Smith, Kolby

tofi10 kol smithCard: Topps Finest 2007
Acquired: 2013, Target Autograph Memorabilia

Kolby Smith is one of those players who is faster in pads than he looks. He finished his college career at Louisville with 1698 yards on 288 carries as primarily a part time starter. Running a 4.5 at the combine, Kolby was taken in the 5th round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, who were looking for new blood behind Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson.  He’d get into the lineup sooner than anyone expected after the sudden retirement of Holmes and injuries to Johnson. Listed as a fullback, he’d finish 2007 with 112 caries for 407 yards and 2 TDs .  Smith contributed in 2008 with 100 yards on 35 carries, and 10 receptions for 52 yards.  An ankle injury claimed the end of Kolby’s 2009 season and he’d be waived in 2010. Both the Broncos and Jaguars took speculative looks at him, claiming Smith off of waivers, however he’d not see the regular team roster for either squad.

Kolby has already decided to leap into coaching, where he worked at Arkansas in 2012 as a General Assistant, and 2013 at Western Kentucky University as the runningbacks coach.

G/GS 27/9   RUSH 162     YDS  540    AVG 3.3   TD 3     LG 19
REC  34     YDS 209    AVG 6.1    TD 0        LG   17

Jones, Robert (2)

flr95 rjones cla92 rjones pset92 rjones  stpics92 rjones gday93 rjonesgday92 rjones phomem15 rjones
Cards: Star Pics 1992, Gameday 1992, Gameday 1993, ProSet 1992, Fleer 1995, Classic 1992, Photo Memorabilia.
Acquired: In Person, Bud Light Signing San Antonio
See Also: Robert Jones

I braved a monsoonal torrent down I-35 in traffic for a hour to HEB only to discover after an hour of milling around that store that Gameday Sports Tours had moved the event to another location without notifying anybody.  It was literally the perfect storm, as Gameday had become fed up with behavior of other members on a message board and just decided not to update things anymore. While I understand why they did it, overall it strikes me as unprofessional and immature to check out like that. Left in the lurch, the manager at the HEB was able to eventually direct me via the phone to the correct location approximately 5 miles away for the event. With Robert running slightly late (- maybe due to the weather or the driver who also took him to the wrong location,) he expressed a need to leave early due to wanting to watch his son’s football game; However, he heartily signed anything and everything fans had.  Robert also is on Twitter and is very vocal about his Alma Mater’s current state of affairs in college football.

Some great cards here of Robert, it was difficult to choose which ones to get autographed. Luckily he hit all these cards for me and penned this garish photo of himself. I had always wanted to get his college cards autographed. Both Star Pics and Classic have fallen by the wayside in the garbage of dead companies over the years but I enjoyed their issues very much at the time. The Gameday and ProSet were all exceptional photoshots of Robert, while the Fleer was just a set grab. There’s probably just one or two more of Jones I’d like to get signed at this point, but otherwise, the event and the haul turned out to balance out a poorly set up event.

Brown, Carlton

tntafl11 cbrown tntafl14 cbrown

Card: TNT AFL 2014
Acquired: In Person, 5/3/2014 Talons vs. Barnstormers.

Carlton Brown earned First Team All SW Athletic Conference honors in 2005 after recording 27 tackles and 4 interceptions in 11 games for Jackson State.

He’d sign with the Utah Blaze in 2008, and record his first interception in 2010 while with the Milwaukee Mustangs. Brown played the 2011 campaign with the Kansas City Command, and return to the Blaze in 2012 for a 5 interception performance.

Mercenary defensive back Carlton Brown found a home with the San Antonio Talons in 2013, compiling his best season as a pro with 63 tackles, 10 pass blocks, 1 forced fumble and 8 interceptions. He’d be hit by the injury bug in 2014 after recording an additional 2 picks and 10 tackles. With the Talons suspending operations after the season, he’d play for both the Jacksonville Sharks and the LA Kiss in 2015.
Over his time in the league, Brown has also served time returning kicks boasting a 15.8 yard average on 101 returns and 3 touchdowns.

Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.