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.