16 Most Valuable 1976 Topps Football Cards

1976 Topps #148 Walter Payton Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $4,500

Heralded as the 4th pick of the 1975 NFL Draft out of Jackson State, Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton's rookie season was an uneven one.

He led the NFL in yards per kickoff return in 1975 but struggled to find his groove in the backfield until late in the year.

Entering 1976 with an extended workload and higher expectations, Payton delivered with one of the best sophomore seasons by a running back in league history.

It helped that the 7-7 Bears had a feeble, little-used passing attack, ranking second-to-last in the NFL in total passing yards.

As a result, "Sweetness" finished second in the league with 1,390 rushing yards on a league-high 311 carries.

His 13 rushing touchdowns were just one behind Pittsburgh's Franco Harris for the top mark in the NFL.

Payton's explosiveness and already unparalleled instincts in traffic were undeniable.

He wowed fans, peers, and critics alike, earning his first Pro Bowl selection and first of five first-team All-Pro nominations.

His rookie card is the key to this set and continues to see escalating price increases.

1976 Topps #220 Jack Lambert Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $450

After the Steelers started the season with a terrible 1-4 record, future Hall-of-Fame middle linebacker Jack Lambert stepped up to rally the team for a late-season surge.

During a players-only meeting following Pittsburgh's Week 5 loss to the Browns, Lambert implored his teammates that "the only way we are going to the playoffs to defend our title is to win them all from here out."

The onus fell on Lambert to back up his words with actions on the field and he and the Steelers' defense came through in legendary fashion.

In the team's nine-game winning streak to finish the regular season, Lambert quarterbacked a defense that pitched five shutouts, gave up just two touchdowns, and held opponents to 28 total points for an eye-popping 3.3 points-per-game average.

With Lambert continuing to motivate his teammates, the Steelers set an NFL record with just 138 points allowed in 1976.

Eight of the team's eleven defensive starters were named to the Pro Bowl, and Lambert was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Pro.

1976 Topps #158 Randy White Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $275

Before he turned into one of the most prolific pass-rushing defensive tackles the NFL has ever seen, future Hall-of-Famer Randy White was a backup to another Cowboys legend at a completely different position.

Though he finished his college career at Maryland as one of the best defensive ends in the nation, the Cowboys moved him to middle linebacker after drafting him second in the 1975 NFL Draft.

In his first two years with the Cowboys, White played in all 28 regular-season games.

But he started just once because College Football Hall-of-Famer Lee Roy Jordan occupied the starting middle linebacker spot.

Instead, the Cowboys used White primarily on special teams in 1976.

And when Lee Roy Jordan retired after the 1976 season, it wasn't White, but Bob Breunig who took over his spot in the middle and held onto the starting role for nine seasons.

As for Randy White, he moved to right defensive tackle before the start of the 1977 campaign.

It would prove to be the best move for White's young career and his first step towards a plaque in Canton.

1976 Topps #333 Super Bowl X

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $250

On January 18, 1976, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, the Pittsburgh Steelers outlasted the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 to win Super Bowl X.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were ahead 10-7 before Pittsburgh responded with fourteen unanswered points and held off a final push from Dallas.

It was Pittsburgh's second Super Bowl victory in a row, which put them alongside the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers as the only teams at the time who had repeated as Super Bowl champions.

You gotta love some of the airbrushing on this card.

Just look at Bradshaw's helmet.

Combined with the fact that this card commemorates Pittsburgh as Super Bowl X champs, this card is one of the tougher ones in the set to find in top condition leading to a higher price tag than you might otherwise expect.

1976 Topps #424 Robert Brazile Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $200

Outside linebacker Robert Brazile, a teammate of Walter Payton at Jackson State, was selected two spots behind Payton in the 1975 NFL Draft.

The Houston Oilers coveted the consensus All-American and were delighted when he was available at number six.

And, he did not disappoint.

Brazile made an immediate impact with the Oilers in 1975, garnering multiple All-Rookie nominations and earning the AP's Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

His arrival in Houston led to a switch from a base 4-3 defense to a 3-4 as they worked hard to maximize the 23-year-old future Hall of Famer's speed and tenacity.

Nicknamed "Dr. Doom" by his teammates, Brazile wreaked havoc as an outside pass rusher but was also an elite playmaker against the run and in pass coverage.

Opposing teams schemed plays away from his side of the field with regularity.

Houston struggled to a 5-9 record in 1976, but Brazile continued to dominate as he earned his first of seven-straight Pro Bowl selections.

1976 Topps #427 Ed "Too Tall" Jones Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $200

Selected first overall out of Tennessee State by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1974 NFL Draft, defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones didn't hit his Pro Bowl peak until after his single-season hiatus in 1979 to pursue a professional boxing career.

