LOS ANGELES – (Staff Report from official News Release) – The Costacos Collection unveiled its second NFT drop in partnership with four legendary former NFL quarterbacks: Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Jim McMahon, and Dan Marino. Following the company’s inaugural foray with baseball great Willie Mays, the QB Legends Collection re-imagines the four quarterbacks’ iconic ‘80s/‘90s Costacos posters in new digital form. In addition, the quarterbacks have worked closely with John Costacos and acclaimed digital artist Mike Campau to create all-new 3D art pieces capturing the defining moments and themes from the players’ legendary careers. A portion of proceeds from the drop will be donated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees Assistance Foundation, an organization that assists HOF members and their families.
Collectors can access the drop on the newly-launched CostacosCollection.com marketplace. The Costacos Collection has entered into a strategic technology partnership with GigLabs to build on the Flow blockchain, joining NBA Top Shot, NFL ALL DAY, and UFC Strike, created by Dapper Labs. The partnership has enabled the Costacos Collection to build a proprietary NFT marketplace on the environmentally-friendly Flow blockchain, joining other GigLabs partners that include CNN, Turner Sports, Athletes Unlimited, Speedway Motorsports, the University of Miami, and others. The Costacos Collection marketplace includes full credit card support and simple wallet signup requiring only an email address.
“We couldn’t have hoped for a more exciting group of legacy athletes with whom to partner for the launch of the Costacos Collection marketplace,” said CEO Justin Moorad. “Troy, Warren, Jim, and Dan, all with their own unique personalities and career paths, represent a generation of NFL culture that was captured in their original Costacos posters. It’s an honor to help bring those iconic images back to life, and a privilege to watch John and the players work together to create all-new digital art that we believe their legions of fans will be passionate about collecting.”
“We loved working with all the athletes, the pitchers, home-run hitters, point guards, linebackers, all of them,” said Costacos. “But there was nothing quite like creating an image with an NFL quarterback because the great ones are the guys with all the firepower that make the offense go. Jim McMahon was the first poster we printed back in 1986. There we were in Chicago, 2,000 miles from home, a couple of kids with an idea but no experience, who somehow convinced the NFL’s biggest superstar to dress up like Mad Max and take pictures next to a live bear cub in the middle of a thunderstorm. Jim was larger than life, he’d just led the Chicago Bears to their one and only Super Bowl victory and was at the forefront of sports pop culture. We may not have known how we were going to pull it off but somehow we did and had a ton of fun shooting it, and Jim did too. We got lucky with a break in the weather, the shots ended up working, and we ended up with one of the great posters of all time – and a lifelong friend in Jimmy Mac.”
“Being part of the Costacos Collection was what every athlete from our era dreamed about, it was like being on a Wheaties box but better, because you hung on the wall of every bedroom of fans across the country,” McMahon said. “It’s pretty cool that Mad Mac was the first one and the start of it all. I still have it on my wall. And it’s just as cool to be a part of this new era, I’m having tons of fun working creatively with John again. He’s the most creative guy I know, and when we’re done we always make sure to sit down for a beer or six.”