Category Archives: NFLE

NFL, NFLE

Delhomme, Jake

dor&s09 delhommesco09 delhommesp09 delhommeud09 delhomme

Cards: SP 2009, Upper Deck 2009, Score 2009, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009
Acquired: TTM 2013, c/o Home
Sent: 4/2   Received: 4/20   (18 days)
Failure: C/o Home 2011, 2012

Jake Delhomme is another storied member of the WLAF/NFLE to make it good, again further proving to me that the league was succeeding in its mandate to create better talent for the NFL.  Names such as: Kurt Warner, Jon Kitna, Quinn Gray, and Kelly Holcomb joined Delhomme in the ‘developmental league’ to further their talents in the sport and then return stateside to take the league by storm.

Jake played for the University of Louisiana – Lafayette, from 1993 to 1996. There he’d etch his name into virtually all of the school’s passing record books finishing as the Ragin’ Cajuns all time leading passer in touchdowns and yards.  Delhomme did not get drafted, however the New Orleans Saints offered him a free agent contract and he joined their developmental squad in 1997.

Jake was assigned to the Amsterdam Admirals of the NFLE that next season where he was able to polish his skills a bit more. In his first season under center for the Admirals, Jake backed up future MVP Kurt Warner. His debut was unspectacular to say the least as Delhomme posted a 15.1 QB rating that season. Returning to the league for 1999, Delhomme put it all together in a solid effort. This time Jake was assigned to the Frankfurt Galaxy. He, alongside Pat Barnes provided a 2- headed monster quarterback option that the rest of the league couldn’t handle. Jake in fact finished second in the league with a 96.8 QB rating, throwing only 5 picks to 12 TDs. The Galaxy went on to win World Bowl VII 38-24. In the game, Jake finished 9 of 14 for 126 yards and a touchdown to Mario Bailey. Delhomme has always maintained that it was a team effort that resulted in the Galaxy’s World Bowl win. The bottom line is the stats didn’t lie, and both he and Pat Barnes’ numbers on the season were almost identical.

New Orleans liked him enough that year to bring him back again in 1999. The team was suffering badly with injuries to the quarterback position and a revolving door at the position appeared with Billy Joe Hobert, Billy Joe Tolliver, Danny Weurffel, and Jake sharing time at quarterback during the tumultuous season. With only Ricky Williams on offense, the team struggled mightily, but Jake got his first start against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16. He didn’t disappoint as he led the team to only its 3rd win of the season 31-24. I remember the game vividly, as I had watched football only casually in those ‘dead years’ after the Oilers left Houston, and secretly rooted for the Saints since I hated the Cowboys with such vitriol. While Jake did not see significant playing time over the next few seasons, buried on the depth chart behind Aaron Brooks and Jeff Blake, he did manage to hang on through an offensive overhaul and a new coach. Finally in 2003 Jake finally got the break he was looking for.

Delhomme signed with the hapless Panthers, a team with a new coach going in a new direction after a 1-15 season. Feeling that he was the right quarterback, at the right price, since there would be no rookies available for the Panthers that they’d like, Coach John Fox took a shot at Jake to compete against aging Rodney Peete. Fox wouldn’t be disappointed, and by the end of the first game of the 2003 season, the Panthers would have their anointed starter at quarterback. Jake turned a new chapter in his NFL career and blossomed into a bona fide starter at the position stringing together an impressive resume of games and statistics, helping the Panthers out of the doldrums of the NFC South. Without question, he was the free agent signee of the year, leading the improbable Panthers all the way to the SuperBowl, putting together one of the best big game performances in history, only to fall short of the Patriots by a field goal. 2004 proved to be career highs for Jake in most passer categories, but the team stunk, -stung by the injury bug. This season was notable, as I was in the fantasy football playoffs, but all my starters were not playing, so I cut and benched them all, and signed Jake as my starting quarterback and rode my way to an improbable league championship under his wing. The Panthers again returned to playoff form in 2005, as Jake continued to rewrite the franchise’s record books. Injuries to his thumb kept him out of 3 games that season, and in 2006 an elbow injury basically wiped his season out. In 2008 Delhomme returned to form with a vengeance, guiding the Panthers to their best record in franchise history, but his interception numbers began creeping up on him, and after a disastrous playoff performance in which he threw 4 picks, fans were clamoring at the gates for the end of his tenure. The same story repeated itself for Jake in 2009, as he threw 18 interceptions to only 8 touchdowns. The writing was on the wall after the season, and the Panthers’ career leading passer was unceremoniously cut.

