1972 Topps #451 Tony LaRussa
About Tony LaRussa
La Russa appeared in 32 games in 1971, split between Oakland and Atlanta, and went 2 for 15 for a .133 average. He played 16 games at second base and four at shortstop. The Athletics traded him to the Braves late in the season. His 1972 Topps card, #451, a fourth-series number, lists him with Atlanta. His last big league appearance came on April 6, 1973, as a Cubs pinch runner who scored the winning run.
Tony La Russa signed with the Kansas City Athletics in June 1962 out of Jefferson High School in Tampa, on a deal that also paid for his schooling at the University of South Florida. As a bonus baby he had to be carried on the big-league roster, so he debuted on May 10, 1963. A shoulder hurt in an off-season pickup softball game held him to 34 games that year and bothered him for the rest of his playing days. Across six seasons with the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics, the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs between 1963 and 1973 he hit .199 in 176 at-bats with seven RBI. He spent most of the years in between in the minors while he finished his college degree. He retired as a player in 1977, added a law degree at Florida State, and turned to managing: 35 seasons managing the White Sox, Athletics and Cardinals, three World Series titles in 1989, 2006 and 2011, four Manager of the Year awards, and a career win total second only to Connie Mack's. The Veterans Committee elected him unanimously in 2013, and he was inducted at Cooperstown in 2014 as a manager.
Sources: Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 354 | 9 | 84 | 167 | 50 | 30 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| SGC | 25 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #451 card?
It is card #451 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tony LaRussa of the Atlanta Braves.
How many cards are in the 1972 Topps Baseball set?
787 cards, tracked as 794 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 787 with none skipped, in six print series (#1-132, #133-263, #264-394, #395-525, #526-656 and #657-787, the high numbers); 7 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - four Chicago Cubs cards with yellow or green under the "C" and "S" of the team name, the #251 and #478 checklists with smaller or larger print on the front, and the #604 checklist with its copyright line aligned right or left.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-25.