bob gibson is in my hall of famer collection

bob gibson retired before i began following major league baseball, but he's in my hall of famer collection nonetheless, represented by this card:

that's a 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph, which is not a new set to this collection.  here's the back:

gibson last pitched for the cardinals in 1975, which was a couple of years before my fandom kicked in.  still, his career was fresh enough that there were stories told on broadcasts, and there were more opportunities to learn about him when he returned to the big leagues as a coach in 1981.  that was the year he was elected to the hall of fame, and i was paying attention as the annual announcement of the inductees was of great interest to me.  i was disappointed that don drysdale and gil hodges fell short that year, but couldn't be upset about gibson's election.

that's because i had learned that gibson was just the second man to reach the 3,000 strikeout milestone, joining walter johnson in that exclusive club.  i also learned about his dominant 1968 season when i wondered why don drysdale and his record setting scoreless streak wasn't enough to earn him the cy young award.  the following year, gibson's card in the 1982 kmart set was, i believe, the first card of his that i owned, and it also opened my eyes to his historic 1968 season.  i also saw him on league leader cards that were in the cases at the lcs or that my dad had added to his vintage dodger collection around that time.

today, it seems like many times when a catcher goes out to talk to the pitcher on the mound, one of the announcers will reference gibson and his attitude towards those visits or catchers in general. even as one who did not enjoy the announcing style of tim mccarver, i did enjoy his recollections of those interactions with gibson.

here's my hall of famer collection as its been documented so far:

babe ruth - 2003 topps tribute world series edition world series tribute relic 351/425

honus wagner - 2001 topps tribute relics

george sisler - 2004 topps tribute hall of fame tribute relic

dizzy dean - 2001 topps tribute relics

bob feller - 2001 topps archives

jackie robinson - 2004 topps clubhouse collection clubhouse relics

roberto clemente - 2005 donruss greats hall of fame souvenirs relic

warren spahn - 1999 upper deck century legends epic signatures

mickey mantle - 2000 upper deck legends legendary game jerseys relic

willie mays - 1997 topps willie mays reprints autograph

al kaline - 2001 fleer greats of the game autographs

duke snider - 2003 upper deck sp authentic chirography hall of famers 144/250

bob gibson - 2001 fleer greats of the game autographs

hank aaron - 2004 topps originals 1979 topps all-time record holders rbi 03/32

frank robinson - 1995 upper deck autographs

harmon killebrew - 2000 upper deck legends legendary signatures

pee wee reese - 2001 topps tribute relics

jim hunter - 1998 donruss signature series significant signatures 0736/2000

gaylord perry - 2003 topps finest finest moments autographs

rollie fingers - 2018 topps archives signature series 1978 topps buyback 1/3

reggie jackson - 2018 topps tier one tier one talent autographs 19/60

steve carlton - 2018 topps five star career year autographs

mike schmidt - 2002 topps archives autoproof 1980 topps buyback 048/147

don sutton - 2001 fleer greats of the game

tony perez - 2004 fleer national pastime 2002 fleer greats authentic autograph buyback 30/59

dave winfield - 2003 upper deck sp authentic chirography hall of famers 121/350

gary carter - 1999 fleer sports illustrated greats of the game autograph collection

paul molitor - 2016 topps museum collection archival autographs 021/125

bruce sutter - 2003 topps all-time fan favorites

jim rice - 2005 upper deck past time pennants past time signatures

andre dawson - 2000 fleer greats of the game autographs

alan trammell - 2001 fleer greats of the game autographs

pete rose* - 2018 panini flawless legendary signatures 15/25

barry bonds* - 2001 bowman heritage autographs

you can find the full list of hall of famers (and some not - yet) that i aim to include in this collection at my want list site.

*not currently a member of the hall of fame