Bob Hayes Rookie Card - The Bullet Belongs in Canton

This is my Bullet Bob Hayes rookie card - 1966 Philadelphia #58.

I made a quest a few years ago to collect the rookie cards of Ring of Honor Cowboys - one of my favorites is the original #22 for the Dallas Cowboys.

Bullet Bob won two Gold Medals in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and tied the 100m world record of 10.0 seconds. The time is even more remarkable because he did it wearing someone else's shoes! His were left in the hotel room.

Hayes was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 7th round of the '64 draft and immediately paid dividends helping Dallas to their first Super Bowl victory.

Based on stats, Hayes doesn't have the numbers compared to modern day or even wide receivers in the '90s. But his biggest contribution is the ripple effect his speed created across the NFL landscape. No one on defense could keep up with Hayes, so they invented a new defense - the zone.

Hayes' numbers are good - he was a 3x all-pro and led the league in touchdowns before "the zone" was invented. In my opinion, if NFL Hall of Fame criteria is based on a player's impact on the field, then Bullet Bob Hayes belongs in Canton.

On August 27, 2008 he was named as one of two senior candidates for the 2009 Hall of Fame election. Hayes passed away in 2002.

Yes - this card and profile on Bob Hayes is part of my quest to reach the Wax Heaven - Heavenly Seven summit.