The 6-foot-9 edge-rushing behemoth was still an integral part of the Cowboys' defense in 1976, though.

Jones started all fourteen games for the NFC East champions, disrupting opposing offenses at key moments for the league's seventh-ranked defense.

His size made him extremely tough to account for, and he regularly faced double teams when trying to get separation around the corner.

Sacks weren't an official stat until 1982, but Jones had a nose for the quarterback in pass-rush situations.

In his third NFL season, he was still developing as a run stopper and in coverage.

But, Too Tall's legendary athleticism and atypical physical attributes helped paper over deficiencies in his game.

In the playoffs, the Cowboys were ousted in a 14-12 NFC Divisional Round loss to the Rams, but Jones and the rest of the defense were the primary reason why the game was even that close.

1976 Topps #75 Terry Bradshaw

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $150

At 1-4, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hopes for a third-straight Super Bowl championship looked dim five weeks into the 1976 season.

Things looked even bleaker when starting quarterback Terry Bradshaw took a vicious hit by Cleveland’s Joe “Turkey” Jones in the team’s 18-16 Week 5 loss to the Browns.

Bradshaw missed four games due to wrist and neck injuries, but the team didn’t fold.

Riding 1,000-yard rushers Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris, the team rattled off nine-straight victories to finish the regular season as AFC Central champions.

When Bradshaw was on the field, he was erratic but mostly effective, completing 47.9% of his passes in ten games (eight starts) for 1,177 yards with ten touchdowns against nine interceptions.

Bradshaw was money in the team’s 40-14 blowout of the Baltimore Colts in the AFC Divisional round, completing 14 of 18 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

However, injuries to Bleier and Harris in the win were too much to overcome the next week.

Without his All-Pro backfield, Bradshaw looked overmatched in Pittsburgh’s 24-7 AFC Championship Game loss to the Oakland Raiders.

He was sacked three times and completed just 14 of 35 throws for 176 yards and a pick.

1976 Topps #140 Lynn Swann

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $150

After a breakout sophomore season in 1975 during Pittsburgh’s run to a second-straight Super Bowl title, wide receiver Lynn Swann looked poised for even bigger things in 1976.

And, he was...but not in the way most expected.

Swann caught a league-high 11 touchdown passes in 1975 but dropped to just three in 1976 as he battled through his own set of injuries and uncertainty at the quarterback position.

In twelve regular-season games, Swann caught just 28 balls for 516 yards.

He was also sparingly used as a punt returner, with three returns for 11 yards.

The former USC standout put on a show in the playoffs, though, snagging eight receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns in two games.

As the passing game stabilized in years to come, the future Hall-of-Famer’s production would spike once again.

Regardless, 1976 was not a down year altogether for Swann as a professional after he signed with ABC Sports while still suiting up for the Steelers, beginning a lucrative and memorable three-decade run with the company as a broadcaster.

1976 Topps #300 O.J. Simpson

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $150

1976 was the final year of perhaps the greatest five-year stretch for any running back in NFL history as Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson captured the league's rushing title for the fourth time in five seasons.

He also earned his fifth-straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team selections after rushing for an NFL-best 1,503 yards on 290 carries with eight touchdowns.

The 2-12 Buffalo Bills were an absolute mess, though, and the frustration of loss after loss boiled over for Simpson in the team's 20-10 Week 9 loss in New England.

When Patriots defensive end Mel Lunsford picked up and drove Simpson to the ground on a tackle for no gain, Simpson retaliated by getting up and throwing a punch at Lunsford.

Buffalo offensive lineman Reggie McKenzie leaped onto Lunsford's back to keep him from returning fire. But, Lunsford dropped down and heaved McKenzie over his head.

The fight continued before the sidelines cleared to break things up.  Simpson and McKenzie were ejected, and the Bills finished the season on a ten-game losing streak.

1976 Topps #395 Roger Staubach

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $150

Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Roger Staubach opened the 1976 season on a torrid pace, tossing nine touchdowns against just three interceptions during the team's 5-1 start.

However, Captain Comeback's luck turned in Week 7 when he broke a bone in the lower part of his throwing pinkie in a 31-21 victory over the Chicago Bears.

The future Hall-of-Famer gutted through it but didn't look or feel like himself in the second half of the year.

Over the team's final seven games, Staubach threw four touchdown passes and eight picks.

The Cowboys still finished the year with a 5-2 stretch to win the NFC East at 11-3.

However, Staubach was toast in the team's dispiriting 14-12 NFC Divisional round loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

He looked immobile against an aggressive Rams defensive front, completing just 15 of 37 passes for 150 yards and three interceptions while being sacked four times.

Staubach's troubles and Cowboys fans' disappointment were short-lived, though, as Dallas would win Super Bowl XII the following season with a 27-10 victory over the Denver Broncos.