In the journeyman phase of Delhomme’s career he went to Cleveland in 2010, and tried to help restart the fortunes of the beleaguered franchise, but again, injuries beset Delhomme. This time he suffered a nagging high ankle sprain which plagued him all season. After his one season for the Browns, Jake was cut again.  It wasn’t until late in 2011 that Jake was signed, appearing on the radar of the Houston Texans. With injuries hitting the Texans at quarterback, 3rd stringer TJ Yates needed competent and experienced teachers and quarterbacks behind him. In came Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia. It’d be for the Texans, after Yates suffered a bruised shoulder in the season finale, that Jake got his final playing time, leading a heroic comeback for the Houston Texans against their arch rival Tennessee Titans. While the Titans ended up winning the game, the Texans made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, nonetheless. After the season and the Texans first playoff victory and loss, Jake has retired back to Louisiana.

I tried on multiple occasions to get Jake’s autograph and completely failed. The first time was an RTS from North Carolina, that led me to Ohio from a tip I was given. It never panned out, but after seeing that he had returned to his roots in Louisiana, I thought this was my best shot. Luckily I finally landed Jake on the third try on these 4 great cards. All of them showcase great design and an excellent action shot of him and oddly just happen to be all 2009 releases.

NFL G/Gs 103/96   Att 2932   Comp 1741   Yds 20975   Pct 59.4  Td 126   Int 101  Rat 81.3  |
Rush 175    Yds 328   Avg 1.9   Td 7   Lg 27

NFLE     Att 249      Comp 151     Yds 1657    Pct 60.1%     Td   12      Int  9     Rat  81.4  |
Rush 23     Yds 146     Avg 6.3     Td 0    Lg 20

CFL, College Football HoF, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFLE

Ware, Andre “Air Ware”

pset90 wareCards: Pro Set 1990 Heisman Winner, Pro Set 1991 Heisman Hero, Score 1990, Action Packed Rookies 1990
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 9/7     Received: 12/12   (96 days)

Way back in the days of the SWC (SouthWestern Conference) the Houston Cougars were continually struggling for attention under the heels of the traditional powerhouses of the conference. While peppering occasional league titles and bowl appearances, the team went some 10 years without a top 25 finish from the late 70s through the mid-late 80s. It’d be with the arrival of Jack Pardee that the team experienced a renaissance, and return to the national stage. Andre Ware stepped up at quarterback to command Pardee’s Run ‘N Shoot offense in 1989. Despite being under pressure from NCAA sanctions limiting scholarships, and a bowl and TV ban, the Coogs posted a 9-2 record.  Ware lit the offensive record books on fire, including a 95-21 drubbing of SMU, where Andre threw 6 TDs in one quarter. Andre went on to set 13 NCAA records, including most yards passing in a season (4,699),pset91 ware HH while his 46 TD passes fell one short of Jim McMahon‘s record. Ware won the Heisman in 1989 after the season during 4th closest vote- ahead of RB Anthony Thompson (Indiana),  QB Major Harris (West Virginia), and QB Tony Rice (Notre Dame).  Initially Ware intended to stay for his Senior season at UH, but with Jack Pardee bolting for the Houston Oilers down the street- Andre changed his mind and declared for the 1990 NFL draft.

When the draft rolled around I had hoped the Oilers would take Ware to become quarterback Warren Moon‘s heir apparent but Andre did not last long enough for the Houston to nab him. The Lions took Ware at #7. (The Oilers later in the round took another UH alum instead- linebacker Lamar Lathon.)

