Matt Snider

• Sent: 8/9/10
• Received: 8/18/10
• Time: 9 days
• Autographed Items Received: 2001 Pacific

This was a fun one. Every once in a while, I like to take a break from sending to the same people that everyone else sends to and do my own research to track down a pretty obscure player. Matt Snider was a fullback at the super-tiny University of Richmond (Home of the Spiders!). He managed to show enough heart and drive to earn a couple of mini-camp trips with the Panthers, but nothing ever came of it. Somehow, though, he managed to attract the attention of the mighty Green Bay Packers. He went into 1999 training camp as a 4th string fullback, but defied the odds to make the team, serving primarily on special teams. He wound up spending two seasons with the Packers. In 2001, he spent 4 games with the Vikings. In 2002, he was released at the end of training camp by the Houston Texans and his NFL career was over. Oh yeah, and in high school, he played basketball with some guy by the name of Kobe Bryant. Nowadays, Snider lives in San Diego where he works as a personal trainer.

I actually didn't have a card of Matt Snider. I just remembered seeing him play a little bit, and I came across his entry on wikipedia. On a whim, I ordered this card of him during one of my orders from 5th Quarter a couple of years ago. I finally got around to sending it out after tracking down the address for his personal training business. 9 days later, I've got a nice-looking and pretty obscure autograph into my collection!

Al Smith

• Sent: 8/4/10
• Received: 8/16/10
• Time: 12 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Pro Set, 1992 Stadium Club, 1992 Ultra, 1993 Topps

Maybe it was the common-sounding name. For some reason, Al Smith never got the credit he deserved, but as a lifelong Houston Oilers fan, I can tell you that he was solid a linebacker as any that patrolled the middle in the early 1990's. I actually got to meet him in training camp back when the Oilers practiced in San Marcos at the Southwest Texas Bobcats practice field. No lines, hardly any fans....players walked right through the parking lot. Such simpler times. Anyway, Al Smith spent 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the Houston Oilers. After his retirement, he spent several more seasons with the Tennessee Titans as their Director of Pro Scouting.

I've had these cards for several years now. They were in a special "Houston Oilers" binder that I completely forgot that I had. I came across it in a box of stuff that I moved out of my mom's house when I left home almost 10 years ago. Just came across it the other day. There were only like 18 cards in there and 3 of these 4 (all except the 1993 Topps) were in there. Great to have them signed and in my collection now.

Todd Marinovich

• Sent: 7/31/10
• Received: 8/16/10
• Time: 16 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Pro Set, 1993 Topps

As y'all can probably tell by now if you've kept up with my blog, I have a soft spot for NFL "flops". Todd Marinovich was one of the bigger ones. Marinovich's story is fascinating. He was basically a scientific research project that his father, Marv Marinovich conducted. His entire life was based around building the "prototype" of an NFL quarterback. This permeated every facet of his life from training at a very young age to a very strict nutrional plan. By all accounts, the poor guy never had much of a "normal" childhood. Marinovich played his college ball at USC where he, at various times, was considered a Heisman Trophy candidate. However, his personal difficulties (mostly drug use) clouded and eventually shortened his time there. Still, Al Davis never lets personal problems deter him from drafting a potential superstar, so the Raiders drafted him in the 1st round of the 1991 draft. He wound up starting the final game and a playoff game that season. Marinovich replaced Jay Schroeder as the starter two games into the 1992 season and he started six games. He had some rough outings, and Schroeder was given back the starting job. Todd Marinovich would never play another down in the NFL. It was around this time that he moved from marijuana and cocaine to using LSD. He spent much of the next few years in jail for one reason or another. Amazingly, Marinovich got himself back in shape 8 years after his NFL career ended, and had a great season in 2000 for the Arena Football Los Angeles Avengers. However, that season he played under the demon of severe heroin withdrawal. Sadly, to this day, Marinovich seems to still be plagued by his demons and he served jail time as recently as last year. He does work as a private quarterback coach at times back home in his native Southern California.

These cards are straight from my commons box. I gotta say, for all of his personal problems, it would be real easy for Mr. Marinovich to slink off into obscurity like a lot of players with issues. He's always been real fan friendly and signs a lot of TTM autographs. I truly appreciate that.

Tommy Jeter

• Sent: 6/28/10
• Received: 8/12/10
• Time: 45 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Classic, 1992 Topps

I remember watching Tommy Jeter as an absolute beast on the Texas Longhorns defensive line, along with the late Shane Dronett. Tommy plugged up the interior of that d-line and shut down a lot of runs. The Longhorns were quite the national powerhouse that they are now back in those days, but that defensive line still stuck out. Jeter went to the pros as a 3rd round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1992 and he spent four seasons with them, mostly as a reserve defensive lineman. He ended his career in Carolina with the Panthers in 1996. Nowadays, he resides in a Houston suburb.

Great little return here. In my letter, I asked Jeter what he thought the result of the National Championship game would have been like if Colt McCoy hadn't gotten injured. He included a little post-it note on my cards that said "Texas would have definitely stomped Alabama if Colt McCoy hadn't got hurt. Hook 'em!". LOVE IT.

When I was about 13 or 14 years old, a preacher visited our church. He found out that I was a huge football fan, and it turned out that he was a huge football card collector. He came back a few months later and brought me a box full of about 400 cards from the 1990-1993 time frame. Among them was a packet of about 15 of these 1992 Classic cards. In two consecutive days, I was able to get Bucky Richardson and Tommy Jeter to sign their cards. Mr. Jeter has a pretty awful signature, but I'm still glad to have these go into the autograph binders.

Herschel Walker

• Sent: 7/29/10
• Received: 8/12/10
• Time: 14 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Wild Card, 1992 Pro Set Replay

Herschel Walker is one of my top 5 all-time favorite athletes. Walker was an absolutely amazing superstar from some of my earliest memories of my favorite team, the Cowboys. Walker was a stud at the University of Georgia and won the 1982 Heisman Trophy. After his junior year, the upstart USFL offered something that the NFL did not at the time - the opportunity to turn pro after his junior year. He signed with the New Jersey Generals and spent 3 seasons absolutely dominating the USFL. Finally, after the folding of the USFL, Walker began his NFL career in 1986 with the Dallas Cowboys. He was dominant and made two straight Pro Bowls with the Cowboys. Then came "The Trade" in which he was shipped to Minnesota for several players and a boatload of draft picks. I remember being crushed because Walker was leaving Dallas. As every football fan knows, those draft picks became guys like Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys 1990's dominance was established. Sadly, Herschel never again lived up to those Dallas days and spent 3 seasons each with the Vikings and Eagles, and a season with the Giants. I was absolutely overjoyed in 1996, when he returned to the Cowboys to finish out his career spending two seasons as a kick returner for the 'Boys. Always a fitness fanatic, Walker is still in tremendous shape, and at age 48, he recently made his MMA debut.

Walker has been great TTM for a lot of years. I actually got him way back in 1988 when I wrote him a fan letter and he sent me back THREE autographed photos. Just wanted to finish the last of my Walker trading cards and now I've gotten everything I have of his signed. What a great guy.