1976 Topps #500 Fran Tarkenton

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $125

At age 36, Fran Tarkenton headed into the 1976 season, his sixteenth, coming off the best season of his Hall of Fame career in which he led the league in completions (273), attempts (425), and touchdowns (25) to earn MVP and NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.

And he came into the season still hungry for a Super Bowl ring as the Vikings had unfortunately lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round despite Tarkenton's incredible efforts.

After another solid regular season in which Tarkenton led the Vikings to a 10-2-1 record, Minnesota handled the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams to face off against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI.

Sadly, a Super Bowl ring just wasn't in the cards for The Scrambler as he and the Vikings fell to the Raiders by a wide margin in a 32-14 rout.

However, he would earn his ninth Pro Bowl selection for a bit of consolation. 

1976 Topps #100 Franco Harris

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $100

After star quarterback Terry Bradshaw went down to injury early in the season, the Steelers turned to their rushing attack to help fill the void.

And the duo of Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier answered the call without missing a beat.

Bleier set career marks in rushing attempts (220), yards (1,036), and touchdowns (5), while Harris rushed for 1,128 yards and led the league in rushing touchdowns with a personal best 14 scores.

Harris would also earn his fifth-straight Pro Bowl selection, and perhaps even more important to him on a personal level, was named the "NFL Man of the Year" for his leadership on and off the field.

1976 Topps #245 Joe Greene

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $100

After playing in every game of the season in his first six years in the league, Greene finally had to miss time during the 1975 season due to back problems.

However, luckily for the Steelers, Greene was back on the field in time for the playoffs to help lead them to their second straight Super Bowl that season.

Greene's good health spilled over into the 1976 season, and he would once again play in and start all fourteen regular-season games, recording six sacks and earning his eighth Pro Bowl selection in a row.

As the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh "Steel Curtain" defensive line, Greene's importance in helping Steelers win out each of their remaining nine games after a 1-4 start cannot be understated.

Unfortunately, that defense finally broke down in the AFC Championship game as the eventual Super Bowl Champion Oakland Raiders offense proved too much for them to handle.

1976 Topps #415 Ken Stabler

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $100

In 1976, Ken Stabler had his finest individual season for the Silver and Black, leading the NFL in completion percentage (66.7%), passing touchdowns (27), yards per passing attempt (9.4), passing yards per game (228.1), and quarterback rating (103.4).

He was also the master of the late-game miracle, pacing the NFL with four game-winning drives and three fourth-quarter comebacks.

With the Snake at the helm, Oakland’s second-ranked offense helped the team cruise to a 13-1 record and AFC West title.

The Raiders then outscored their three playoff opponents by a combined count of 80-42, culminating in the team’s dominant 32-14 victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl XI.

Stabler was accurate and lethal in those three victories, completing 41 of 67 passes (61.2%) for 501 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

And while wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff won Super Bowl MVP honors, Stabler’s brilliance put Biletnikoff in that position, just like it did for the entire team during the 1976 campaign.

1976 Topps #426 Ron Jaworski Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $100

Drafted 37th overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1973 NFL Draft, Ron Jaworski was a benchwarmer for most of his three seasons in Southern California.

In 1975, the future NFC Player of the Year played all fourteen games but started just once and only attempted 48 passes while mostly performing mop-up duty.

Before the 1976 season, Jaworski was passed over for the starting job in favor of Pat Haden and appeared in five games for the Rams, starting and winning two.

However, he completed less than 40% of his passes (20-for-52) for 273 yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions.

Jaworski never saw the field in the Rams’ NFC Divisional Round victory over the Dallas Cowboys or their 24-13 NFC Championship Game loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

In short, the Rams had all but given up on him as a quarterback prospect.

Before the 1977 NFL season, the Rams traded Jaworski to the Philadelphia Eagles for former All-Pro tight end Charle Young.

With a fresh start, Jaws was on his way to becoming one of the most beloved quarterbacks in Eagles franchise history.

1976 Topps #420 Jack Ham

Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $75

For most of the 1970s, Jack Ham roamed the field as one of the league's most feared hitters.

Though his Pittsburgh teammate Jack Lambert ran away with the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award, outside linebacker Jack Ham was arguably just as crucial to the historic Steelers defense in 1976.

Selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth-straight year and to the NFL's All-Pro first team for the third consecutive season, Ham was seemingly never out of position to make a play during Pittsburgh's nine-game winning streak to close out the regular season.

It seemed like whenever the team needed a big play, Ham was in the mix, as evidenced by his two interceptions and fumble recoveries on the year.

His instincts and intelligence in both pass protection and as a run stopper was undeniable, making him a menace to opposing skill position players.

And they were big reasons why Pittsburgh posted five shutouts in their final nine regular-season contests.