The Lions ran the ‘Silver Stretch’ Run ‘N Shoot variant under head coach Wayne Fontes, and offensive coordinator Mouse Davis. At quarterback the team had Rodney Peete, and Bob Gagliano, but the Lions were truly built to run with Barry Sanders in the backfield. Ware only started 1 game over the next two seasonssco90 ware rarely getting a chance behind Peete and later Erik Kramer. He was rumored to have alienated players and coaches with his attitude, but Ware, just wanted to play. The Oilers in the meantime attempted to trade Cody Carlson on two occasions to the Lions for Ware, but failed.

After the 1994 season, Andre began the journeyman phase of his career. Over the next few years, Ware saw offseason stops with the Vikings, Raiders, and expansion Jaguars, before finally landing in the CFL with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1995. Later he signed with the BC Lions in 1996, and then found himself backing up Doug Flutie on the Grey Cup Championship winning Toronto Argos in 1997.

Andre last played football in 1999 for the Berlin Thunder in the NFLE, finally retiring after the season due to a fractured shoulder.

Andre has kept to his hometown area, working in the Houston media. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. He currently works for the Houston Texans as a radio color analyst.

Ware marks another in a long line of players that I really wanted on aprks90 waretheir cards. With an abundance of amazing shots, it is easy to notice that many of the companies had Andre tabbed as one of the next big superstars and did not want to have their set left in the cold. I had previously attempted to get Andre through my Houston Texans connection, but that obviously failed when he was cut. It took me some time but with some responses popping up occasionally through sports collectors, I jumped at the opportunity to sign the former Cougars’ signal caller. I really couldn’t decide which cards to send to him. His ProSet 1990 Lions card, and Andre’s Score 1990 Supplemental card also deserved some mention along with these 4. Even his Pacific entry had a nice, dynamic look to it. Feeling guilty about sending these four cards, I sent a check for the autographs, but Andre voided the check, and signed and inscribed all of them, in a bit under 100 days.

G/Gs 14/6    Att 161   Comp 83     Yds 1116    Pct 51.6
Td 5   Int 8    Rat 79.4  |
Rush 38     Yds  217    Avg  5.7    Td 0    Lg 32

CFL 29     Att  252    Comp 134   Yds 1542   Pct 53.1    Td 10  Int 10  |
Rush 40   Yds 316    Avg 7.9      Td 1    Lg 39

WLAF    Att 121   Comp 54   Yds 715   Pct  44.6
Td  4   Int 4   Rat 61.1
Rush 16   Yds  170   Avg  10.6    Td 2     Lg 45

 

NFLE, WLAF

Frankfurt Galaxy

HEAD COACH: Jack Elway
STADIUM: Waldstadion
RECORD: (1991) 7-3 (1992) 3-7

Purple, crimson, and burnt orange gave life to the Galaxy uniform.

BACKGROUND: 

The Frankfurt Galaxy was the only franchise to survive the complete lifetime of the WLAF, NFLE, and Europa, as Germany turned out to be the hotbed for American Football.  At the end of the complete cycle of the league through the years, the Galaxy was the oldest American Football franchise outside of North America with 15 seasons under its belt. The franchise appeared in the World Bowl 8 times and won 4 of them.

With its raucous crowd at Waldstadion, that picked up and embraced the American brand quickly, the Galaxy were a team to be reckoned with in 1991. The team led the league averaging over 35,000 fans a contest in 1991, and had 51,000+ show up for the team’s season ending heart breaker to the lowly Sacramento Surge.

As no owner could be secured to fund the franchise- the league ran the franchise. The team was coached by Jack Elway, father of notable quarterback John Elway, and former QB Oliver Luck served as the General Manager.

The Galaxy name was apparently always at the forefront of the selection process. It was the logo that took sometime to be designed. Even the colors of purple, burnt orange, and crimson came together before the iconography. It took the designers seeing a photo of a nebula taken from a high precision telescope in the LA Times, for the idea to finally take shape.

1991:

 On offense the team revolved around do it all back, Tony Baker– who led the team in rushing, receiving, and kick returns, and the league in yards from scrimmage.

