1962-63 Garland Boyette Game-Worn St. Louis Cardinals Jersey

Garland Boyette wasn’t drafted after graduating from Grambling in 1962, but he did signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL, where he made the transition to middle linebacker.

“From when school got out in May until July, I learned to play linebacker-the transition wasn’t a problem,” said Boyette, who was 6-foot-1-inch, 240 pounds in his playing days. “(Being a former defensive lineman) helped me in the NFL because there were defensive sets where you had to have linebacker get in a three-point stance, so the ones who had never played on the line before were out of their element.”

After two years with St. Louis, he grew frustrated after seeing rookie players get more money than he did, so he left and joined the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Boyette enjoyed his two-year stint in the CFL and was named the league’s MVP in 1965.

This game worn jersey is from his time with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1962-63 and comes directly from him. The Cards blood-red home jersey is wonderfully preserved and offers all correct specs and qualifiers for team, season and player, including proper “Wilson” tag with[size] 48. Boyette’s uniform number “50” is applied to the front, rear and sleeves in white two-color tackle twill. Displays season-long use including discoloration from wash, visible number wear etc. It serves as a superb representation of a significant era of Cardinals football and NFL history. This caliber of early-60’s game-used NFL memorabilia is extremely scarce.

The signed letter from Boyette verifies the sourcing as originating directly from his personal collection.

Authentication: Player Letter & 100% Authentic Team