There have been so many great college basketball players over the years that it was far too difficult to narrow the must have players autographs to just 25 players.  Instead I split it up into a few parts to make sure all the greats are covered.  These are the must have player autographs from the 70’s.

Part 2: 1971-1980

Note: Austin Carr, Sidney Wicks, Keith Lee, and John Lucas would be on this list but none of the major card companies have got any of them to sign in any products.  .

Artis Gilmore- Gilmore only spent two seasons at Jacksonville but was an absolute force.  He averaged 24.3 points a game on 57.4 percent shooting to go along with 22.7 rebounds.  For his efforts, Gilmore was a consensus first team All-American in 1971.

Gilmore has plenty of available autographs out there and can be part of your collection for less than 10 dollars.

Bill Walton- Walton’s numbers don’t blow you away compared to the other dominant players of his era.  But make no mistake about it; Walton is one of the best all-time college players.  Walton won just about every National Player of the Year award all three seasons he was eligible will leading UCLA to two National Titles.

His lower end autographs can be had in the 10 dollar range.

David Thompson- Thompson was a ridiculous athlete who could get to the rim at will.  During his three seasons playing for NC State, Thompson was a consensus first team All-American.  He was also the MOP of the Final Four in 1974 while leading the Wolf pack to the Nation Championship.  Thompson was a two-time AP National Player of the Year.

Thompson has so many autographs out there that most can be purchased between 5 and 15 dollars.

Jaamal Wilkes- Wilkes was a two-time consensus first team All-American while playing for UCLA in the early 70’s.  He was a part of two National Title teams and the longest winning streak by a division one men’s team in NCAA history.

Wilkes has an abundance of autographs out there and the low-end ones can be had for around 5 dollars.

Scott May- May was a two-time consensus first team All-American while playing at the University of Indiana for Bobby Knight.  May led the Hoosiers to a 63-1 record in his last two seasons and the 1976 National Championship.  May won just about every major National Player of the Year award that season.

May only has a few autographs out there, and they aren’t easy to find.  If you can track one down however, they only go for around 15 dollars.

Adrian Dantley- Dantley was an absolute beast at Notre Dame seemingly scoring at will for most of his three seasons.  Dantley averaged a double-double in his last two seasons for the Irish and was a consensus first team All-American both years.

The market place is filled with Dantley autographs and can be had for less than 5 dollars for the low-end ones.

Kent Benson-Benson played alongside Scott May at Indiana University forming one of the best one-two punches of the 70’s.  Benson was a two-time, consensus first team All-American and the MOP of the 1976 Final Four.  Benson won The Helms National Player of the Year award in 1976.

Benson only has one autograph out there but it only costs about 15 bucks.

Phil Ford- before Michael Jordan walked the halls at Chapel Hill, North Carolina had Phil Ford.  Ford was a sweet shooting guard who was one of the nation’s best during the late 70’s.  Ford was second team All-American as a sophomore and first team All-American as both a junior and senior.  In his senior year, Ford also won four different National Player of the Year awards.

Ford as a few autographs on the market and can be had for as low as 5 dollars.

Magic Johnson- Johnson only spent two years playing for Michigan State but was able to leave a huge legacy in that short time.  Johnson led the Spartans to the 1979 National Title and was named the final Four MOP.  During that same season, Johnson was a consensus first team All-American.

Johnson has quite a few autographs out there with the low-end one’s going for around 50 dollars.

Larry Bird- Bird almost single-handedly put Indiana State Sycamores basketball on the map.  He led them to the 1979 National Championship game before falling to Michigan State.  Bird averaged more than 30 points a game to go along with 13.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his Indiana State career.  He was a two-time consensus first team All-American and won just about every National Player of the Year award as a senior.

Bird has plenty of autographs out there with the low-end one’s going around 50 dollars.