1984 Topps football has a good argument as the best football set of the 1980’s.
The set has 396 cards, 17 of which are Hall of Fame rookies, with 12 different Hall of Famers among those 17.
This set is also partially responsible for the boom in quarterback prices that you see to this day.
At the time of release, John Elway was as big of a prospect that the league had seen in some time, and Dan Marino was a Pro Bowler as a rookie despite only starting come week six.
Helping to bolster hype was Eric Dickerson and his 1,808 rushing yards as a rookie.
The 1984 Topps football card set is condition sensitive as centering is an issue.
As of writing, PSA has 106,877 total cards graded in the set with only 11,005 in gem mint.
SGC is considerably worse as only 165 gem mint slabs exist out of 9,463 total graded.
The most common grade is either NM-MT or Mint with the non-QB Hall of Fame rookies needing to be mint to gain value from grading over the grading fee.
Most Valuable 1984 Football Cards
Eric Dickerson
#1 Record Breaker
#204 Rushing Leaders
#276 Rams team leaders
#280
#281 Instant Replay
One of the bigger rookies in 1984 topps football cards. Five-time first team All-Pro and four-time league rushing leader, Dickerson was Adrian Peterson of the 1980s.
You ran the offense around him, and he was good enough to score from anywhere on the field.
A running back who could run around you and over you all on one play, Dickerson was simply unstoppable during his prime.
John Elway #63
One of two major QB rookie cards in 1984 topps football. Elway was a generational talent at quarterback and knew it. Forced his way out of Baltimore Colts having the first pick by essentially saying he wouldn’t play for such an unstable organization., to which hindsight says he was correct.
Won an MVP, nine-time Pro Bowler, 1990’s All-Decade team, and member of NFL All-Time 100th anniversary season team, he was a guaranteed Hall of Famer when his career was over.
Won two Super Bowls at the end of his career to really put to rest any doubt of his greatness.
Howie Long #111
The Future FOX pregame broadcast personality was a dominant end for a decade.
Eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All Pro he could win with speed or power on any given play.
Some may point to his 84 sacks as a low number for a Hall of Famer, but Long was good against the run and could play inside when asked.
He credits fellow Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks for learning the game to an expert level.
Dan Marino
123
124 Instant Replay
202 Passing Leaders
The most valuable card in the 1984 Topps Football card set. Marino was another guaranteed Hall of Famer by the midway point of his career.
The 1980’s version of Patrick Mahomes eclipsed 5,000 passing yards in 1984 and averaged three touchdown passes per game that season.
Six-time All-Pro, nine-time Pro Bowler, MVP, and five time passing yardage leader, Marino was a special talent.
Never won a championship, but ran into Montana’s 49ers in the Super Bowl, and later in career just did not have a good roster around him.
Also has a non-Topps rookie card in the 1984 Miami police set.
Dwight Stephenson #129
Only a six-year starter in the league but earned All Pro honors five times.
Dolphins had the fewest number of sacks allowed during every year he was a full-time starter (1982-1987).
Pro Football Focus annually gives out the ‘Dwight Stephenson Award’ awarded to the best player regardless of position.
This is a way of acknowledging that the best player may not play a position that gets much media coverage.
Career was ended early due to injury, but no one disputes how good of a player Stephenson was. Like Marino, also has a Miami Police rookie card in 1984.
Andre Tippett #143
Tippett was a member of the 1980’s All Decade Team, co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1985, four-time All-Pro, and five-time Pro-Bowler.
Had both a dominant stretch along with consistency, Tippett was either highest, or second highest, among Patriots in sacks for ten years in a row.
Kenny Easley #192
Easley had a seven-year career due to illness but was dominant when he played.
Five time All-Pro and a Defensive Player of the Year, Easley could do it all.
The 1980’s version of Ed Reed where he could blitz and tackle, but was truly feared in coverage with the ability to return an interception for a touchdown.
Would have gotten into Canton earlier than 2017 had he not had a career ending illness, or the committee changing their stance on greatness vs longevity.
Jim Covert #222
Covert was an imposing tackle for a decade. Does not possess top tier Hall of Fame numbers, but he was a senior committee selection in 2020.