Bucky Richardson

• Sent: 8/4/10
• Received: 8/11/10
• Time: 7 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Classic, 1992 Topps, 1993 Pacific

Bucky Richardson had a great, great career at Texas A&M. Though I'm not an Aggie fan by any stretch of the imagination, Richardson was something special. Just as good on his feet as with his arm, he set records for rushing TD's by a QB and racked up a whole lot of yardage. He played in three bowl games during his time with A&M. In 1992, the Houston Oilers took him as an 8th round pick and he spent three seasons in a mostly backup role. He did get to start about half the games in 1994, but failed to make a big impact. In 1995, he signed with the Cowboys with intentions of being a backup QB and backup fullback (weird, huh?) but he never saw regular season action. He spent 1996 with the Kansas City Chiefs and then was out of football. Nowadays, he lives in the Houston area and co-owns a water and waste treatment company. Interestingly, his co-owner is Larry Kelm, former Rams linebacker.

I've had the 1992 Classic and the 1993 Pacific for years and years. Back in '94, I took those cards to Oilers training camp in San Antonio to try to get them autographed, but never came across Mr. Richardson. Glad to finally have them signed and back in my collection.

Robert Awalt

• Sent: 8/4/10
• Received: 8/11/10
• Time : 7 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1989 Pro Set

Robert Awalt was an extremely talented tight end and I have fond memories of him as a Dallas Cowboy. Awalt began his career in 1987 as a 3rd round draft pick of the St Louis Cardinals. He did so well in strike-shortened 1987 that he won the NFC Rookie of the Year award. In 1990, he and Jay Novacek both made the move from the Cardinals to the Cowboys. Novacek became the favorite target of quarterback Troy Aikman and Awalt's career never quite made it back to the levels of his days with the Cardinals. He finished out his career with two seasons with the Buffalo Bills. Nowadays, he lives in California and works for a title company.

Ok, the card is a funny story. I had seen a bunch of returns for him lately and I wanted in on that, but strangely enough I could not find one in all my cards (which are extensively from the early 90's). A couple of days later, I bought my son one of the multipacks from Academy that has a bunch of packs of "older" cards. One of the cards was this one of Awalt. I quickly stole it from him.

Bwahahahahahahaha.

Ahem.

Harry Newsome

• Sent: 8/4/10
• Received: 8/11/10
• Time: 7 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Pacific, 1993 Topps

Harry Newsome was a punter for 9 seasons in the NFL. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and served 5 years as their punter. Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll was not much of a believer in special teams, and this reflected in Newsome's dubious 1988 season where he sent an NFL record for most punts blocked in a season. Most of this was due to poor blocking. In 1990, Newsome signed with the Minnesota Vikings where he spent the final 4 seasons of his career. Interestingly, Newsome and longtime Los Angeles Rams punter Dale Hatcher both came from the same town - tiny Cheraw, SC (Population: 9,000). They grew up participating in the same Punt, Pass, and Kick competitions and were drafted in the same draft. Newsome was quite an athlete, playing quarterback, safety, and punter in high school and also getting baseball scholarship offers. He currently owns a landscaping business and coaches high school football and golf in, guess where? Cheraw, SC.

These two cards were mainstays in my "To send TTM" section of my commons box for years. I always avoided it because Newsome has a reputation as usually taking up to a year to respond. Imagine my surprise when I got this back in a week! Great looking cards too.

Raul Allegre

• Sent: 6/28/10
• Received: 8/11/10
• Time: 44 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1987 Topps, 1989 Topps Traded, 1990 Score

Raul Allegre was one of those kickers that was just always around when I was a kid. He first came to prominence as a member of the great, great Texas Longhorns (Hook 'Em!). Allegre was born in Mexico and came to the United States as a high school senior in an exchange student program. That year, he discovered American football and used his old soccer skills to become a placekicker on the high school team. He quickly got noticed and went to the University of Texas as their kicker. In 1983, he rode the wave all the way to the top and was drafted by the Baltimore Colts where he spent 3 seasons. The Colts were awful at that time and released him. The very good Giants quickly signed him and next thing you know, he had a Super Bowl ring. He quickly developed a reputation as being extremely clutch and he spent 6 seasons as the Giants kicker. He finished his career as a New York Jet in 1991. Nowadays, Raul is a broadcaster for Spanish language NFL radio.

I had no suitable Allegre cards a few years ago, but I had picked up the 1989 Topps Traded set on eBay. I grabbed the other two off 5th Quarter because I really wanted his autograph since he was an old Longhorn. Glad to get this one back!

Dan Reeves

• Sent: 7/28/10
• Received: 8/6/10
• Time: 8 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1989 Pro Set, 1992 Pro Set

Dan Reeves was a legitimate legend in my household growing up. Where I come from, people STILL revere the great Tom Landry and everything that came from that era of Dallas Cowboys football. Reeves was a prime example and was one of the great "branches" of the Landry coaching tree. He was a stellar Cowboy running back back in his playing days, spending 8 seasons with the team. He played in two Super Bowls then and won one. As soon as his playing career ended, Coach Landry brought him on as an assistant coach and taught him very well. He got his first head coaching job in 1981 with the Denver Broncos and he made the most of it. He wound up developing John Elway and leading the team to three Super Bowls. After something of a falling out with Elway, Reeves was fired from Denver in 1992 and he went to the New York Giants. He spent four seasons with them without a lot of success. In 1997, he took over the 3-13 Atlanta Falcons and within two seasons, he had taken THEM to the Super Bowl. When all was said and done, Dan Reeves had participated in 9 Super Bowls....but it might not be over yet. He is currently working as a radio analyst for NFL games on Westwood One, but he still has an interest in returning to coaching. I hope he gets that chance.

Mr. Reeves was gracious enough to answer the questions I asked him on my letter. He mentioned that Tom Landry was a truly great man and passed away way too young. He also stated that he isn't totally satisfied broadcasting and wants back in coaching.

I found the 1992 Pro Set in my commons box and I've had it for at least 15 years. The 1989 Pro Set was picked up a bit more recently when I bought an unopened pack of them off eBay just for nostalgia's sake.

Dick Maegle

• Sent: 7/21/10
• Received: 8/4/10
• Time: 14 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1957 Topps Archives, Color 3x5 photo, Two photocopied articles, handwritten two-page letter

What a fantastic return. These older gentlemen are amazing. On the heels of my great Joe Arenas return from a couple of weeks ago, I followed up with an awe-inspiring return from Dicky Maegle.

Maegle was a great player in the 1950's. He started out as a stud at Rice University where he was an All-American. While in college, he was involved in one of the most infamous plays in college football history when, in the 1954 Cotton Bowl, Maegle had broken away on a sweep from his own 5 yard line. As he was running down the sideline, an Alabama player - Tommy Lewis - came in from off the bench and tackled Maegle. Rice was eventually awarded the touchdown. Following his stellar college career, Maegle went on to play 5 seasons with the 49ers, 1 season with the Steelers, and 1 season with my Cowboys (1961). He played both directions as a halfback, defensive back, and also as one of the era's premier return men. In 1979, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. After his retirement, he became a hotel executive in the Houston area. Also, of note is that he changed his last name's spelling to "Maegle" from "Moegle" due to years of mispronunciation.