Quarterback Mike Perez was the 3rd quarterback taken overall in the draft and threw 13 touchdowns on 357 attempts. Jason Johnson was Perez’s favorite WR target, making 38 receptions for 635 yards and 4 TDs. Cedric Gordon, Alvin Lee, Craig Morton, (and future monster truck racer) Chad Fortune, rounded out the receiver corps as all made over 15 receptions each.

Stefan Maslo was a homegrown German product found in Operation Discovery, but had a rough season finishing 6/13 on FGs and 7/9 on XPs.

The defense on this team was full of rocks and glass. Running a 3-4 defense, the team scored the first points in league history when Chris Williams stuffed runningback Judd Garrett of the Monarchs for a safety.  Chris Alexander led the Galaxy with 7 sacks. Not far behind, Mark Mraz, and Chris Williams both finished with 6.5.  The team finished with 42 sacks in 1991, and 11 interceptions.

Cedric Stallworth led the back 4 with 3 interceptions, while hard hitting safety Tim Broady came to the line and made 2 picks and 3.5 sacks. After losing the opening contest to the Monarchs 24-11,  the Galaxy seemed to like to live on the edge, winning only two games convincingly by greater than 7 points (NY-NJ and Montreal).

Outside of that, Frankfurt seemed content to win ugly games on the back of its smothering defense, 10-3 over the Riders, Dragons, and Fire, 30-28 over the Skyhawks, and 17-14 over the Thunder.  

Strangely the Surge, – the only team that the Galaxy played twice that season, just seemed to be their Achilles’s Heel, as Frankfurt dropped both contests against them that season. The losses proved decisive and despite their 7-3 record, the Galaxy did not qualify for the playoffs. They finished 3rd in their all European division behind eventual champion London and runner-up Barcelona.

1992:

The team was riding high entering 1992, and there was a lot of optimism in the air.  After the 7-3 record in 1991 fans were enthusiastic that 1992 would be the year for Frankfurt, but much the opposite happened as the team, and the European squads, became mired in mediocrity.

The season started out strong. Frankfurt opened with victories over their European counterparts, Barcelona (17-0), and London (31-28) to go 2-0, then proceeded to lose their next 7 in a row.  A season ending victory over the Monarchs 19-16, capped off their 3-7 record.  

Unfortunately most of the 1991 defensive talent of the team had been cannibalized by the NFL in the offseason and the team (much to its credit,) attempted to address this by adding former Skyhawk players Jon Carter and Pat McGuirk to the defense. The team had lost its cardiac appeal, and dropped 3 games by 9 points. A horrible mid-season stretch punctuated by losses to Orlando 38-0, formerly winless Ohio 20-17, and the Sacramento Surge 51-7, really put the writing on the wall.

Unflappable Mike Perez split quarterbacking duties with Alex Espinoza and Chris Cochrane after being injured early on into the season. Leading rusher Tony Baker struggled to a 2.8 average per carry behind a once solid line. Chad Fortune at TE led the team with 40 receptions for 494 yards and 5 touchdowns. -Tony himself was not far behind at 39. 1992 signee Lew Barnes electrified the offense on 24 receptions, taking 3 of them for touchdowns including an 86 yarder. Jason Johnson (22 receptions) and Richard Buchanan (21 receptions,17.3 yard average, and 3 touchdowns,) rounded out a fairly reliable receiving corps. 

Robbie Keen was a welcome oddity to the team, as he handled both kicking and punting for the departed Stefan Maslo.  Unfortunately he had 3 blocked punts on the year, and was 2/6 on field goals outside of 40 yards.  Receiver Lew Barnes gave Baker a much needed respite at punt returner and split time with him at kick returner largely to the same average results. 

On defense, Tim Broady was flying around the secondary like a man on a mission at safety. He recorded 4 picks for 172 yards, and a league record 107 yard return for a TD.  The team’s leading sacker was Willie Don Wright at 5, and then Lyneil Mayo and George Muraoka at 4.  

NOTES:

The Galaxy were able to capitalize off of the large American military presence in the area to help boost attendance.

Frankfurt played both the first and the last game in WLAF/NFLE/Eurpopa history.

The Galaxy was 0-3 against the Sacramento Surge, and 0-3 against the worst team (Surge x2 1991 and Glory 1992) in the WLAF.