1980’s All-Decade team member was a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection. More solid for a longer time than elite for a shorter stretch type player.
Jackie Slater #286
Slater was essentially the slightly better version of Covert.
Four-time All Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler was inducted in 2001 because he simply played longer at the same borderline Pro Bowl level.
Played in college with Walter Payton and has a tie to today’s game with his son Matthew Slater being likely the best special teams player for a long time.
Morten Andersen #300
This is the paragraph where half the readers gloss over because Andersen played kicker and doesn’t have a drunken bar moment like Sebastian Janikowski.
Six-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Andersen was just consistent. One of the few players in league history to be named to the All-Decade team twice (1980’s and 1990’s).
Rickey Jackson #303
Jackson was a second team All-Pro five times and Seven-time Pro Bowler.
He was a simply a menace to quarterbacks alongside fellow Hall of Fame player Sam Mills and just outside Hall consideration Pat Swilling.
Joined the 49ers in 1994 to win a Super Bowl at the end of his career. Side note, go take a look at that 1994 49ers roster. As the kids say, sheesh. The number of Hall of Famers, solid players entering their prime, and quality backups is nuts.
Darrell Green #380
Green had speed in spades. Rumored to run a 4.09 40 time in 1986 and ran 4.43 at age 50, he could cover anyone.
Was used as a punt returner when asked, and was good doing that as well.
Likely would have been used more at returner, but teams were starting to realize players only had so many elite snaps before a lack of production started to show.
Green was a four-time first team All Pro, seven-time Pro Bowl selection, and two-time Super Bowl Champion. No brainer Hall of Famer was still playing effectively two decades into his long career.
Russ Grimm #381
Grimm was one of Washington’s ‘Hogs’ and a key member of their three Super Bowl titles in the 1980’s.
Four times a Pro Bowl selection and first team All Pro. Won a fourth Super Bowl ring as a coaching member of the Steelers 2005.
Final Thoughts on 1984 Topps Football Cards
1984 Topps Football Cards does suffer from the non-quarterbacks not being the most collectable hobby players. However, this is the set that defines the 1980’s.
124 of the 396 cards feature a Hall of Famer on them and a good number do not show up later in 1989 Score. That set will be covered in the future, and just feels like a different era of the game, despite being only five years apart. In conclusion, 1984 Topps is a destination set for football.
