A football card that exudes confidence … and more

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By Chris Olds | Editor | Commentary

Topps‘ highest-end product ever made — 2011 Topps Five Star Football — is a five-card per pack, $500-per-pack product that’s packing some cards with special touches inside.

There are autograph cards, there are booklet cards, there are patch cards inside each and every box.

But not all of them include an inscription quite as special — quite as confident — as this one from Houston Texans running back Ben Tate, a second-round draft pick who ran for 1,362 yards and 10 touchdowns as a college senior in 2009.

You know, it’s the same Tate who was medically cleared on Tuesday as recovered from a broken right fibula and torn ankle ligaments. The same Tate who hasn’t played a down in the NFL yet. The same Tate who, if healthy, will be fighting for playing time against the NFL’s leading rusher last season, Arian Foster.

In case you can’t read his printed inscription on the card — which could be yours on eBay for considerably less than Hall of Fame money — it reads: “See You in the Hall of Fame #43.”

Now, at first, I thought he was perhaps offering a shout-out to a current Hall of Famer. But according to this list there aren’t any No. 43’s in Canton.

Then, I thought maybe it’s a shout-out to Troy Polamalu — a No. 43 — and his Hall of Fame hair. He’ll be in Canton someday, right?

Then, of course, it dawned on me … Tate went to Auburn.

Just kidding! (But he still went to Auburn.)

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball — and went to the University of Alabama. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

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6 comments

  1. Gene Chizik 24 February, 2011 at 10:42

    Dear Chris Olds-

    Sorry your team blew a 24-0 lead at home to Auburn. looks like you are still pretty bent out of shape about that. Sorry you finished 4th in the west.

  2. Jestin Haugh 24 February, 2011 at 10:54

    If he is serious or meant this as a joke this is still funny. I wonder if he only did this for the 15 he signed for this variation of the card or all of his 5 Star auto’s? If I had to bet, I would put huge money down that he will not make the HOF. After his injury and who he plays behind, he will be luck if he is a starter within the next 3 years. If you are not a starter in your first few years, then you have no chance at the HOF. Even HOF RB’s are only good for 10 years and if you are a backup for 3 or 4 of those years and were hurt for 1 of them, then you are done. He might have a chance to start in a year or 2 if Foster doesn’t perform or gets hurt or if Tate gets traded or signed by another team.

  3. rynaldo11 28 February, 2011 at 11:48

    WOW… it went for $60… BIG SURPRISE… A true HOF’er we got there… He will be lucky to get any real playing time next year after his first year failure…

  4. Ben Johnson 1 March, 2011 at 00:40

    I’m the one who bought it, but i bought it more as an Auburn graduate/fan than a Houston fan, and I have a large PC of Ben Tate. *side note*. Tate was probably going to start over Foster last year before he got injured and that tells you what kind of back he COULD be. But only time will tell if he does anything in the pros or gets a legit chance to show what he can do.

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