Mr. Maegle not only signed my card beautifully, he also added a color 3x5 of him in a Cowboys uniform (sweet!). Then, he sent two photocopied articles about him, which he also signed. Next, I got a handwritten letter, front and back that was amazingly detailed about certain plays and games he was involved in. He was extremely nice and commented that he could tell I was a "real fan of the game". Finally, he also sent a small note telling me that if I would send him an 8x10 SASE, he will send me "the largest article ever written" about the off-the-bench tackle. Of course I'll be doing that, along with a thank you card for such a great return. Amazing!

Dwayne Harper

• Sent: 7/7/10
• Received: 8/2/10
• Time: 26 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1993 Topps, 1993 Fleer, 1994 Ultra

Dwayne Harper made a nice little career for himself in the NFL, despite not having a whole lot of expectations on him. He came into the NFL in 1988 as an 11th round draft pick for the Seahawks. He managed to hang on and earn a roster spot, and he spent the next 6 seasons in Seattle working his way up to starting cornerback. In 1994, he signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers where he was the starting cornerback in Super Bowl XXIX. He spent 5 seasons with the Chargers, before spending his final season in 1999 with the Detroit Lions. He came back to football in 2001, playing for the San Francisco Demons in the XFL's only seasons of existence (fwiw, I LOVED that league).

The 1993 Topps was just another card in my commons box. I picked up the other two from 5th Quarter to round it out. He's got a very nice, bold signature and the cards look great.

Randy McMillan

• Sent: 7/25/10
• Received: 8/2/10
• Time: 7 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1985 Topps, 1987 Topps

Randy McMillan had a real shot at being very special in the NFL. He was a hometown hero from the Baltimore area who was drafted by Baltimore in 1980 in the 1st round. His very first game in a Colts uniform, he rushed for 146 yards in a stunning upset win for the Colts. Unfortunately, the Colts back then were friggin' awful and he had to split time with Curtis Dickey who was ALSO drafted to be the star running back. In 1987, tragedy struck when he was struck by a vehicle while walking across a busy Baltimore road. It shattered his left leg in two places and ended his career for good. Sadly, the tragedies weren't over yet. In 2002, he fell asleep while driving and crashed his vehicle into a guardrail. Nowadays, he uses crutches to get around and lives off his NFL retirement. Really nice of him to keep signing autographs for us despite his physical problems.

I got the 1987 Topps many years ago at an old card show at a Holiday Inn in New Braunfels, TX. "Grab bags" were all the rage back then. You'd pay $1 and spin a wheel and you'd get whatever bag the wheel landed on. They would promise a rookie sometimes or whatever, but most often you got a bag full of commons. This card came from one such bag. Looks a whole lot better now!

Mark Robinson

• Sent: 7/21/10
• Received: 7/30/10
• Time: 9 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1989 Topps Traded, 1991 Topps

Mark Robinson was a solid safety who was most known for his career with the Buccaneers. In 1982, he was a consensus All-American and part of the great Penn State National Championship team. Interestingly, I just recently got the QB of that team (Todd Blackledge) back too. He came to the NFL as a 4th round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent 4 seasons there and then was traded to Tampa Bay literally as he was working on the construction of his new house in Kansas City. Making the most of the surprise, he went on to have a good 6 seasons with the Bucs. He put down roots in Tampa and still lives in the area and co-hosts a Buccaneers radio show. In "real life", he and his wife own and operate Safety Harbor Montessori School. Pretty nice guy.

Nothing real special about the cards. Got the 1991 Topps out of that box that has been sitting around since...well....1991. Glad to have it signed now!

Don McCauley

• Sent: 7/20/10
• Received: 7/30/10
• Time: 10 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1980 Topps, 1981 Topps

Don McCauley was a college football legend at North Carolina back in the 1968-1971 time frame. While at North Carolina, he was a received, running back, kick returner, and even the friggin' punter. Talk about a jack-of-all-trades. He came into the NFL as the Baltimore Colts 1st round draft pick in 1971 and went on to spend 11 seasons with the team. He mostly played part-time in the NFL, but still became a fixture in Baltimore. In 2001, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Nothing really interesting of note with these cards. The 1980 Topps was one from that collection that my friend gave me. The 1981 Topps was a purchase from 5th Quarter. Really digging getting these guys that played juuuuust before I started watching football.

Mark Stepnoski

• Sent: 7/20/10
• Received: 7/29/10
• Time: 9 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Ultra, 1992 Pro Set, 1992 Fleer, 1992 Topps

I was so excited about this return, and I'll explain why in a minute. First of all, though, Mark Stepnoski was one of the best centers that I ever saw play. Never mind that I'm a total Cowboys homer and he was on two of their early 90's Super Bowl teams and that right there gives him an elevated place in my memory. I ate, slept, and breathed those teams back then to the point of obsession. Stepnoski was something of an iconoclast with his long hair and his outspoken ways. He anchored that tremendous offensive line and a lot of good that Aikman/Emmitt/Irvin did started with Stepnoski's stellar play at center. Sadly for me, in 1995 he went to the Oilers. Granted, the Oilers were my second favorite team but I still hated to see him leave the Cowboys. In 1999, though, Mark Stepnoski returned to Dallas to spend three more seasons with the Cowboys and all was right in the world. After retirement, he's dabbled in things that interest him and has been active with some political movements that I find ridiculous (legalization of marijuana, 9/11 "Truth" movement, etc). Still, I loved him as a football player.

These cards are special to me because these are the very cards that I used to take with me to Dallas Cowboys training camp EVERY YEAR when they had it at St Edward's University in Austin. I would go multiple times a year and try to get autographs and Mr. Stepnoski would NEVER stop and sign. I was really stunned to learn that he signed through-the-mail and now, 16 years after trying in-person, these cards are finally part of my autographed card collection (and they look awesome!).

Jerry Cornelison

• Sent: 7/21/10
• Received: 7/29/10
• Time: 8 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1961 Topps, Photocopied picture

Jerry Cornelison was old-school. He began his career as a 16th round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 1958. He didn't make the team, so he went to Canada to play for the CFL's Saskatchewan Rough Riders. After spending 1959 out of football, he found a home in 1960 with the Dallas Texans. When the Texans moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs, he remained with the team. In 1962, he made the Pro Bowl. After spending 31 years as VP of Sales for Haggar Clothing, Cornelison retired in 1997. He now spends some time working as a "Chiefs Ambassador" making public appearances for the team.

This was probably the oldest football card in my collection. I came across it at at card show probably 18 years ago and had to buy it since I didn't have any Dallas Texans cards in my collection. I think it cost me $1 back then (which made it a significant percentage of my card show purchases). It's so cool to have this autographed now, as I wasn't sure if he was even still alive when I dug this card up. He not only signed by card, he was kind enough to include a personalized, autographed photocopy of his own.

Note: Topps got his name wrong. The correct spelling is "Cornelison", not "Cornielson". This was why I couldn't find mention of him for a while when I was researching him.

