When Princeton coach Ryan Pearson takes a timeout from football, there is a good chance he is attending card shows with his oldest sons, Rhett and Reese.

It’s a tradition he started as a child with his dad, Tom.

“That started with my dad. He was an avid baseball and football card collector and that love was passed on down to me. We would go to shows all the time and now we do,” Ryan Pearson said.

“If you talk to the women in our family, they’re just like, ‘oh my goodness. Here we go again.’ It’s a deep connection that started as a child for me. I grew to love it and now I’ve passed my passion on to my sons. Hopefully, they’ll do the same for their kids one day.

“I’d rather they get involved in that than go blow their money on some other things.”

Rhett, a senior lineman and captain for his dad’s Tigers, is all on board.

“We love going to the cards shows. They hold two in Chicago every year. Me, Reese and my dad go every time. That’s just another way we bond as a family,” Rhett Pearson said.

The Pearson family’s card collection comes with a birthright.

“My first set was 1980 Topps because that was the year I was born. The first set I got Rhett was a 2007 and the first set I got Reese was a 2011. I did the same thing for Roman (his youngest son),” Ryan Pearson said.

The Tiger coach said it’s neat his boys get a chance to meet their heroes, but he gets equally excited when he sees his.

“I’m still a big kid. If I get a chance to meet an Ozzie Smith, or a Paul Molitor or a Cal Ripken, guys that I grew up following, it’s exciting,” he said. “When we go up to Chicago, the first guy I’m going to get is Johnny Bench.”

Rhett recently added a prized new card to his collection, a 1962 Dick Butkus rookie card given to him by Grandpa Tom.

“(Butkus) just passed away, so his value is going up. That’s probably one of the coolest in my collection so far. It’ll keep growing,” he said.

Ryan was impressed with his son’s new addition.

“My dad had put it in a case when he was a kid, so he gave that to Rhett,” he said. “Rhett’s got that locked away in a safe. It’s too bad he wasn’t able to take it to a show and get it signed because (Butkus) passed away, but that’s going to be another memory that Rhett’s going to have. And that’s what I love about it.”

With his dad being a big Dallas Cowboys fan with much team memorabilia, Rhett said he also has plenty of Emmett Smith and Troy Aikman cards.

The one thing Coach Pearson and his son Rhett don’t share is their favorite baseball teams. Dad is a lifelong Cardinals fan, while his son became a Cubs fan after attending a game at Wrigley Field.

“I don’t know what happened. I failed as a dad there,” Ryan said with a laugh.

The Pearsons will huddle up to start the season with the first practices of the fall on Monday, Aug. 11. The Tigers will open up the season on Friday, Aug. 29, at Sterling Newman.