Forty years ago next month, Rick Mears, in the Penske Pennzoil #6 Z-7 March/Cosworth, won his second Indianapolis 500, breaking a 12-year-old race record for average speed for the 500 of 163.162. (Former Penske driver, the late Mark Donohue, had held the record since winning in 1972)! Mears set another record by leading the 500 for the sixth straight year: he had been tied with a number of drivers at five in a row. Our latest DVD takes you back to that time and place to again watch that historic race! | |
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IN THIS ISSUE
Scroll down for more info:
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Dear Rare Sportsfilms Subscriber,
Spring is here and Race Day May 26th is not far off! I'm looking forward to my 39th consecutive race and my 37th consecutive Indy Racing Memorabilia show, especially since it's once again being held at our new venue, the Embassy Suites Hotel near the Indianapolis Airport in Plainfield, Indiana about 16 miles west of the track! Again this year, for only the second time in 11 years, the show will run for three days - Thursday, Friday and Saturday! Be sure to read more about it in this annual Indy 500 issue of our Newsletter!
If you haven't yet, scroll down to read our story about the youngest player to ever play in an NFL Game! You'll be surprised at who it was, as he later became famous starring in a different sport!
I look forward to seeing many of you at the show or at the track later this month!
Doak Ewing, President
RARE SPORTSFILMS,INC.
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NEW!
1984
Here are three different color films of the 1984 500-mile race, all on one DVD! "Green Flag at 200" has the more detailed qualifying, race and wreck coverage (crashes of Scott Brayton, Steve Chassey and Pat Bedard). "The Hidden Heroes" covers the race and '84 Pit Stop Championship, and "March Into May" shows the race from different angles, has more race pit stop action and more driver interviews. On this DVD you'll hear from both Mario and rookie Michael Andretti, Al Unser Jr, Gordon Johncock and Bobby Rahal. You'll also see Johnny Rutherford, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr, Tom Sneva, Josele Garza, Teo Fabi, Howdy Holmes, Dick Simon, Pancho Carter, rookies Roberto Guerrero, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Holbert and more! Even as all three films show the 1984 Indy 500, each film shows different footage of the race and the story of the month of May leading up to the spectacular classic on Memorial Day!
1 Hour, 10 Minutes, 29.95 +$4 S & H.
Add only $10.00 for BLU-RAY!
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NEW!
1976
"Daytona Speed Week"
plus
"Collision Course"
(Both on one DVD)!
Only $25.00 with purchase of our new
1984 Indy 500 DVD!
With the purchase of our new 1984 Indy 500 DVD, you can also get our new NASCAR 1976 Daytona 500 on DVD for only $25.00!
Here's a vintage racing doubleheader - Two different NASCAR films on the 1976 Daytona 500 - both one one DVD! "Daytona Speed Week" touches on all the big on-track events of the week leading up to and including the famed Daytona 500. "Collision Course" concentrates solely on the 500, telling the story of the historic race by showing completely different scenes. Still one of the most talked about races of all time, this 500 featured two top drivers fighting it out all the way to a smash-up finish with David Pearson and Richard Petty leaving NASCAR fans limp in their seats at the end! Also in action: A.J.Foyt, Salt Walther, last year's winner Benny Parsons, pole-sitter Ramo Stott, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Lennie Pond, Buddy Baker, Earl Ross, Tighe Scott, Dick Brooks and others!
All Color, 27 Minutes
Normally $29.95 separately, but this month only $25.00
with purchase of our new 1984 Indy DVD!
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"Way of a Champion"
plus
"Diary of Courage"
(Both on one DVD)!