1984 Topps Football Card Checklist
1 Eric Dickerson
2 Ali Haji-Sheikh
3 Franco Harris
4 Mark Moseley
5 John Riggins
6 Jan Stenerud
7 AFC Championship
8 NFC Championship
9 Super Bowl XVIII
10 Colts Team Leaders
11 Raul Allegre
12 Curtis Dickey
13 Ray Donaldson
14 Nesby Glasgow
15 Chris Hinton
16 Vernon Maxwell
17 Randy McMillan
18 Mike Pagel
19 Rohn Stark
20 Leo Wisniewski
21 Bills Team Leaders
22 Jerry Butler
23 Joe Danelo
24 Joe Ferguson
25 Steve Freeman
26 Roosevelt Leaks
27 Frank Lewis
28 Eugene Marve
29 Booker Moore
30 Fred Smerlas
31 Ben Williams
32 Bengals Team
33 Charles Alexander
34 Ken Anderson
35 Ken Anderson
36 Jim Breech
37 Cris Collinsworth
38 Cris Collinsworth
39 Isaac Curtis
40 Eddie Edwards
41 Ray Horton
42 Pete Johnson
43 Steve Kreider
44 Max Montoya
45 Anthony Munoz
46 Reggie Williams
47 Browns Team
48 Matt Bahr
49 Chip Banks
50 Tom Cousineau
51 Joe DeLamielleure
52 Doug Dieken
53 Bob Golic
54 Bobby Jones
55 Dave Logan
56 Clay Matthews
57 Paul McDonald
58 Ozzie Newsome
59 Ozzie Newsome
60 Mike Pruitt
61 Broncos Team
62 Barney Chavous
63 John Elway
64 Steve Foley
65 Tom Jackson
66 Rick Karlis
67 Luke Prestridge
68 Zack Thomas
69 Rick Upchurch
70 Steve Watson
71 Sammy Winder
72 Louis Wright
73 Oilers Team
74 Jesse Baker
75 Gregg Bingham
76 Robert Brazile
77 Steve Brown
78 Chris Dressel
79 Doug France
80 Florian Kempf
81 Carl Roaches
82 Tim Smith
83 Willie Tullis
84 Chiefs Team
85 Mike Bell
86 Theotis Brown
87 Carlos Carson
88 Carlos Carson
89 Deron Cherry
90 Gary Green
91 Billy Jackson
92 Bill Kenney
93 Bill Kenney
94 Nick Lowery
95 Henry Marshall
96 Art Still
97 Raiders Team
98 Marcus Allen
99 Marcus Allen
100 Lyle Alzado
101 Lyle Alzado
102 Chris Bahr
103 Malcolm Barnwell
104 Cliff Branch
105 Todd Christensen
106 Todd Christensen
107 Ray Guy
108 Frank Hawkins
109 Lester Hayes
110 Ted Hendricks
111 Howie Long
112 Rod Martin
113 Vann McElroy
114 Jim Plunkett
115 Greg Pruitt
116 Dolphins Team
116 Mark Duper
117 Bob Baumhower
118 Doug Betters
119 A.J. Duhe
120 Mark Duper
121 Andra Franklin
122 William Judson
123 Dan Marino
124 Dan Marino
125 Nat Moore
126 Ed Newman
127 Reggie Roby
128 Gerald Small
129 Dwight Stephenson
130 Uwe Von Schamann
131 Patriots Team
132 Rich Camarillo
133 Tony Collins
134 Tony Collins
135 Bob Cryder
136 Steve Grogan
137 John Hannah
138 Brian Holloway
139 Roland James
140 Stanley Morgan
141 Rick Sanford
142 Mosi Tatupu
143 Andre Tippett
144 Jets Team Leaders
145 Jerome Barkum
146 Mark Gastineau
147 Mark Gastineau
148 Bruce Harper
149 Johnny Lam Jones
150 Joe Klecko
151 Pat Leahy
152 Freeman McNeil
153 Lance Mehl
154 Marvin Powell
155 Darrol Ray
156 Pat Ryan
157 Kirk Springs
158 Wesley Walker
159 Steelers Team
160 Walter Abercrombie
161 Gary Anderson
162 Terry Bradshaw
163 Craig Colquitt
164 Bennie Cunningham
165 Franco Harris
166 Franco Harris
167 Jack Lambert
168 Jack Lambert
169 Frank Pollard
170 Donnie Shell
171 Mike Webster
172 Keith Willis
173 Rick Woods
174 Chargers Team
175 Rolf Benirschke
176 James Brooks
177 Maury Buford
178 Wes Chandler
179 Dan Fouts
180 Dan Fouts
181 Charlie Joiner
182 Linden King
183 Chuck Muncie
184 Billy Ray Smith
185 Danny Walters
186 Kellen Winslow
187 Kellen Winslow
188 Seahawks Team
189 Steve August
190 Dave Brown
191 Zachary Dixon
192 Kenny Easley
193 Jacob Green
194 Norm Johnson
195 Dave Krieg
196 Steve Largent
197 Steve Largent
198 Curt Warner
199 Curt Warner
200 Jeff West
201 Charlie Young
