The figures became very popular, and eventually included sports stars from baseball, football, basketball, and hockey; and, to a lesser extent, auto racing, boxing, track & field, skating, soccer, and golf.
McInally, who graduated cum laude from Harvard University[1] and is the only NFL player with a verified perfect score on the Wonderlic test,[2] came up with the idea during a visit to a toy store.
[3] A typical figure stands about 4 inches (10 cm) tall, but the brand at times launched various special series that can be much larger including a 14" NBA line and came with a sports card of the respective athlete.
In 1989 Kenner introduced the Baseball Greats dual-packed figures, featuring such past Hall of Famers as Mickey Mantle with Joe DiMaggio, and Reggie Jackson with Don Drysdale.
Kenner would also offer exclusive product lines through their four-issue annual Starting Lineup Collector's Club Newsletter, in which consumers could order such unique items as a Nolan Ryan Freeze Frame product in 1995, featuring the pitcher in four different team uniforms with each figure depicting a different position in his windup and delivery of a pitch.
As of January 2017[update], Match-Up, a Florida company, is licensed to produce Starting Lineup figures as stadium giveaways.