Steve Grogan

• Sent: 7/14/10
• Received: 7/29/10
• Time: 15 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1986 Topps, 1989 Topps Traded, 1990 Score

Steve Grogan was underrated. He's historically and underrated and he was under-appreciated by his own team during his playing days. He was replaced by such wildly successful QB's as Tony Eason, Doug Flutie, and Marc Wilson, yet he ALWAYS wound up coming off the bench to replace them. Through it all, he spent 16 seasons with the New England Patriots and played huge roles in their 1980's success. He essentially led the team to the Super Bowl in 1985, but Eason got the start. After Eason proved extremely ineffective, Grogan was inserted in the game and proceeded to throw the only TD that the Patriots scored against the magnificent Bears team. Grogan was extremely tough and physical for a QB and still holds the NFL single-season record for most rushing TD's by a QB. Nowadays, Grogan owns Grogan-Marciano Sporting Goods in Mansfield, MA.

Steve Grogan was one of my childhood heroes and it all stems from TTM autograph collecting! Way back before I knew what it was all about, I wanted to write some fan letters. Because the backs of my cards showed that Steve Grogan was from San Antonio (as was I), I chose him even though as a 6 year old in Texas, I knew nothing about him. He quickly responded with a signed, personalized photo and I followed his career faithfully after that. 23 years later, he came through for me again with these beautifully signed cards.

Jim Dombrowski

• 
• Sent: 7/23/10
• Received: 7/29/10
• Time: 6 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Upper Deck, 1992 Topps, 1992 Pacific

First of all, I had a GREAT day today for returns. Best since I started collecting again. Days like today really make this hobby fun.

Jim Dombrowski was a spectacular college lineman and got some high accolades at the University of Virginia. So high, in fact, that he came out of college in 1986 as the 6th overall draft pick by the New Orleans Saints. He quickly became a fixture on the Saints o-line, and he remained there for his entire 11-season NFL career. Hard-working and extremely intelligent, he achieved his Master's degree while simultaneously playing NFL football. Talk about multi-tasking. In 2008, Dombrowski was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and his jersey number has been retired by Virginia. These days, he works as a financial planner in Louisiana.

These are my typical early 90's commons box cards. Weird thing is, I've been meaning to send these TTM for the past several years. Every time I get back into the hobby, I intended to send to Mr. Dombrowski but for whatever reason, I've neglected to all this time. I finally got around to it and I'm rewarded with great looking cards just 6 days later.

Joe Arenas

• Sent: 6/28/10
• Received: 7/26/10
• Time: 28 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1956 Topps Archives

What a great return. "Lupe Joe" Arenas was from the golden age of the NFL. In the 1950's, he was mostly known as a kickoff and punt return specialist, although he also played halfback and defensive back since a lot of players back then played both ways. He played his entire 7 year career with the San Francisco 49ers from 1951-1957. Arenas was one of the first Mexican-American to really star in the NFL. Prior to his time in the NFL, Arenas had an even more impressive resume. He served four years in the Army, participating in the invasion of Iwo Jima and earning a Purple Heart. My grandfather, who passed away in 2008, was a proud World War II veteran and I have a great affection for those who served in that war. After his playing career ended, Arenas got on the coaching staff of the Houston Cougars where he developed young players for 23 years. Even up in his late 70's, Arenas volunteered as an assistant coach a local Houston-area high school.

Again, this was a great return. He autographed my card and it looked great. Then, he added a color 4x6 photo of him in his 49ers uniform. He also wrote me a two-page long handwritten letter that stated, among other things, that it was his last photo but he thought I'd like it. He also mentioned that today's players have no sense of teamwork. Finally, he talked about his coaching days and how proud he was of how many players he helped to develop. He seems very alert and in great shape for an 85 year old man. I really appreciated this return.

Keith Kartz

• Sent: 7/14/10
• Received: 7/24/10
• Time: 10 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Pacific, 1992 Upper Deck, 1992 Topps

Keith Kartz played center for 7 seasons in the John Elway era of Denver Broncos football. He was always solid and managed to protect Elway quite a bit. He came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1987 out of the University of California. Kartz has quite a remarkable story in that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer when he was only 18 years old, but managed to beat it and go on to enjoy an NFL career. After his playing career ended, he did spend a year as an assistant coach with Arena football's Denver Crush. Nowadays, he's a real estate broker in Denver.

I've always wondered what the deal is with him and twirling footballs on his fingertips. Kinda weird that multiple different trading card companies featured that same exact pose on his cards those years. Must have been his talent!

Ozzie Newsome

• Sent: 7/1/10
• Received: 7/24/10
• Time: 23 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1985 Topps, 1989 Score

Ozzie Newsome is, quite simply, a football genius. He was legendary as a tight end, and in many ways a forerunner of the ultra-talented tight end that became a staple of NFL teams sometime in the 1980's. Ozzie spent his entire 13 seasons in the Dawg Pound with the Cleveland Browns where he was a 3-time Pro Bowler and a member of the NFL's All-Decade team of the 1980's. He is a member of both the College Football AND the NFL Halls of Fame. In 1996, he began his career as an NFL executive with the Baltimore Ravens and in 2002 he was promoted to General Manager. He's been great in that role and widely considered one of the NFL's top front-office men.

Ozzie has been FANTASTIC to TTM autograph seekers for a whole lot of years. He's a widely-recognized Hall of Famer who is also still actively involved in the NFL and yet he signs and returns all his mail. What a great guy. In all these years of him being so good, I've never gotten his autograph because I just never had any suitable cards of him to get signed. When I bought the 1985 Topps lot, I finally got one and then I picked up the 1989 Score from 5th Quarter because I had a card like that back in the day.

Rich Camarillo

• Sent: 7/14/10
• Received: 7/23/10
• Time: 9 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1988 Topps, 1991 Topps, 1991 Pacific, 1992 Ultra, 1993 Topps

Rich Camarillo was one of the premier punters of the late 80's and early 90's. I think about him in the same category as the late Reggie Roby. He lasted 16 years in the NFL, with most of his success split between the New England Patriots and the Phoenix Cardinals. He also had stints with the Rams, Oilers, and a final year with the Raiders. He was named to 5 Pro Bowls during his career and holds a few NFL punting records that are still standing. Camarillo was selected as one of the Patriots 50 Greatest Players. In 2006, he coached his son's little league baseball team all the way to the Little League World Series. He currently resides in Arizona.

I actually received 3 signed cards from Mr. Camarillo in 2007 and I was extremely impressed with how great his signed cards look. I found that I had 5 more of his cards in my collection so I wrote him again. I told him straight-up that I had already gotten his autograph semi-recently, but that I would love it if he would sign whatever he wanted and keep the rest of the cards. He graciously signed all five of them for me. Like always, they look fantastic.