Normally $29.95, but only $5.00 with purchase of our new
1984 Indy 500 or 1976 Daytona DVD!
With the purchase of either our new 1984 Indy 500 or 1976 Daytona DVD, you can also get the 1964-65 Novi DVD for only $5.00! For fans who remember the sound of the famous Novi engine at Indianapolis, this is it! Almost an hour of vintage film on the efforts of the Granatelli crew to saddle the tremendous power of the Novi and put one of their cars in Victory Lane! This is the first DVD ever made strictly on the Novi at Indy! Includes two different films, one from 1964, the other from 1965:
"Way Of A Champion" by Confilm Productions (B & W)
PLUS:
"Diary of Courage" by Newspix Productions (COLOR)
"Way Of A Champion" and "Diary Of Courage" cover the 1964 and 1965 500's from the unique perspective of the Granatelli Novi team, with drivers Bobby Unser, Jim McElreath and Art Malone. What happened to these men and the Novi effort during those years is documented in this DVD. Also included is a nice story on fan favorite Jim Hurtubise, 1965 driver of the Tombstone Life Special. Shown is his terrible accident at Milwaukee in which he was severly burned. The story of his recovery to race again at the 500 is truly a "Diary of Courage".
Normally $29.95, but this month only $5.00 with purchase of our new 1984 Indy or 1976 Daytona 500 !
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(All on one DVD)!
Normally $29.95, but only $5.00 with purchase of our new
1984 Indy 500 or 1976 Daytona DVD!
With the purchase of either our new 1984 Indy 500 or 1976 Daytona DVD, you can also get the 1969-1970 NASCAR Grand National Highlights DVD for only $5.00!
It's here! This DVD shows those popular "muscle cars" of 1969 and 1970 on the tracks and in competition with some of the greatest drivers of 55 years ago! 1969 is remembered as the year David Pearson won his third Grand National Champinship, as well as the year of the introduction of those sleek Ford Talladegas and winged Dodge Daytonas! By 1970, the new winged Plymouth Superbirds swept onto the racing scene, also becoming part of the fabulous winged car era in NASCAR racing history. Here are COLOR highlights of a dozen different races from 1969 and 1970, including a segment on 1970 NASCAR champion Bobby Isaac plus a special bonus: rare footage of the first NASCAR win for the new Plymouth Superbird - Ramo Stott's victory in the 1970 ARCA 300 at Daytona!
See all these great drivers in action: Richard Petty, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Elmo Langley, Buddy Baker, Charlie Glotzbach, Lee Roy Yarbrough, Bobby and Donnie Allison, Dick Brooks, Bobby Johns, Paul Goldsmith, Cale Yarborough and many others!
Normally $29.95, but this month only $5.00 with purchase of our new 1984 Indy or 1976 Daytona 500 !
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ORDER NOW AND $AVE!
Special Limited Time Offers!
Order our new 1984 Indy DVD
and select any one of our other
racing DVDs for only $57.80 PPD!!
(add $10 if you want 1970, 1981, 1982, 1983 or 1984 on Blu-Ray)
Select from the list on our website here
(Illinois residents must add
$4.45 state sales tax)
OR:
10 for only $225.00 PPD!
Get our new 1984 Indy DVD and
any nine other racing DVDs
for only $225.00 PPD!
Select from the list on our website here
(Illinois residents must add
$17.40 state sales tax)
Order by Mail
Send your check or money order
payable to Rare Sportsfilms, Inc. to:
Rare Sportsfilms News
1126 Tennyson Lane
Naperville, IL 65040
Order by phone
Call us at 630-527-8890
We accept Mastercard and Visa
If you would like to know more about other vintage
sports films now available on high-quality DVD...
...call us at 1-630-527-8890
or visit our website
www.raresportsfilms.com
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Visit with
Rare Sportsfilms in Plainfield, Indiana
(west of the Speedway just off I-70) at the 2024
"Indy Racing Memorabilia Show"
Rare Sportsfilms has now been exhibiting its video productions at Indianapolis the weekend of the “500” for 37 consecutive years!
