Rob Testerman came from Centerville.
Dave Mitchell made the drive from Glen Burnie.
And Deborah Saylor, on behalf of her husband, drove a few miles south from Columbia.
Fans of the old Baltimore Colts descended on Sports Cards Heroes, on Main Street in Laurel, Saturday in order to get autographs of Hall of Famers Raymond Berry and Gino Marchetti.
Marchetti, a defensive end, played for the Colts from 1953-64 and in 1965. Berry was a wide receiver for the Colts from 1955-67, and he caught a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns.
Never mind that the NFL draft was taking place at the same time Saturday. Fans of the Colts still came.
“I just think that certain teams, for whatever reason, become larger than life. And those Baltimore Colts teams did,” said Rodney Currence, the owner of Sports Cards Heroes. “It is attributed to those core players. They were all fan friendly and fan favorites.”
Berry, 73, who lives in Tennessee, charges $20 for each item that he signs. Marchetti, 79, who lives near Philadelphia, charges $15. That is less than what most Hall of Famers charge, Currence said.
“There were real personable,” said Testerman, who left the store with autographs from both former players.
Mitchell brought a framed photo of the 1958 Colts team that won the world title in the famous sudden-death overtime game against the Giants. Berry signed the photo for Mitchell, who has been a season ticket holder for the Colts, Stallions and now Ravens.
Saylor had each player sign a helmet for her husband, Charles.
“It?s amazing,” said Marchetti, of the fans. “It shows during our day we did something right. People haven?t forgotten us, which makes us feel good.”
“I saw some (items) today that I had never seen. One guy had an old program of the Dallas Texans. That was when I was a rookie,” said Marchetti, who played for Dallas in 1952.
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Colts in Laurel: Raymond Berry and Gino Marchetti
Did you know? Marchetti was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972, and Berry was inducted in 1973 … Marchetti was listed at 6-feet-4, 244 pounds as a player. Berry was listed at 6-2, 187 … Marchetti was born in West Virginia, and moved to California with his family when he was a young boy. Berry is from Texas.
