Roger Staubach

Roger Staubach is the quarterback who gave the Dallas Cowboys their identity. “Captain America,” “Roger the Dodger,” the man who literally coined the term “Hail Mary” — a Super Bowl MVP, a two-time champion, and a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. For anyone building a Cowboys legends collection, Staubach is the franchise’s vintage cornerstone, a generation ahead of the 1990s “Triplets” of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin.

His path to the NFL is unlike almost any other star’s: a Heisman Trophy at Navy, then a full Navy service commitment — including a tour in Vietnam — before he ever took an NFL snap. He didn’t debut for Dallas until 1969, at 27, which shapes his card market in a way collectors should understand before they buy.

What to collect

Staubach’s market is anchored by his 1972 Topps rookie card — his first mainstream trading card. Because his pro career started late, that rookie arrives several years after his NFL debut, and it’s the headline piece most collectors want first.

Beyond the rookie, his early-1970s Topps base issues, later-career cards, and autographs — on-card signatures, especially graded ones — round out a serious Staubach collection. Rather than chase a specific card number here, use the live eBay rails on this page; they surface the actual Staubach cards for sale right now, from raw commons to graded vintage slabs.

Why grade matters so much for vintage Staubach

Here’s the key difference from the 1990s legends: Staubach’s cards come from the early 1970s, genuine vintage — not the high-print “junk wax” era. Survival rates are low, and the cards that do survive often show the condition problems typical of the period: off-center printing, soft corners, and print wear. That makes a clean, well-centered, high-grade Staubach genuinely scarce — and priced accordingly.

For his rookie and early issues specifically, a graded PSA/SGC/BGS example is almost always the smarter buy. On raw vintage, the gap between a nice-looking copy and a truly high-grade one is enormous.

Buying tips

• Buy graded (PSA, SGC, BGS) for the rookie and early-’70s issues — vintage condition sensitivity is high, and a slab authenticates both the card and its grade.
• On raw vintage, scrutinize centering first — off-center is the single most common flaw on early-1970s Topps football.
• Check corners and surface under good light; vintage cardboard hides wear that photos can miss.
• Be wary of reprints and unlicensed “custom” cards — buy from sellers with strong feedback and clear photos of the actual card, front and back.
• On-card and graded autographs generally out-hold plain base cards.
• The eBay rails above show live Staubach listings — rookies, graded slabs, autos, and lots.

For the wider picture, see our guide to the best Dallas Cowboys cards to collect and the Cowboys legends roundup, or head back to the Dallas Cowboys team hub.