7 to beat everyone. I think the big shock to me is that the team with the least wins over my lifetime (I factored the Bucs and Seahawks but no other expansion team past 1976) is the Buccaneers and they have TWO championships. A bigger surprise might be that the Giants have 4 Championships despite being below .500 over the course of my lifetime.

[shaunaconda]

I love the 60’s and 70’s NFL time period. Besides action figures and other items of my youth, I also collect broadcast of games and various “NFL Films” shows.