As far as cards were concerned in the ‘50s and ‘60s, being a great player on a lousy team paid off. Just check out Matt Hazeltine’s career.
After being skipped over from 1955-57, his “rookie” card debut would lead to ten different cards from 1958 through 1965 for Topps, Fleer and Post Cereal. He had more cards than Ray Nitschke. That fact alone is Canton consideration. Of course, Matt was on a mediocre 49ers team with a quota of cards to fill, while Ray had to wait his turn among a dozen Hall of Fame teammates. But still…
As an undersized linebacker, he came from solid genetics–his father Matt Sr. was on the 1920 US Olympic rugby team, and went on to briefly play in the NFL. Junior Hazeltine anchored the 49ers defense for the fourteen seasons, and for five years (1960-1964) he was selected as 49ers team captain. Once on the field he had an uncanny knack for finding the football. “Matt always seemed to be in the right spot,” Charlie Krueger said of his teammate. “He was very smart and studious. He came prepared to play, I’ll tell you that.”
Hazeltine was well-known for his durability and dedication. He played 176 games, the most by any 49ers linebacker in team history, and earned Pro Bowl recognition in 1963 and 1965.
And his nickname? Iron Man. And that was well before Black Sabbath or even Stan Lee.
After being dogged by injuries, Hazeltine retired after the 1968 season (although Topps still issued a card in ‘69, after three years without one). But his old friend and former teammate YA Tittle encouraged him to come out of retirement and play for the Giants. Iron Man responded by starting every single game of the 1970 season. Then, he retired for good, and went back to selling insurance.
A few years back, a pawn shop bought a ring given to Hazeltine by the 49ers when he retired–instead of selling it, the pawn shop owner tracked down Hazeltine’s widow and returned it to the family. AWESOME free advertising, as the media was all over the move.
The sad thing is that Hazeltine’s career came while the 49ers were at their most indifferent. But his cards show a linebacker ready for Hawg Hanner or Jim Parker. Iron Man, indeed.
Sadly, some time later he and two former teammates developed ALS, or “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. It took his life quickly. The fact that three former 49ers would die from such a rare disease led to investigations of the chemicals used for the grass field. He may be better known for that sad coincidence than for being Iron Man.
The Story of the Returned Ring