202 Passing Leaders
203 Receiving Leaders
204 Rushing Leaders
205 Scoring Leaders
206 Interception Ldrs.
207 Punting Leaders
208 Falcons Team
209 William Andrews
210 William Andrews
211 Stacey Bailey
212 Steve Bartkowski
213 Steve Bartkowski
214 Ralph Giacomarro
215 Billy Johnson
216 Mike Kenn
217 Mick Luckhurst
218 Gerald Riggs
219 R.C. Thielemann
220 Jeff Van Note
221 Bears Team
222 Jim Covert
223 Leslie Frazier
224 Willie Gault
225 Mike Hartenstine
226 Noah Jackson
227 Jim McMahon
228 Walter Payton
229 Walter Payton
230 Mike Richardson
231 Terry Schmidt
232 Mike Singletary
233 Matt Suhey
234 Bob Thomas
235 Cowboys Team
236 Bob Breunig
237 Doug Cosbie
238 Tony Dorsett
239 Tony Dorsett
240 John Dutton
241 Tony Hill
242 Ed “Too Tall” Jones
243 Drew Pearson
244 Rafael Septien
245 Ron Springs
246 Dennis Thurman
247 Everson Walls
248 Danny White
249 Randy White
250 Lions Team
251 Jeff Chadwick
252 Garry Cobb
253 Doug English
254 William Gay
255 Eric Hipple
256 James Jones
257 Bruce McNorton
258 Ed Murray
259 Ulysses Norris
260 Billy Sims
261 Billy Sims
262 Leonard Thompson
263 Packers Team
264 John Anderson
265 Paul Coffman
266 Lynn Dickey
267 Gerry Ellis
268 John Jefferson
269 John Jefferson
270 Ezra Johnson
271 Tim Lewis
272 James Lofton
273 James Lofton
274 Larry McCarren
275 Jan Stenerud
276 Rams Team
277 Mike Barber
278 Jim Collins
279 Nolan Cromwell
280 Eric Dickerson
281 Eric Dickerson
282 George Farmer
283 Vince Ferragamo
284 Kent Hill
285 John Misko
286 Jackie Slater
287 Jack Youngblood
288 Vikings Team
289 Ted Brown
290 Greg Coleman
291 Steve Dils
292 Tony Galbreath
293 Tommy Kramer
294 Doug Martin
295 Darrin Nelson
296 Benny Ricardo
297 John Swain
298 John Turner
299 Saints Team Leaders George Rogers
300 Morten Andersen
301 Russell Erxleben
302 Jeff Groth
303 Rickey Jackson
304 Johnnie Poe
305 George Rogers
306 Richard Todd
307 Jim Wilks
308 Dave Wilson
309 Wayne Wilson
310 Giants Team
311 Leon Bright
312 Scott Brunner
313 Rob Carpenter
314 Harry Carson
315 Earnest Gray
316 Ali Haji-Sheikh
317 Mark Haynes
318 Dave Jennings
319 Brian Kelley
320 Phil Simms
321 Lawrence Taylor
322 Lawrence Taylor
323 Brad Van Pelt
324 Butch Woolfolk
325 Eagles Team
326 Harold Carmichael
327 Herman Edwards
328 Michael Haddix
329 Dennis Harrison
330 Ron Jaworski
331 Wilbert Montgomery
332 Hubert Oliver
333 Mike Quick
334 Jerry Robinson
335 Max Runager
336 Michael Williams
337 Cardinals Team
338 Ottis Anderson
339 Al Baker
340 Carl Birdsong
341 David Galloway
342 Roy Green
343 Roy Green
344 Curtis Greer
345 Neil Lomax
346 Doug Marsh
347 Stump Mitchell
348 Lionel Washington
349 49ers Team Leaders
350 Dwaine Board
351 Dwight Clark
352 Dwight Clark
353 Roger Craig
354 Fred Dean
355 Fred Dean
356 Dwight Hicks
357 Ronnie Lott
358 Joe Montana
359 Joe Montana
360 Freddie Solomon
361 Wendell Tyler
362 Ray Wersching
363 Eric Wright
364 Bucs Team
365 Gerald Carter
366 Hugh Green
367 Kevin House
368 Michael Morton
369 James Owens
370 Booker Reese
371 Lee Roy Selmon
372 Jack Thompson
373 James Wilder
374 Steve Wilson
375 Redskins Team
376 Jeff Bostic
377 Charlie Brown
378 Charlie Brown
379 Dave Butz
380 Darrell Green
381 Russ Grimm
382 Joe Jacoby
383 Dexter Manley
384 Art Monk
385 Mark Moseley
386 Mark Murphy
387 Mike Nelms
388 John Riggins
389 John Riggins
390 Joe Theismann
391 Joe Theismann
392 Don Warren
393 Joe Washington
394 Checklist 1-132
395 Checklist 133-264
396 Checklist 265-396
