1979 Topps #71 Brian Downing
About Brian Downing
Downing hit .326 in 1979, third in the American League, with 12 home runs and 75 RBI, and was named to the AL All-Star team for the only time. The Angels won their first AL West title and lost the ALCS to Baltimore, 3-1. Topps #71 shows him with the Angels.
Brian Downing caught for the Chicago White Sox, became an outfielder and designated hitter with the California Angels, and finished with the Texas Rangers, playing 20 major league seasons from 1973 to 1992. After being cut from his high school team, he signed as an amateur free agent in August 1969 following an all-comers White Sox tryout. On the first pitch of his first big-league inning he wrecked his knee on a diving catch and landed on the 60-day disabled list. A trade to the Angels turned his career: after a winter of weight training and a changed batting stance he broke through in 1979. A broken ankle in 1980 moved him to the outfield, where he later set American League records for errorless games and for chances in an errorless season. He hit 20 or more home runs in six of seven seasons from 1982 to 1988, led the league with 106 walks in 1987, and retired with 2,099 hits, 275 home runs and 1,073 RBI. He was inducted into the California Angels Hall of Fame in 2009.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 69 | 6 | 39 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #424 California Angels / Jim Fregosi
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- #48 Merv Rettenmund
- #115 Nolan Ryan
- #212 Carney Lansford
- #267 Joe Rudi
- #291 Tom Griffin
- #313 Dyar Miller
- #322 Danny Goodwin
- #339 Ron Jackson
- #368 Don Aase
- #402 Paul Hartzell
- #417 All-Time Record Holders: Strikeouts
- #453 Chris Knapp
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #71 card?
It is card #71 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Brian Downing of the California Angels.
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, 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.