Ethan Horton

• Sent: 7/14/10
• Received: 7/23/10
• Time: 9 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Score, 1992 Pacific, 1992 Ultra, 1993 Topps

Ethan Horton was very underrated throughout his NFL career, mostly with the Raiders. He was a standout QB in high school, and then was moved to running back when he went to the University of North Carolina. He quickly excelled at his new position and did so well as to be drafted in the 1st round and 15th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1985. For whatever reason, he was absolutely not good for the Chiefs and was released after only one season. He went from being a #1 draft pick in 1985 to being completely out of football in 1986. In 1987, the Raiders came calling and he played that season with them. He then spent 1988 out of football again. Amazingly, in 1989 he got another chance and yet another new position. The Raiders brought him back and converted him to Tight End. That turned out to be the saving grace of his NFL career. He spent 5 seasons with the Raiders, even earning a Pro Bowl trip after the 1991 season. From there, he moved on to a final season with the Washington Redskins. Nowadays, he's back in Charlotte, NC where he's involved in radio broadcasting and youth football camps.

These are just four of the 8 or 9 Ethan Horton cards that I found in my commons box. Always good to convert some of those commons to autographed cards, and he certainly does have a nice looking, clear signature.

Kyle Brady

• Sent: 6/15/10
• Received: 7/23/10
• Time: 38 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1995 Score Summit, 2000 Pacific, Fellowship of Christian Athletes card

Kyle Brady was a solid tight end who lasted 13 seasons in the NFL. He came out of Penn State (a team that I have already documented my love for) in 1995 as the 9th overall draft pick by the New York Jets. He was a bit of an underachiever considering his draft position and who we was drafted in front of, and lasted only 4 seasons with the Jets. In 1999, he moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars where he came into his own as a tremendous blocking TE and he was extremely reliable, rarely missing playing time. He finished his career off in 2007 with one season with the New England Patriots (the season where they alllllmost went undefeated....except for that Super Bowl). Wasting no time at all, Brady got into broadcast when his playing career ended, and he is now an analyst for the Big Ten Network.

I've had the 1995 Score card since, well, 1995. It was a little bit after my football card obsession, but I had wondered into a card shop that was open for all of two weeks, and they had a lot of 1995 Score commons out. I picked up this card and one of Todd Collins (that I got signed TTM that year). Took me 15 years, but now I got this one signed too. Mr. Brady was very kind to add the signed religious testimony card. That's always a nice touch and one that I'm very appreciative of.

Todd Blackledge

• Sent: 7/14/10
• Received: 7/22/10
• Time: 8 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1985 Topps, 1989 Topps Traded

Todd Blackledge was a mostly backup quarterback in the NFL for 7 seasons with the Chiefs and Steelers. Considered quite a huge bust, Blackledge was the 7th overall pick of the vaunted 1983 draft and was taken ahead of Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, and Bruce Matthews. His NFL never materialized the way it was supposed to. However, Blackledge was a tremendous college QB and led the Penn State Nittany Lions to the 1982 National Championship under Coach Paterno (who is one of my personal heroes). His career in football was definitely not over when his playing career didn't pan out, as he has been a very active college football analyst for many years now. He is currently teamed with Brad Nessler on ESPN.

It's weird that both of these cards came from the only two large football card purchases I've made in the past ten years. I bought the 1989 Topps Traded set on a whim, and I bought that large lot of 1985 Topps because I had great memories of that set from my childhood. They both contained Blackledge cards and he really does have a nice signature. Great additions to my collection.

Duval Love

• Sent: 7/14/10
• Received: 7/22/10
• Time: 8 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Pacific

Duval Love was a guard for 12 seasons in the NFL. His initial success was with 7 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. In retrospect, those Rams teams had some pretty doggone solid offensive lines considering how awful the rest of the team was in those days. Jackie Slater, Doug Smith, Duval Love, Tom Newberry...that was really good for that time frame. Anyway, after his time in LA, Love moved on to three seasons in Pittsburgh where he enjoyed opposite fortunes. He played in a Super Bowl and went to his only Pro Bowl while a Steeler. He finished up his career with two seasons in the desert with the Cardinals. Since his playing career ended, Love has pursued a coaching career, landing some internships with UNLV and the Philadelphia Eagles.

I really thought I would have found more cards of Duval Love in my commons box, but this is the only one I had. It looks great and he's certainly not shy with his signature.

Tim Goad

• Sent: 7/7/10
• Received: 7/21/10
• Time: 14 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1990 Fleer, 1991 Topps, 1997 Pacific Philadelphia

Tim Goad was a rock solid defensive tackle for 9 years in the NFL. Most of that time was spent with the New England Patriots, where he plugged the middle for many years. In 1995, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. He spent a year there and then moved with the team to Baltimore where he finished his NFL career as a Raven in 1996. His post-NFL career is actually just as interesting, as he is now the jackman in the pit crew for Kevin Harvick Racing. Also, he's recently gone into professional bass fishing. He's a renaissance man!

1991 was the first year that I started somewhat thinking about the condition of my cards. I started reading a few old Becketts and Tuff Stuffs, so I made a half-hearted attempt in 1991 to keep them in good condition. Well, a 10 year old wasn't going to do that great a job of keeping them pristine. I did, however, keep them in their own box. This 1991 Topps card came from that box. The rest of the cards were add-ons that I picked up from 5th Quarter.

Bill Maas

• Sent: 6/2/10
• Received: 7/19/10
• Time: 47 Days
• Autographed Items Received: 1985 Topps, 1991 Score, 1992 Upper Deck

Bill Maas was a standout nose tackle for 9 seasons with the Chiefs. He made two Pro Bowls in that time frame and anchored the defensive line (including during a few seasons with the great Derrick Thomas). He finished his career with his final season spent with the Green Bay Packers. Maas entered the league as the 5th overall draft pick in the 1984 NFL draft. After his career ended, Maas joined the broadcasting team of FOX. He spent four seasons as a color commentator on NFL broadcasts and was then moved into the studio up until 2007. He's also had his fair share of issues since 2007, including a drug arrest and a couple of weapons issues. I found a 2008 article that indicated that he has experienced some mental issues stemming from his days in the NFL.

The 1992 Upper Deck card is one that I found in my garage. It was just kinda laying there in another box of cards for years. I came across it the other day when my wife was yelling at me to clean out the garage! Sent it off and a month-and-a-half later it's signed and in my collection.

Kyle Clifton

• Sent: 7/14/10
• Received: 7/19/10
• Time: 5 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Fleer, 1992 Pacific, 1992 Topps, 1993 Topps

Kyle Clifton spent 13 years as a solid linebacker for some pretty bad Jets teams of the 80's and 90's. He routinely racked up 100+ tackle seasons and he was the undisputed leader of the team's defense for many seasons. A 3rd round draft pick in 1984, Clifton came from TCU. I seem to be adding a lot of good ol' Horned Frogs into my collection lately. Nowadays, Clifton lives in the tiny but wealthy Texas town of Aledo, a suburb of Fort Worth.

I don't know if the Postal Service has just gotten faster and faster or if players are returning their mail in quicker time nowadays. However, since I got back into collecting this time, I've noticed some really fast return times. It used to be pretty standard that I wouldn't start looking for returns until a full week after I sent the request. This request took 5 days to come back and it is one of several sub-7 day returns I've gotten lately.

