A Chicle a day through the end of May

[jefferyepayne]

Card #15 in the Chicle set is Ben Ciccone. Ben played college ball at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, PA, having grown up in New Castle, PA which is located near Pittsburgh. Not a lot is known about his college years except that he was a member of the Alpha Phi Delta fraternity (apd.org) and was the football team's star center.

Ben played center and some linebacker in the NFL for three years. In 1934 and 1935 he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who changed their name to the Steelers in 1940. In 1937 he played semi-pro ball for the Cincinnati Bengals. After retiring, he came back and played two games for the Chicago Cardinals in 1942. Ben may hold the NFL record for worse rushing average in a career as he had one rushing attempt in the NFL for -5 yards.

ciccone35front.jpg
ciccone35back.jpg

jeff

[vintagetopps]

checkout them jerseys.

[jefferyepayne]

And what's with the logo on the front of the jersey? I can't figure out what it's supposed to be.

jeff

[ecRich]

Hey Jeff,
Really enjoy this thread. You have brought these players to to life with your interesting background info. on these guys. Too bad Chicle didn't issue 240 cards, we would be treated to over six more months of this. Great set and good job covering it.
Thanks,
Rich

[jefferyepayne]

Thanks Rich. It's been fun so far. Just glad there are a few people reading these posts other than me!

jeff

[jefferyepayne]

Card #16 in the Chicle set is Ben Smith. Ben played college ball at Alabama where we was a member of the 1930 national championship team. Alabama was so good that year that they often started their second team to psych out their opponents. Alabama only gave up 13 points the entire season and beat undefeated Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl.

Ben Smith played pro football from 1933 - 1937 where he played End on both offense and defense. He played one season with the Green Bay Packers ('33), two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates ('34-35), and one season with the Washington Redskins ('37) in the NFL. He was a member of the 1937 Washington Redskins team that won the NFL championship. Ben left the Pirates after the 1935 season to play with the Pittsburgh Americans in the newly formed American Football League (AFL). The team existed for only a little more than a season and this version of the AFL folded after just two seasons of play. Ben jumped back to the NFL after one season of play with the Americans.

smith35front.jpg
smith35back.jpg

jeff

[jefferyepayne]

Card #17 in the Chicle set is Tom Jones. Tom played college ball at Bucknell University and went by the nickname "Potsy". Not much is know about his college years except he was a guard on the football team. He is not a member of the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame.

Tom Jones played pro football from 1930-1936, 1938. He played for the Minneapolis Red Jackets, Frankford Yellow Jackets, New York Giants, and Green Bay Packers. Jones started his career with the Minneapolis Red Jackets, a team that lasted only a couple of seasons in the NFL. In what turned out to be a very shrewd move, Ole Haugsrud, one of the founding fathers of the NFL, passed on his first right to start a new team in Minnesota during the depression and instead waited until 1960 to exercise his right and become part owner of the Minnesota Vikings.

Jones was an all-pro honorable mention guard on the 1934 New York Giants team that won the NFL Championship. Jones played semi-pro football for the New York Football Yankees in 1937 before returning for one last NFL season in 1938 with the Green Bay Packers.

jones35front.jpg
jones35back.jpg

jeff