Posted By Dan Greenfield on Nov 25, 2021 | 3 comments

A 13th Dimension Thanksgiving tradition!

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UPDATED 11/25/21: It’s Thanksgiving! This first ran in 2017 but it holds up just as well today, so we’re presenting it again. Have a great holiday, everyone! — Dan

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It’s Thanksgiving! Parade! Turkey! Stuffing! Pie! More Turkey! Nap! FOOTBALL!

A lot of us comics-reading kids in the ’70s were also fans of tabletop sports, so every year at this time we like to turn our attention to Electric Football, the buzziest game of the Bronze Age.

This year, the Kingpins of Metal Pigskin who brought you The Unforgettable Buzz and Full Color Electric Football — Earl Shores, Roddy Garcia and Michael Kronenberg — have another great publication out: The Electric Football Wishbook, filled with full-color reproductions of Christmas catalog ads from 1955 to 1988. It covers not just Electric Football, but many other tabletop sports as well. (Click here for ordering info on all their publications.)

Having thumbed through it, I gotta tell you: Someone needs to make one of these for superhero toys. (C’mon, guys, get on that!)

Anyway, since we’re all about the Top 13 lists here at 13th Dimension, Earl, Roddy and Michael have put together for us a list of 13 Great Electric Football Teams for you to enjoy on this football-focused holiday.

(For you hardcore fans out there, take this in the vein in which it’s intended: To have fun! Certainly you’ll have your own opinions, so just feel free to add your own picks in the comments below! No need for FanRage! It’s a holiday!)

Here goes:

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By EARL SHORES, RODDY GARCIA and MICHAEL KRONENBERG

1. 1969 Tudor Black Helmet Saints dark or white jersey. The rare of the rare in Tudor NFL Electric Football teams. The Saints wore black helmets during the preseason of 1969, then abandoned them when the real season started. Lots of folklore surrounding this topic. We cover it on page 75 of our Full Color Electric Football book. Bottom line — Tudor and other NFL licensees would’ve never produced black helmet images without official NFL approval.

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2. 1967 Tudor Steelers. This uniform is known as the “yoke” or “Batman” uniform. A bright, classic look that we wish the Steelers would do as a throwback instead of the bumblebee uniforms.

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3. 1967-69 Tudor Washington. Classic, simple design with the “spear” helmet.

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4. 1968 Tudor New York Jets in white. This was the first and only AFL Tudor team to ever come in a white jersey. Tudor’s other AFL teams were available in dark jersey only from 1967-69.

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5. 1970 Tudor Denver Broncos. This orange-pant Floyd Little-era uniform is one of the best looking Tudor teams ever produced.

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6. 1976 Tudor Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The first year the Bucs existed, in the recognizable and well-painted orange shirt “creamsicle” uniforms.

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7. 1969-70 Tudor San Diego Chargers. Tudor produced these unique gold-pant, powder-blue Chargers for two short years before going to a yellow pant color in 1971.

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8. 1979 Tudor Los Angeles Rams. During the mid-to-late 1970’s, the Rams — in dark or white — were a beautiful team to have, complete with the horns on the sleeve. The yellow paint on the pants was a perfect match to the real Rams’ unis.

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9. 1967 Tudor Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles’ four-stripe sleeves were an iconic look during a time when the team was not very good. We think the Kelly green color scheme is one the Eagles should return to.

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10. 1975 Tudor Oakland Raiders. The silver pants and helmets always set the Raiders apart in both real and Electric Football. This well-painted version was done in Haiti in the mid-1970’s.

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11. 1975 Tudor Dallas Cowboys. Another team that was painted in Haiti in the mid-1970’s. The silver-blue color of the pants was accurate for the time, and in our view, never equaled. A great look for “America’s Team.”

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12. 1969 Gotham Joe Namath quarterback figure. Lithographed onto the metal figure is an almost totally accurate New York Jets uniform. The only thing missing is the Jets’ logo, which Gotham wasn’t allowed to use because the company wasn’t an official NFL licensee. Notice there is actually dirt on the uniform, and Joe’s wearing his traditional white shoes. And the sweatbands are a great touch.

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13. 1967 Tudor Cleveland Browns. This was an era when the Browns wore white at home, so the only time you saw them wearing dark jerseys was against the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Rams — the other NFL teams who wore white at home. So it was always a treat to see the Browns in a dark jersey — this rare Tudor “chocolate brown” version recreating the look well.

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Honorable Mentions: 1967-69 “spear” Washington in white; 1970 Houston Oilers in white; 1976 Seattle Seahawks dark or white; mid-70’s New York Giants in white with blue pants; 1967 Los Angeles Rams dark jersey.

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MORE

— For a look at Full Color Electric Football, click here.

— For ordering info for The Electric Football Wishbook, click here.