Category Archives: NFL

Fulcher, David

Cards: ProSet 1989, Score 1990, Fleer 1992
Acquired: Canton Acquisition 2012

An incredible talent, David Fulcher was a safety best known for his hard hitting play, ball hawking skills, and gifted abilities in Tecmo Super Bowl.  At 6’3″, 238, Fulcher was of a rare breed of safety whom could line up and play as an extra linebacker, or fade back into coverage with his speed. After his Junior season at Arizona State in 1986, he’d declare for the ’87 draft.  The Bengals liked what they saw, and handed him the starting job out of the gate at Strong Safety after taking him with the 78th pick out of the 3rd round.

It didn’t take him long as he made his first two interceptions, picking off Warren Moon of  Houston during week 7 in a 31-27 win. By 1988, Fulcher had emerged as one of the most dangerous defensive backs in the AFC, earning the first of 3 consecutive Pro Bowl nomninations. A cornerstone of the Bengals defense, Fulcher’s emergence as a dominating defensive presence coincided with the Bengals second Super Bowl appearance after the season. In 1989 he won All Pro honors after notching 8 interceptions and recovering 4 fumbles. Fulcher was a fixture for the Bengals through 1992 when injuries limited him to just 12 games that season.At the time of his departure, he was ranked 3rd on the Bengals all time interception list. Exposed to free agency, he moved on to the Raiders in 1993 but retired after the season due to lingering injuries.

David has given a lot of his time back to the sport he loves. He runs a football camp in Ohio, and conducts many youth and charitable events in the Cincinnati area.  David currently spends time as a head coach for a local Christian school and also with the NFL and the Bengals. Fulcher is infamously memorialized as one of the best defensive backs on the classic Nintendo game “Tecmo Super Bowl”.

G/Gs 103/98    Tac  N/a    Sac 8.5    Fum 9
Int 31      Yds 246      Avg      Td  2    Lg 28t

 

Kartz, Keith

Cards: Fleer 1992, Fleer 1991
Acquired: Canton Acquisition 2012

Considered an afterthought when he was signed as a free agent out of Cal in 1987, Keith Kartz went on to start 7 seasons in the NFL for the Denver Broncos primarily at Center and also at Tackle. Originally signed by Seattle and cut in camp,  Kartz quickly asserted himself at the Bronco’s starting Center when he was brought in during the ’87 player’s strike. Kartz’s feat is even more impressive in the fact that he’d never played the position at all during his time in college, but to top that all off was Keith was a survivor- beating Stomach Cancer when he was only 18 years old.

Keith’s versatility and size (6’4″, 270) allowed him to effortlessly spend time at any position along the line as evidenced in his extensive tour of duty in 1988 at right guard protecting John Elway. By 1989 he was back at center clearing lanes for a slew of 1,000 yard backs that included Bobby Humphrey and Gaston Green. Keith flew under the radar for the majority of his career with the Broncos, and had a strange sideline penchant for balancing and twirling footballs on his fingertips. The stranger thing about it was that both Topps and Upper Deck both immortalized these sideline shots of him in two different photographs for their cards. He’d retire after the 1993 season and worked with the Denver Crush of the Arena leagues as an assistant coach before falling back into real estate.

G/Gs   100/88

Beebe, Don

pac91 beebeCards: Pacific 1991, Pro Set 1989, Topps 1990.
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 1/7       Received: 1/25  (18 days)

Don Beebe is a wide receiver best known for his Super Bowl moment, (during his stint with the Buffalo Bills,) when he swatted a football out of Dallas Cowboys Leon Lett’s embarrassed hands in Super Bowl XXVII.

Don sorta came out of nowhere, playing only two years of college football for Western Illinois (1987) and then at Chadron State (1988). While playing at Chadron, Don had 49 receptions for 906 yards and 13 touchdowns. With his breathtaking speed, Beebe averaged 18.5 yards per catch, and 25 yards per kick return, taking an additional ball to the house. His performance for the Eagles earned him Little All-America second team honors, and an invite to the NFL combine. He wowed the scouts there with his incredible speed, leaping, and work ethic, translating his efforts to a 3rd round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the deep 1989 draft. (In fact, it was so pset89 beebesurprising, that Pro Set struggled to find a photo of  Don settling for this granulated photo of him on his rookie prospect card.)

Don made his first catch against the Houston Oilers- a 63 yard barn burning touchdown. He then repeated the effort with another 63 yarder against the Dolphins that next month. He’d finish his rookie season with 17 receptions for 317 yards, an 18.5 yard average, and those 2 touchdowns. Occasionally Beebe got some time at returner his rookie season, posting an 85 yard kickoff return against the Falcons. His 1990 season was marred by injury and sitting behind incumbents Andre Reed and James Lofton didn’t help. Still he managed 11 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown. 1991 was a great season for Beebe, as he’d record a career high 6 touchdowns on 32 receptions. Through 1994 Beebe was pretty automatic to lock in for 30+ receptions recording a career high 40 in that final season with the Bills.

In 1995 the expansion Carolina Panthers were building their roster, and offered Beebe a free agent contract. While he played to90 beebesparingly that single season in Carolina making just 14 receptions for 152 yards, the team boasted a decent receiving corps led by Mark Carrier, Willie Green, and Eric Guliford. Don was cut after the season.

Don’s final two seasons were spent at Lambeau as a member of the Green Bay Packers. Returning to form in 1996, with Brett Favre at the helm, Beebe recorded 39 receptions for a career high 699 yards and 4 touchdowns, in 6 starts. Also after his Superbowl heartbreaking stint in Buffalo, Don finally got his ring in after the season. He’d play one final season in 1997 and retire. It is of note that in 5 out of his 9 seasons, Beebe caught a long pass greater than 60 yards.

A well rounded and respected member of the NFL community, Don is the maestro of operations for “The House of Speed”. He also coaches high school football, and has written a book about his journey to the NFL titled: “Six Rings from Nowhere”. Don suffered numerous hits over his playing career including a frightening one against Browns safety Felix Wright during the NFL Playoffs where he landed on his head (Pro Set 1990 card). Beebe has suffered numerous concussions over his playing time in the NFL and is one of the major names lending credence to the current concussion related lawsuit.

G/Gs  116/51      Rec 219     Yds 3416      Avg 15.6     Td 23      Lg 80t
Kr 81     Yds  1735     Avg 21.4     Td 1    Lg 90t