Once again this year, we will have a booth at the racing show and we hope you’ll come on out to visit with us. Find us at the Indy Racing Memorabilia Show on Thursday, Friday and Saturday May 23 thru 25th at the Embassy Suites Event Center, 2353 Perry Road, Plainfield, Indiana (just west of Indianapolis airport). Show hours are Thursday 3-8PM Friday evening 3PM-7PM and 9AM-4PM Saturday. Click this link to get more info about the show.
Rare Sportsfilms President Doak Ewing says, “Any racing fan who appreciates the history of the Indianapolis 500 and is lucky enough to be in Indianapolis during race week should not miss the fun of visiting the greatest assemblage of racing memorabilia and artifacts in the country – again this year a three-day show, Thursday, Friday and Saturday! You’ll find racing photos, yearbooks, racing magazines, trading cards, old toy and model race cars, driver autographs, old pit badges, 500 ticket stubs, programs, DVDs on past 500s, books on the 500, driver uniforms, helmets and even vintage paving bricks from the original track which has come to be known as "The Brickyard"!
"I’m looking forward to displaying our DVDs and seeing old friends and new collectors alike along the side wall of the room both days! At this show you will meet the most knowledgeable dealers and collectors of Indy 500 memorabilia in the country".
SEE YOU MAY 23 thru 25th –at The Show!
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NFL'S YOUNGEST PLAYER MAY SURPRISE YOU!
(Research by Author Joe Ziemba, Courtesy of Sports History Network)
Most serious baseball fans know that Joe Nuxhall was the youngest major leaguer. In 1944, the 15-year-old lad pitched 2/3 of an inning for the Cincinnati Reds. Later he pitched in 526 Major League games before retiring and becoming a Reds radio broadcaster.
Ok, then - who was the youngest NFL football player? Well, that depends upon what criteria you are using. Most younger NFL fans will start with the youngest player ever selected in the NFL draft – who could be younger than that? That would be Amobi Okoye, born June 10, 1987. After a playing career and an early graduation from Louisville, Okoye was drafted by the Houston Texans in April of 2007. It is believed that he was the youngest player to ever be drafted in the NFL (a first rounder at the age of 19!) and then became the youngest player in history at age 20 when the NFL season rolled around later in 2007.
Should we define the youngest person as one who was drafted? Or perhaps, one who was the youngest when he played a single NFL game, such as Ross Nagel? In his recent book “Bears vs. Cardinals: The NFL’s Oldest Rivalry", author Joe Ziemba reveals Ross Nagel was just a nineteen-year-old from Maplewood High School in Missouri when he signed to play for the Chicago Cardinals in 1942! Nagel played in just one game for the Cardinals before his release on October 26, 1942. Since Nagel was born on June 12, 1923, he was indeed just nineteen-years-old when he was with the Cardinals for that one game. During WWII, NFL teams were challenged to fill out their rosters with so many players being inducted into the military. From the early days of the NFL, including when Red Grange was snared by the Chicago Bears the day after his final football game with the University of Illinois, the professionals were expected to avoid signing college players until a player’s class had graduated. But things were a bit different during the war, and the rules regarding the addition of student-players apparently were relaxed as well (after the war, Nagel played for St. Louis University and eventually found himself back in the NFL in 1951 when he played nine games for the New York Yanks – nine years after his brief initial pro stint with the Cardinals).
However, here we will identify the youngest player in the history of the NFL based on the criteria of his participation on the field in at least one league game. In his book, Ziemba points out that, believe it or not, there were four players (all played only one game and all in the SAME game) who were even younger than Nagel! Ziemba tracked down the birth dates for all four players who are also listed in Total Football II, the comprehensive NFL reference book. All four would have been younger than any NFL player had been up to that time. The game was played in Chicago and it turned out to be one of the most controversial contests in league history – and for good reason. This was the infamous “battle” between the Milwaukee Badgers and Chicago Cardinals on December 10, 1925 at Comiskey Park. While the Cardinals stormed to an easy 58-0 win, the depleted Milwaukee roster was stuffed with four prep players from nearby Englewood High School in Chicago so that the Badgers would have enough players to start the game…thus prompting the controversy. The high schoolers, who participated under assumed names in an effort to hide their identity, were William Thompson, Jack Daniels, James Snyder and Charles Richardson. During the game they were listed as Blood, Mooney, Mason and Grant. According to Ziemba, Snyder was the youngest, born on March 10, 1909, making him just 16 years old at the time of the Milwaukee game. Until proven otherwise, this would make James Snyder the youngest player to ever play in an NFL game.
