JACK KEMP
Quarterback
No. 15
Occidental
"There are quarterbacks in the league who are flashier than Jack Kemp, throw the ball for better completion percentages, and are superior playcallers. But the one thing Jack has over all of them is his ability to win - which is something he has been doing for the Bills for the last three years. And before that, he directed the Chargers to two titles in a row, placing him in five championship games in seven years.
Possessed with perhaps the strongest throwing arm in football, Jack was hampered last year by what turned out to be a torn muscle in his right elbow. Still, he completed 168 passes out of 389 attempts for 2,451 yards and 11 touchdowns and a .427 percentage. His playcalling improved, too.
In 1965, he was the AFL's Most Valuable Player."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1967
"The longball-throwing veteran was the American Football League's Player of the Year in 1965. A crafty general, Jack is a strong running threat."
-1967 Topps No. 24
"Who was the leading passer for the Bills in 1966? Jackie Kemp."
-1967 Topps No. 16
"Who completed Buffalo's longest pass play? Jackie Kemp to Glenn Bass- 94 yards."
-1967 Topps No. 22
TOM FLORES
Quarterback
No. 16
Pacific
"Bearing the passing load will be Tom Flores, the 26-year-old quarterback out of Fresno, California. Tom completed a league high of 54 per cent of his forwards in 1960 and turned in 12 touchdowns.
Accurate and quick at picking his target, he was among the country's total offense leaders as a collegian."
-1961 Pro Football Handbook
"Co-captain of the Raiders, Tom is fulfilling the brilliant promise he showed at the College of the Pacific. Although he played only two years in college, he was fourth nationally in total offense in 1956 and sixth in 1957. Tom ranks third in the all-time Pacific passing records with 2,099 yards and a 50.2 completion record.
He is surely one of the brightest new stars of professional football."
-1961 Fleer No. 188
"Starting the 1960 season as a sub, he rallied the Raiders from doormats to respectable contenders. Flores' 54% pass completion mark was tops in the AFL."
-1961 Topps No. 186
"Not one voice has ever been raised against the ability of Tom Flores, the fine passer who finished just below George Blanda in the 1961 tables. The [Fresno native] fired 190 completions in 366 attempts, gaining 2,176 yards. This 25-year-old overcame a serious shoulder injury to make the grade and was No. 1 in percentage completed as a 1960 rookie.
Flores has the uncanny skill of making use of his pass-blockers."
-Don Schiffer, 1962 Pro Football Handbook
"Oakland picked Tom up strictly as a gamble, as he was forced to quit Canadian football because of a chronic bad shoulder. However, Flores fooled the medics when he completed 54% of his passes in 1960 to rank first in that department, and 52% in 1961, second only to Babe Parilli of Boston. One-hundred-ninety of Flores' passes were caught in 1961, out of 366 attempts, for 2,158 yards. Only 5% of his aerials were intercepted, third lowest in the AFL.
Tom heaved 15 touchdown passes last season, as compared to 12 the year before. He was rated the second best quarterback in the American Football League."
-1962 Fleer No. 68
"Illness prevented Tom Flores from again acquiring the role of quarterback in 1962, and he was forced to the sidelines for the complete season. He's had an unusual run of bad luck since coming into the league and was forced to overcome a serious shoulder injury before being able to earn a job as a 1960 rookie.
Flores was the most accurate of passers as a yearling, leading the circuit in percentage completed. Out of Fresno, California, this 26-year-old fireball was the No. 2 passer in '61, topped only by George Blanda.
Flores says he learned more by watching games as a spectator last season and insists he'll be able to apply this education in 1963."
-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1963
"Tom Flores wasn't expected to lend too much to the Raider offense. After all, the slinger from Fresno had missed all of 1962 with a weakening lung infection and there was some question about his strength and desire. However, the 26-year-old rebounded so well last year that he closed as the No. 2 AFL passer, completing 113 of 247 forwards for 2,101 yards and setting the league mark for yards gained per completion (18.6). Flores was the best of all as a 1960 rookie when he was the most accurate with a 54 per cent passing figure."
-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964
"No longer a question-mark, Tom Flores looms as the regular quarterback for the Raiders this season. His average of 18.59 yards per completion set an AFL record last year as he hit 113 of 247 passes for 20 touchdowns and 2,101 yards, ranking second to Tobin Rote of the Chargers. Sidelined by a lung infection in 1962, Flores bounced back with a great season while alternating with Cotton Davidson. This season, though, he's slated to be the regular.
Out of the University of the Pacific, he's an AFL pureblood."
-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964
"An all-around athlete, Tom was a quarterback in football, a guard in basketball and a pitcher in baseball for his California high school. During his first A.F.L. season, he led the league's quarterbacks with a 54% completion record.
Last year, Tom set a club record when he threw 20 touchdown passes. He threw a 93-yard touchdown bomb to set an Oakland mark."
-1964 Topps No. 139
"Renewed strength and confidence helped Tom Flores to wind up the 1964 campaign impressively. His winning touchdown toss in the final four seconds of the Buffalo game gave the Raiders a 16-13 victory, and he also fired three touchdowns in their 21-20 win over the Chargers. Overall, Tom completed 98 passes for 1,391 yards and seven touchdowns last year, sharing the quarterbacking duties with Cotton Davidson. A lung infection kept him out for the entire 1962 season.
Tom's cool under pressure and can throw the long bomb."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1965
"Tom is exceptionally cool under fire and is an outstanding long thrower. His best season was in 1963 when he finished second in the quarterback standings. He owns the club record for the longest touchdowns pass ... 93 yards.
Tom was told to forget about football for good after undergoing a shoulder operation in 1959. He battled his way back and now is considered to be one of the finest throwers in the AFL."
-1965 Topps No. 139
"Tom has a rifle arm and one of the lowest pass interception records [sic]. Last season, he was third in the league in pass completions.
The veteran signal caller was obtained from the Oakland Raiders."
-1967 Topps No. 16
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