Timeless Treasures: Collecting Vintage Football Keepsakes 

Like most serious sports collectors, Casey Moore has very specific interests. His genre of choice is football illustrations from the late 1890s to 1930s—the time-period when college sports began to develop. 

“I collect the artwork that would have been adorning college dorm rooms in the early 1900s, which might be posters, pennants, or magazine prints,” said Moore. “These were temporary items used for marketing a team or sport to students, meaning they were considered disposable. Some still exist, so for me, finding them is treasure hunting.” 

Moore grew up in a family of avid sports fans, either watching or playing sports. He collected sports cards as a kid, which he came back to as an adult. He attended the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) for his Kinesiology degree and a masters in Sports Management from Wichita State. 

After graduating, Casey worked for the UCO Athletic Department, fundraising for the Wellness Center and for the Paralympic programs, then moved to the City of Edmond in 2013, where he is now the Director of Management Services. 

“The first piece I bought was an old Central State (now UCO) postcard of a football player from 1907-08. I bought it off eBay in 2003. I was in grad school and didn’t have much money, but I was studying early-era football, and I really liked the style.” 

As Casey dug into the history of early sports, he learned the significance of college football back before professional football began. Baseball was the “king” of professional sports, and basketball was considered mainly a women-only sport––but football is what college towns thrived on, and Edmond was no exception. 

Over time, his collection of Edmond-specific items has grown to include postcards, photographs, and recently, two early- 1900s Central State pennants that are on prominent display. His collection extends beyond Edmond, however, to feature pre-war football equipment, ephemera and advertising art. 

“The art I like is referred to as “illustration art,” which was created for magazines, posters and other publications,” Casey said. “It’s a narrow focus, but everyone has different collecting preferences. Sometimes the things I buy live with me long-term, while others get traded or sold over time. I only have so much wall space to display my collection.” 

Although every item Casey collects comes with a story, a few stand out in his mind. “I love that first Central State football card, but I once found an autographed book in a used bookstore, authored by Casper Whitney, the sports journalist who coined the term ‘All-American’ in the late 1800s. The book was inscribed to F. C. Selous, the incredibly famous big game hunter who took Teddy Roosevelt on hunts through Africa,” Casey said. “I was fascinated that this sports-related book, given to a Tanzanian conservationist, ended up in a bookstore in Oklahoma.” 

Casey admits that “the hunt” is as much fun as acquiring a new piece, which he might find online, at an antique store or a flea market. He has also developed a network of friends around the country who also like sports collecting. 

“We all have our own niches of interest, but we help each other be on the lookout. Sports is too broad a genre to collect everything, so serious collectors have to pick a specialty. I think it’s fascinating that the same hobby can be done so differently,” Casey said. “As a college student, I didn’t realize I loved history so much, but I do. History is part of collecting, and I’ve learned that the best way to be a collector is to have broad knowledge and a narrow focus.”