BUT - There's much more to the Snyder story, especially after he dropped his efforts to play football and devoted his athletic efforts to an entirely different sport. After Snyder graduated from Englewood High School in 1927, and after also playing briefly with the 1928 reserve squad at the University of Illinois, Ziemba discovered that he later moved back to Chicago and, according to the 1930 census, became a milk wagon driver.... a milk wagon driver who soon surrendered to his need for speed! By 1932, Snyder began participating in local auto races around Chicago. Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, and founder of both the Major League All-Star Game and the annual College All-Star football games, wrote about how Snyder initiated his auto racing career: "Snyder, a former Chicago milkman, got his start as a driver when he bought a helmet and pair of goggles in 1932". After beginning his career driving "midgets", Snyder quickly found success. He grabbed a win in a 100-mile race on October 8, 1933 at the Roby Speedway in Hammond, Indiana and later won races at the Evanston (Illinois) Motor Speedway. By this time, the Tribune was touting him as "a new star in automobile racing". By 1935, Snyder was ready for the big time. He qualified at over 112 MPH for the famed Indianapolis 500, and finished 22nd in what would become the first of his five straight years at the "Brickyard". With his previous employment serving as the inspiration, Snyder became known as the "Flying Milkman". In 1937 he set a new Indy qualifying record of 125.287 PH, and he led the field for 24 laps before a transmission problem sidelined him. In 1938, he again led the field, this time for almost half the race, until being forced out with a faulty supercharger. He was becoming more and more successful at Indy and 1939 was his best chance to become immortal as an Indy winner. He set a new track record (130.238 MPH) to qualify on the pole for the race, led the race for 65 laps and finished 2nd. only to the great (eventual 3-time winner) Wilbur Shaw. There was no doubt that Snyder, still at the young age of 30, was on his way to becoming a dominating driver at Indianapolis. Unfortunately, on June 29, 1939, Snyder was killed in a midget car race at Cahokia,Illinois.
Most serious Indy racing fans remember James Snyder as the famous "Jimmy" Snyder, one of the great Indianapolis drivers of the late 1930's, but now both they and pro football fans know Jimmy is still (and probably always will be) the youngest player to ever play in an NFL game!
(Joe Ziemba is the author of three football history books and is the host of the
"When Football Was Football" podcast on the Sports History Network)
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TRADE SHOW SCHEDULE FOR 2024
The trade shows that Rare Sportsfilms participates in throughout the year are excellent venues at which to meet other collectors with similar interests and visit in person with Rare Sportsfilms. We are always offering specials at our booth where you can also ask to see any DVD you may be interested in! Normally we will have an inventory of 150-250 different DVDs available at any show.
Here is our Show Schedule for the months ahead:
May 23-25, 2024 - Thursday, Friday and Saturday "Annual Indy 500 Racing Memorabilia Show" located again this year at the Embassy Suites Hotel Event Center, Plainfield, Indiana. Larger room! Free parking!
July 24-28, 2024 – National Sports Collector’s Convention, Cleveland, at the huge IX Convention Center, Cleveland, Ohio. This is the BIG one – the greatest sports collector’s convention in the world!
November 22-24, 2024 - Stephens Convention Center,
Rosemont, Illinois. "The Chicago Sports Spectacular" (Fall Sports Collectibles Show). See you there!
Click the links or call Doak Ewing at 630-527-8890 for more information about any of these shows.
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Want to see what we're buying?
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