Steve August

• Sent: 6/28/10
• Received: 7/16/10
• Time: 18 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1984 Topps

My parade of older offensive linemen returns keeps on rolling. Steve August spent 8 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks when they were still a fledgling franchise. He was their first-round draft pick in 1977 (14 pick of that draft overall), when the Seahawks were only a year old. Though never quite living up to his draft status, he still made a nice career at the tackle position. Midway through 1984, he went to the football mecca of Pittsburgh to play his final year for the Steelers. He is now a financial planner based out of Tulsa, Ok. He returned the letter I wrote to him with a note on the bottom answering my question about his most memorable moment. It was beating the Dolphins, led by a rookie Dan Marino, in the second round of the 1983 playoffs.

I actually have NO idea why I bought this card. I came across it years and years ago at a card shop singles box. I bought it for a few cents and kept it all this time. I had never heard of him prior to buying that card and I have no idea what made me buy it. Pretty cool that now it's wound up being a part of my autograph collection!

Larry McCarren

• Sent: 7/7/10
• Received: 7/15/10
• Time: 8 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1980 Topps, 1983 Topps

Larry McCarren was nicknamed "The Rock" for starting 162 straight games for the Packers at center, anchoring their offensive line for 12 very solid years. He made the Pro Bowl twice in that time span. After his retirement, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame which is no small feat considering who that franchise has had throughout the years. All that is pretty good for a guy who came into the league as a 12th round draft pick! McCarren has proven to be just as successful after his career, and since 1988 has been the head sportscaster on WFRV in Green Bay. He's also still very involved with the Packers, serving as their color commentator on radio broadcasts.

This is what an autograph SHOULD look like, by the way. What a nice signature. I was wondering about the 1980 Topps because it's not exactly ideal for autographing, but he found the perfect place on the card to sign and it looks great. The 1983 Topps is a card I bought from the good folks at 5th Quarter Sports Cards (http://www.5thqtr.com/). I bought it specifically to get signed and I'm glad I did. It looks great too (and my collection has a dearth of 1983 Topps).

R. C. Thielemann

• Sent: 7/1/10
• Received: 7/15/10
• Time: 14 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1983 Topps, 1985 Topps

R. C. (which stands for Ray Charles, incidentally) Thielemann spent 8 seasons as the anchor, along with Jeff Van Note, on the Falcons offensive line. This time frame included 3 Pro Bowl trips. Unfortunately, the Falcons never really turned the corner into a winning team at that point, and he toiled in relative obscurity. In 1985, his fortunes turned when he signed with the Washington Redskins and joined the famous "Hogs" offensive line. After the 1987 season, Thielemann finally got his Super Bowl ring. He then played one more season and retired after a fulfilling 12 year career. He now works as the president of a mortgage company in Alpharetta, GA.

I had the 1985 Topps as part of the large lot of them I purchased on eBay a couple of years ago. I had a soft spot for these cards because they are some of the first I remember begging my mom to purchase for me when I was a kid. I remember them coming in the cello blister packs with the three different stacks and you could see the top card in each stack. That was different than anything Topps did for a few years after that. I collected a lot of these back then, but my older cousin ripped me off all the time and wound up with most of them!

Renaldo Turnbull

• Sent: 6/16/10
• Received: 7/14/10
• Time: 28 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1990 Pro Set, 1990 Score, 1991 Upper Deck

Renaldo Turnbull was a very solid OLB for the Saints back in their "dark days". The team's #1 draft pick in 1990 out of West Virginia, he spent 7 seasons with the team. He finished his career with one season with the Carolina Panthers. In 1993, Turnbull racked up 13 sacks and was named to his only career Pro Bowl. The story of his path to the NFL is fascinating as somehow West Virginia was able to recruit him even though he grew up and went to high school in the US Virgin Islands. He didn't move to the States until his freshman year of college. He went on to be absolutely dominating in college and was a huge reason why West Virginia played for the National Championship in 1988.

These are fun cards to get signed. I've had all three of them for at least 18 years and they've been stuck in my commons box that whole time. I heavily collected Pro Set back in the day. They were something "different" than Topps with slightly glossier stock and some players that weren't on the Topps card. Plus, they came out with player's cards the very first year they were drafted - which was unheard of from Topps back then. Score quickly followed suit. These two rookie cards were among the first of these kinds of cards.

Revie Sorey

• Sent: 7/6/10
• Received: 7/14/10
• Time: 8 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1980 Topps

Revie Sorey played 9 seasons in the NFL, all with the Chicago Bears. He had the good fortune of being taken in the same draft as the great Walter Payton and spent his entire career opening holes for Sweetness. Sorey made the All-NFC teams every year from 1977 through 1980. After his retirement in 1983, Sorey became extremely involved in charitable and philanthropic activities including football camps and extensive work with the Boys and Girls Club. In 2002, he suffered a major stroke but has rehabilitated well from it.

This marks another autographed card from the lot of 1980 Topps that my friend gave me 10+ years ago. Again, not in great shape but it looks a whole lot better signed than not!

D. D. Lewis

• Sent: 7/6/10
• Received: 7/10/10
• Time: 4 Days
• Autographed Items Received: 1980 Topps, 1981 Topps

D. D. Lewis was a name that I heard a lot in my childhood. He was "before my time", but my grandfather (who instilled in me the love of football) was a huge D. D. Lewis fan and talked about him all the time. Lewis spent 13 seasons in the NFL with my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. His rookie year was actually 1968, but he then spent 1969 serving in the military. Coming back to the NFL in 1970, he settled into a backup role with the Cowboys that he served in for four full seasons. He finally earned a starting job in 1973 and became a fixture. He played in FIVE Super Bowls and won 2 rings out of that. He also uttered the famous line that there was a hole in the roof of Texas Stadium "so God can watch His favorite team play". In 2001, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame based on his heroics at Mississippi State.

The 1981 card was one that I bought back in 1990 at the very first card shop I ever went to (The Sports Page in New Braunfels, TX). They often had "old" Cowboys cards in their 25-cent box and I would pick one out every time I went with my lawnmowing money. The 1980 Topps is in horrible condition (I'm not sure what's up with the white line on it) but I had it as part of that 1980 Topps lot that my friend gave me years ago. At least it looks a lot better signed than it did plain!

Billy Sims

• Sent: 7/1/10
• Received: 7/10/10
• Time: 9 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1985 Topps, 1997 Upper Deck Marquee Matchups, Free Drink Coupon for his Restaurant

Billy Sims was a phenom. All the way back at tiny Hooks High School in West Texas, he played for three years and SHATTERED all the state records that were on the books at the time. He went on to play for Barry Switzer's team at Oklahoma (and yes, it's hard but I can sometimes like ex-Sooners). While at OU, he put up amazing stats including one year in which he rushed for an average of 7.6 yards per carry. In 1978, his success was ratified with the Heisman Trophy. Moving onto the NFL as a highly-touted No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Lions in 1980, Sims looked set to continue his stellar career. He made three straight Pro Bowls to begin his NFL career. Unfortunately, tragedy struck midway through the 1984 season when he suffered a career-ending injury. In 1995, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

This was such a great return. I only sent one card to be signed and wound up getting three things back! He added the card that pictures him and Chuck Foreman and he signed his side. Then he also added an autographed business-card sized coupon for a free drink at his restaurant, Billy Sims Barbecue. Great return! Now I feel obligated to pay Chuck Foreman's $5 signing fee to get that card signed by both.

