1975 Topps #302 Rick Burleson
About Rick Burleson
Richard Paul Burleson broke in with the Boston Red Sox in 1974, the fifth overall pick of the 1970 January secondary draft out of Cerritos Junior College, and his 1975 Topps #302 card catches him fresh off winning the club's Rookie of the Year award. A fiery, all-out shortstop, Burleson earned the nickname "Rooster" when coach Don Zimmer, hitting him grounders in 1974 spring training, watched him rip off his cap with his hair standing on end and hollered, "Look at the banty rooster" — it stuck for good. He anchored Boston's infield for seven seasons, hitting .292 in the 1975 World Series loss to Cincinnati and taking part in the deciding 1978 one-game playoff against the Yankees that cemented his place in Red Sox lore. A four-time All-Star (1977-79, 1981), Burleson won a Gold Glove in 1979 and in 1980 set the major-league single-season record for double plays by a shortstop (147). Sent to the Angels in a December 1980 trade, he won a Silver Slugger in 1981 before arm injuries limited his final seasons there and with the 1987 Baltimore Orioles. He finished with 1,401 hits and a .273 average, then coached and managed for two decades in the minors.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 351 | 0 | 45 | 229 | 52 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #302 card?
It is card #302 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rick Burleson.
Is 1975 Topps #302 a rookie card?
Yes - #302 is the 1975 Topps rookie card of Rick Burleson, one of 64 rookie cards in the set.
How many cards are in the 1975 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1-660, with no variations and no short prints - PSA reports the cards were printed in equal quantities. The 1975 Topps Mini and the 1975 O-Pee-Chee issues are separate products with their own checklists.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-10-05.