Oliver Luck’s son Andrew (future NFL QB) spent time with his dad overseas in Frankfurt.

LEGACY: 

When the WLAF reemerged in 1995, they completely retooled the league. The teams now included holdovers Barcelona, London, and Frankfurt, and newcomers Amsterdam, Rhein, and Scotland.

Frankfurt won its first World Bowl 26-22 over Amsterdam. The Galaxy featured WLAF leader in passing yardage, Paul Justin, who had 2,394 yards, Nathaniel Bolton at runningback (420 yards), and Mario Bailey at receiver with 46 receptions. The team was loaded across the board on offense, but the defense was staggering registering an impressive 23 turnovers primarily between Chris Hall (8 int), Jack Kellogg (7 int), and Johnny Dixon (5 int).

Other players of note on the team were former Houston Oiler WR Tony Jones, Philadelphia receiver Mike Bellamy, OL Mark Dixon, and Falcon receiver Shawn Collins. Former NFL player Ernie Stautner was head coach of the franchise as a whole new front office came in, and was named Coach of the Year for his efforts.

In 1996 the franchise repeated, appearing in the World Bowl, but lost to the Scottish Claymores 32-27. Former Dallas Cowboy Steve Pelluer led the charge at quarterback throwing for 2136 yards after Ryan left the franchise. Most of the team returned intact, including Mario Bailey, and Mike Bellamy. Jay Kerney however, led the team with 50 catches. On defense the team had another solid season but the anemic rushing game kept games interesting all season long. 

The 1997 season didn’t provide great highlights for the Galaxy. They slipped to a 4-6 record with inconsistencies at quarterback. Mario Bailey again returned to the squad, accompanied by Travis Hannah at WR. Future coach John Morton also played WR on the team, and journeyman punter Scott Player, (who ended up playing in 4 different leagues during his career,) also ended up on the roster. 

The 1998 season saw a new coach in Dick Curl- and the Galaxy responded by returning to the World Bowl again, but lost to the Rhein Fire 34-10.  Posting a 7-3 record that season, Curl was named NFLE Coach of the Year in both 1998 and 1999. Future NFL Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo was defensive coordinator, former WR Wes Chandler coached receivers, and Jack Bicknell‘s son coached linebackers. Notables from this team were Damon Huard, Mel Agee, Vernon Turner, and of course, Mario Bailey. They’d win WB ’99 38-24 over the Barcelona Dragons with future Carolina Panther QB Jake Delhomme and Pat Barnes.  In 2000, the franchise took a step back, finishing at 4-6.  After the season Dick Curl resigned finishing with a 17-13 record.  

In 2001, Doug Graeber stepped into the head coaching role for the Galaxy- but the team was in a rebuilding mode and Mario Bailey had retired. Toronto Argonaut Michael Bishop started at quarterback, and AFL veteran Andy McCullough was at receiver and the team struggled to a 3-7 record. In 2002, the team showed some signs of life, posting a 6-4 record. Of note, Matt Bryant would be the kicker on this team and runningback Curtis Alexander set a NFLE record for most yards from scrimmage in a game with 279.  The team finished tied for first with a 6-4 record with the Rhein Fire in 2003. James Brown and Quinn Gray would play in a 2 headed monster rotation at quarterback and crush the Fire for the championship 35-16.

After finishing 7-3 in 2004 under new head coach Mike Jones, the Galaxy returned to the World Bowl championship, but it ended in a 30-24 heart breaker to the Berlin Thunder. The team fell off the map briefly in 2004, at 3-7 , but rebounded again to win the World Bowl in 2005, this time 22-7 over the Amsterdam Admirals.

2007 was the final season of the league. It was fitting that the Galaxy- the team that won more championships and was the oldest of any franchise outside the US, would face the youngest in the Hamburg Sea Devils.  In the final game of the NFLE, the Galaxy lost to the Sea Devils 37-28.  The league disbanded after the season. It was a nice ride for the Frankfurt Galaxy who lasted for some 15 seasons.  