Gary Plummer

• Sent: 6/8/10
• Received: 7/10/10
• Time: 32 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Pacific, 1992 Pacific

Gary Plummer was a hard-nosed blue-collar inside linebacker for a whole lot of years in the NFL. Coming out of the University of California, Plummer went undrafted in the 1983 draft. Undeterred, he then spent 3 years making a name for himself in the upstart USFL for the Oakland Invaders. After the league folded, he caught the attention of the San Diego Chargers and earned a starting spot with them in his very first season. He stayed there for 8 seasons before moving back upstate to the 49ers. He spent four more years in San Fran, and earned a Super Bowl ring with them (coincidentally, by defeating his long-time team - the Chargers). Nowadays, he is a radio color analyst for 49ers games.

I actually sent 4 cards with this request, but he kept 2 of them. Not a problem at all to me. Hopefully, he uses them well. HOWEVER, he did answer the questions I asked on my letter. I always love that.

As a side note, I always ask three questions in all my request letters and they are generally personally tailored to that specific player. Makes for some great information!

Dan McGwire

• Sent: 7/1/10
• Received: 7/9/10
• Time: 8 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Star Pics, 1991 Score

Oh, Dan McGwire! Unfortunately, he is widely regarded as one of the bigger "busts" of the NFL draft. I, however, have a soft spot for a lot of these so-called busts. It wasn't their fault that expectations got so high, and at the end of the day....these guys got to spend a year or two playing in the NFL. Every kid's dream and they got to live it. Sure, things may not have turned out the way they had planned or hope, but they still had their time. Dan McGwire was the 15th overall pick of the 1991 draft and was tabbed the Seahawks "QB of the future". A towering 6'8", he was one of the tallest quarterbacks ever and he enjoyed a great college career at San Diego State (with some guy named Marshall Faulk in the backfield). The college success did not translate, and McGwire only started a handful of games in his four seasons with the Seahawks and by his second year he was number three on the depth chart (behind those stellar NFL QB's Stan Gelbaugh and Kelly Stouffer). A final season as a reserve for the Miami Dolphins in 1995, and his career was over. Nowadays, he works for a vitamin water company and lives in Reno, NV.

Oh, and he had a brother that played a little baseball.

The 1991 Star Pics cards are favorites of mine and I think I might start hitting that set pretty hard soon. Back in 1993 or 1994, I picked up the complete set at the local card shop for $5. It has a whole lot of players who never really panned out, but it's also got some fun "pre-rookie" cards. I've got a handful already signed and they usually look great.

Lewis Tillman

• Sent: 7/3/10
• Received: 7/9/10
• Time: 6 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1989 Topps Traded, 1992 Pacific

Lewis Tillman was a change-of-pace back for 7 seasons in the NFL. Starting his career as a 4th round draft pick out of Jackson State (the same college that produced the great Walter Payton), Tillman spent his first five seasons with the Giants. Tillman earned a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants Super Bowl XXV Championship team. Despite never getting over 600 yards rushing in a season, he was a sought-after free agent in 1994, and the Bears wound up signing him. He then enjoyed his best pro season, rushing for almost 900 yards and becoming a receiving threat out of the backfield. Losing his starting job, 1995 was his last professional year. By all accounts a great guy off the field, Tillman is currently heavily involved in charity and volunteers as an assistant coach for a local high school in Mississippi.

Not sure what happened on the Pacific card. Looks like he signed it with a dying blue sharpie, although the personalization came out fine. The Topps Traded card, however, looks fantastic. Great addition to my collection (and that 1992 Pacific set grows every day!).

Rob Moore

• Sent: 6/23/10
• Received: 7/8/10
• Time: 15 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Pacific, 1992 Ultra, 1995 Upper Deck Collectors Choice

Rob Moore was one of those upper-mid-level receivers of the 1990's. He was very, very good but never quite in the category of the Jerry Rice's and Andre Reed's. Part of that was that he spent his career in the NFL netherworlds that were the Jets and Cardinals of that decade. Without a steady QB to throw to him, he still managed to rack up some impressive numbers. He went to the Pro Bowl twice in his career, once with each team. In 1997, he caught 97 passes for 1,584 yards for the Cardinals for the best season of his career. In 2009, Moore returned to his alma mater of Syracuse as a Wide Receivers coach. I sent this request in c/o of the Orange athletic department.

Mr. Moore is a prime example of the benefit of studying trends in the TTM collecting hobby. I don't profess to have a lot of knowledge in this hobby, and I get out of the hobby quite often for months. However, one thing that I do when I'm involved in it is religiously follow who is receiving who through the great website http://www.sportscollectors.net/. The last time that I was involved in the hobby on a regular basis, Rob Moore was a total non-signer TTM. Even back in his playing days, he was hit or miss. I was checking out his trends and noticed that he had been signing for a few people recently. I quickly grabbed my cards, wrote my letter, and sent it out. 15 days later, I have 3 BEAUTIFULLY signed Rob Moore cards for my collection that I never really expected to have! I love this hobby.

Felix Wright

• Sent: 7/3/10
• Received: 7/8/10
• Time: 5 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1989 Pro Set, 1991 Fleer, 1992 Pacific, 1992 Pro Set, 1992 Stadium Club

Felix Wright was a ball-hawking safety best known for his time with the Browns and the Vikings. He spent 6 seasons with the Browns where he enjoyed his best seasons. In 1989, he was the led the NFL in interceptions with 9. He came from a small-school, Drake University, and went undrafted in the NFL. Undaunted, he spent 3 seasons starring for the Hamilton TigerCats in the CFL. That led him to the NFL. After his stint with the Browns, he went on to have two productive seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He ended his career with a season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Again, I always feel kinda uncomfortable sending 5 cards. Felix Wright, however, has a history as a VERY willing signer. Also, I've never sent to him before and now I've gotten every card of his that I could dig out of my commons box signed. I won't bother him again for a while. Even though he has a long history of signing in pen, some of these cards still come out looking pretty good.

Curtis Duncan

• Sent: 6/14/10
• Received: 7/3/10
• Time: 19 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Score, 1992 Ultra, 1992 Score, 1993 Pro Set, Index Card

Curtis Duncan was a part of one of the golden eras of my football watching....the old Oilers Run n' Shoot offense. He was part of the receiving corps that also consisted of Haywood Jeffries, Ernest Givins, and Drew Hill. Duncan was immensely talented and put up great numbers despite being not exactly the prototypical wide receiver. Around 1992, he actually became one of Warren Moon's favorite targets and racked up almost 1000 yards receiving that season.

Mr. Duncan was one of my favorites and I actually got to meet him way back in the day. In the late 80's, the Oilers had their training camp in San Marcos, TX which was near my house. I spent a LOT of time there (thanks, Mom!). I met him there and he was EXTREMELY pleasant and gracious to everyone he came across. Just a great, great guy. This definitely continued with this autograph request. He signed all 4 of my cards (and they look great, by the way) and included his own index card with a quick note thanking me for writing and he signed that also. 17 years after his career ended, he's still one of my favorites.

