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!