Germany has not forgotten football, and the city of Frankfurt has a new American Football team called the Frankfurt Universe, and Germany itself continues to be a hotbed of American Football with a budding minor league scene.

Oliver Luck has gone on to do greater things in football working behind the scenes for the NCAA for many years and now heading the new Spring football initiative with the XFL 2020.

GM– Oliver Luck
HC- Jack Elway (DEC)
QB– Mike Perez
RB- Tony Baker
WR- Jason Johnson, Lew Barnes
OL- Mark Tucker
DL- Mike Teeter, Garry Frank, Jon Carter
LB- Pat Moorer, Willie Don Wright
DB- Pat McGuirk, Joe Greenwood, Bill Ragans
K- Stephan Maslo
P- Tom Whelihan

Thanks to the generous donations of @CFLfan_inPhilly I have been able to begin work on expanding the shrine to the World League, by adding members of the league’s spiritual successor, NFLE/Europa through their various card sets.

These players appeared with the Galaxy between 1995-2007.

HC- Douglas Graber, Mike Jones
Other Coaches- Biff Parson, Markus Grahn, Ed O Neil, Cornell Brown, Kenny Stills
QB- Ted White, Pat Barnes, James Brown, Jake Delhomme, Quinn Gray, Steve Pelluer, Jeff Otis, Bryson Spinner, Craig Ochs
RB- Norman Miller, Anthony Sherrell, Decori Birmingham, J.R. Niklos, Adam Tate, Eero Heinonen, Jonas Lewis, Robert Gillespie, Martin Latka, Roger Robinson
WR- Todd Floyd, Corey Thomas, Derrick Tinsley, Mike Bellamy, Shawn Collins, Felton Huggins, Mario Bailey, Gregory Spann, Slawomir Rybarczyk, Brian McDonald, Marc Lester, Marc Soumah, Calvin Spears, Corey McIntyre, Robert Baker, Hugo Lira, Tom Crowder, Adam Herzing, Walter Young, Marvin Allen, Aaron Hoasck
TE- Werner Hippler, Kori Dickerson, Josh Whitman, Iiro Luoto, Sean McHugh, Keith Willis, Ed Smith
OL- Theo Adams, Pete Campion, Michael Moore, David Pruce, Douglas Kaufusi, Corey Mitchell, Isaac Snell, Samuel Gutekunst, Charles Missant, Matt McGhghy, Qasim Mitchell, Jason Nerys, Will Svitek, Rob Droege, Roderick Green
DL- Ulrich Winkler, Mel Agee, Dennis Englebrecht, Joey Evans, David Benetka, John Schlecht, Devon Finn, Johnny Thomas, Buck Gurley, David Harley, Daniel Benetka, Justin Brown, Jerome Nichols, Elliot Harris, Josh Cooper
LB- Fred Pagac, Shawn Banks, Kevin McCullar, Cuneyt Topcu, Idris Price, Fred Jones, Dustin Cohen, Jody Littleton, Matt Sinclair, Shurendy Concetion, Sarth Benoit, Travis Harris, Jared Newberry, Matt Farrior,
DB- Lance Gunn, Quincy Coleman, Jim Cantelupe, Jeremy Unertl, Rashidi Barnes, Chris Cummings, Chris Young, Chris Pointer, Kalvin Pearson, Joselio Hanson, Lenny Williams, Jeff Brown, James Taylor, Bill Alford, Rob Lee, Brandon Haw, DeMario Williams,
K- Ralf Kleinmann, Jon Hilbert, David Kimball
P- Tim Morgan, Mike Barr
MASCOT- Franky

At this time I am still missing autographs on these cards from:

ProSet 1991 WLAF:
Tim Broady
Mark Mraz
Yepi Pau’u
Chris Williams

Ultimate 1992: 
Yepi Pau’u 
Cedric Stallworth
Mark Seals
Anthony Wallace
Timothy Broady
Lonnie Finch
Chad Fortune
Harry Jackson
Joe Johnson

Wild Card 1992:
Johnny Thomas
Richard Buchanan
Chad Fortune
Anthony Wallace
Steve Bartalo
Lyneil Mayo
Alex Espinoza