Walter Abercrombie

• Sent: 6/28/10
• Received: 7/3/10
• Time: 5 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1985 Topps

Walter Abercrombie was an early-80's Pittsburgh Steelers mainstay in the backfield. He also had great hands and usually caught a fair number of passes out of the backfield in the old Mark Malone days. He finished off his career in 1988, moving across the state to play 5 games with the Philadelphia Eagles. Prior to his NFL career, he was a standout at Baylor University. Today, he is back at Baylor serving in an admin role in the alumni department.

Way back in 1988, during his stint with the Eagles, a little 7 year old me wrote one of my very first "fan letters" to Mr. Abercrombie. With no idea of the etiquette of autograph seeking or anything of that ilk, I just straight-up wrote him a letter and my mom mailed it off. A couple of weeks later, there was an envelope in my mailbox with an Eagles letterhead. Opened it up and inside was a full-page letter. Mr. Abercrombie simply wrote me back. It was a great letter, not talking down to me at all (i was pretty smart for a 7 year old, lol). One of the classiest moves ever and I STILL have that letter and cherish it. I really wanted to get a signed card of him to add to that collection since he became one of my football heroes. Glad to get this one back and in only 5 days, too.

Jim Morrissey

• Sent: 6/24/10
• Received: 7/1/10
• Time: 7 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Score, 1992 Topps

Jim Morrissey was a solid starting inside linebacker for the Chicago Bears for 9 seasons. He finished up his career with a few games in Green Bay. When Morrissey first entered the league, he got to spend his rookie season with that awesome Bears team that dominated the entire season and easily won Super Bowl XX. In fact, he was part of the "Shuffling Crew" in the wildly popular Super Bowl Shuffle video. I was 4 years old that year, and that's the first Super Bowl I have a memory of watching. I even remember the hoopla that accompanied the Bears. They were brash, they were arrogant, and they backed it up. I really feel the need to find that video and watch it again. The 80's were awesome.

As for the cards, the 1991 Score cards was the first "box" of cards I ever got. 36 packs. My mom bought them for me for my birthday. I spent hours opening and savoring all those packs. Then, I tried putting together a complete set but never quite made it. I sent a lot of my doubles off for TTM autographs back in the 1992-1994 time frame during my first round of TTM collecting. I would never send out a non-double though because I always thought I was going to finish the set. Well, I never did and now I'm sending 'em all out. Glad to have the Morrissey card in my collection.

Derrick Walker

• Sent: 6/23/10
• Received: 6/30/10
• Time: 7 Days
• Autographed Items Received: 1992 Ultra, 1992 Wild Card, 1993 Topps

Derrick Walker was a tight end who had a great college career at Michigan, playin on the very last team ever coached by the great Coach Bo Schembechler and parlayed that into a decent 9 year career in the NFL. He spent 4 seasons with the Chargers, 4 with the Chiefs, and then finished out his career with 1 season in Oakland. I guess he really enjoyed the AFC West. He was used primarily as a blocker and never caught a whole lot of passes.

I hate the fact that 2 of these 3 cards smudged. I guess Mr. Walker signed and then immediately stuck them all together to put back in the envelope. The back of the 1993 Topps (the only one that came out great) has a big smear of the signature from one of the other ones. Oh well. They're still better than the not-signed versions that I had 8 days ago! Glad to have these go from the common box to the autograph binders.

Gerald Williams

• Sent: 6/16/10
• Received: 6/26/10
• Time: 10 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Pro Set, 1992 Pacific

I returned home just now from my weekend at the Coast, and found this return waiting for me. Gerald Williams was an interior defensive lineman for 12 seasons in the NFL. The bulk of that time was spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played in Super Bowl XXX. At the end of his career, he spent two and a half seasons with the Panthers and finished up 1997 with the Packers. After his retirement, he returned to the Carolina Panthers organization, serving as a scout for many years. At different times, he was a pro scout and a college scout. In 2009, Williams joined the coaching staff of the Division II Catawba Indians, serving as their Tight Ends coach. He is still in that position today.

I truly appreciate every single autograph that I receive. These guys don't owe me anything, so anything they do for me is a bonus. Gotta admit, though...it sucks when these guys use Sharpies that are probably a hundred sigs past their prime. Oh well, I still appreciate the gesture.

Kent Hull

• Sent: 6/11/1o
• Received: 6/25/10
• Time: 14 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Pacific, 1991 Score 1992 Pacific, 1993 Topps, 1994 Topps

As a center, Kent Hull anchored the very good Bills offensive line of the 80s and 90s. Hull spent 11 seasons in Buffalo, where he was instrumental in the success of future Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly. He also played in 4 consecutive Super Bowls (unfortunately, losing them all). Prior to his NFL career, Hull was one of many future NFL starts to spend three years with the upstart USFL. His time with the New Jersey Generals was made notable by opening holes that allowed Herschel Walker to rush for 2400+ yards in one USFL season.

Nothing real special about these cards. Straight out of the commons box, but not common anymore! On another note, I sure am racking up the 1992 Pacifics. Maybe I should start thinking set collecting.

Naaahhhhhhh.

And with that, I'm off to Corpus Christi for a weekend of fun in the sun (and swimming in the oil slicks!).

Bruce Armstrong

• Sent: 6/16/10


• Received: 6/24/10


• Time: 8 days


• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Topps, 1991 Pacific, 1992 Pacific, 1992 Wild Card

Bruce Armstrong was an exceptionally good offensive tackle for the Patriots and played extremely solid ball for 14 seasons, retiring in 2000 after spending his entire career with New England. He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2007 and should probably be getting more consideration for the NFL Hall of Fame, as you'd be hard-pressed to find a better Tackle during his career. In 1992, he suffered a tear of his MCL and it was thought that it could be a career-ender. He came back the next season and went on to make four more Pro Bowls. I played offensive tackle back in my pee-wee league days, so Armstrong was one of those guys whose career I followed when I could.

Who remembers the old Wild Card football cards? They were only produced for two years (1991 and 1992). In the packs, you could look for certain cards that had a numbered stripe in the lower left-hand corner. If you found one, you could send it in to the manufacturer and they would send you back whatever number of cards was on the stripe. Weird concept, and I never bought a pack. However, an older guy (a minister that came through our church a few times) was a big sports card collector. He found out I collected too, and gave me a box of about 300 "premium" cards that I wouldn't have normally bought. There were maybe 50 Wild Card cards in there. This Armstrong card was one of them.

Alfred Anderson

• Sent: 6/15/10
• Received: 6/23/10
• Time: 8 days
• Autographed Items Received: 1991 Score, 1992 Pacific

Alfred Anderson was a bruising runningback who spent his entire 8-year career with the Minnesota Vikings. He served as fullback, but also got his fair share of carries. I remember him splitting time with Darrin Nelson, Rick Fenney, and some of the other Vikings RBs of the day. He played his college ball up the road from me at Baylor University (just like his longtime teammate Ray Berry) where he was a superstar.

Grabbed these straight from the ol' common box. They turned out really nice with Mr. Anderson's blue sharpie signature.