Herron, Dan ‘Boom’

poff12 herronCard:  Playoff Contenders 2012
Acquired: 2014 BB, Target Autographed Memorabilia

Daniel Herron went to Ohio State University, where he had 1,155 yards and 16 TDs on 216 carries in 2010. Among the talented corps of starters who were suspended, culminating in the resignation of longtime coach Jim Tressel – Herron returned to the Buckeyes just in time to rush for 678 yards and 3 TDs during 2011.

He signed with the Bengals after the 2012 draft, but was off and on the roster. Eventually he worked his way onto special teams, where he finished the season with a blocked punt and 4 carries for 5 yards. Dan signed with the Colts in 2013 where he was quickly buried on the depth chart. Of note he made his first NFL catch- a 57 yard reception. In 2014, the Colts were leaning on their runningback by committee approach of Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw, when Bradshaw went down with a season ending injury.

Herron stepped in and took over for Bradshaw racing for a 49 yard TD gallop against the Redskins. It’d be the first of his career. Dan finished with 351 yards on 78 carries, and haul in 21 receptions for 173 yards as the Colts made the playoffs in 2014.

 

Williams, Calvin

scosup90 cwilliamsud92 cwilliams

Cards:  Score Supplemental 1990, Upper Deck 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, 2015-  C/o Home, C/o Purdue
Sent:  11/8/11  Received: 3/19/15    (1227 days)
Sent: 3/16/15   Received: 3/26/15    (10 days)

The Eagles passing attack during the late 80s was crippled by the declining durability of wide receiver Mike Quick, and the departure of Cris Carter, so they moved to address it. To do so, Philadelphia aggressively went after receivers during the 1990 draft. In addition to selecting Mike Bellamy in round two, and Fred Barnett in round three, the Eagles swooped back in round five and picked Calvin Williams. Williams had one of the better combines that year, and fought had to win a spot in training camp. He performed so well, that he took over Carter’s former starting spot, and set an Eagles rookie record with 9 receiving touchdowns.  His 37 receptions for 602 yards contributed to him earning All-Rookie Honors at the end of the season. A solid redzone threat throughout much of the early part of his career, Calvin again led the Eagles in TDs in both 1992 (7 TDs) and 1993 (10 TDs- a career high).  In 1995, he had a career high 63 receptions and later joined the Baltimore Ravens during the 1996 season.

I spoke to Calvin back in 2011 via SotL (School of the Legends). Back then, SotL billed itself as an online community for fans to talk to, and get advice from NFL players. I had begun to build a reputation on the site as a knowledgeable fan, and began to send out TTM to some of those players. Over those months I had a few conversations with Calvin and decided to shoot a few cards out.

Shortly after declaring a new long wait response, Calvin Williams blows that one out of the water by nearly 3 years. Williams has built an interesting reputation within the TTM community. Not only is Calvin a sporadic signer, he signs only one card, keeps the rest, and frequently switches out the card he sends back with other people who have previously sent requests.  The Score Supplemental was the only card that I sent out back in 2011 that made it back. I was happy with that. In the meantime before that one came back I had sent out a second attempt, but he switched out the Action Packed Rookies 1990 and the GameDay 1992 cards with this – Upper Deck 1992 card. Oh well, still a success in my book.

Calvin was among the leading plaintiffs who sued the NFL and helmet makers for concussion and head related injuries in 2011.  He’s been involved in physical education for quite a few years, and is currently on the Purdue Boilermakers staff.

G/Gs 100/85     Rec 308     Yds 3925    Avg 12.7     Td 35    Lg 80t

 

Hilliard, Dalton

sco90 hilliardCard: ProSet 1990 LL, Score 1990 Ground Force
Acquired: 2015, LSU Paid Signing
Failure: TTM 2010, C/o Home

Dalton Hilliard was an accomplished runningback from LSU. Considered undersized, but possessing incredible speed paired with excellent cutting ability and balance- Hilliard fit the mold of a protypical slasherback. Dalton joined an impressive group of runners at LSU in 1982, alongside Gene Lang and Garry James. He’d establish himself as the lead back, narrowly missing 1,000 yards. His 16 TDs shattered the Freshman scoring record held by Herschel Walker. From there Hilliard etched himself into the school’s recordbooks, becoming the Tigers’ all-time leading rusher with 4,050 yards.

Dalton was drafted near the top of round 2 by the New Orleans Saints in 1986.  Again, the knock on Hillard centered on his size and durability at the next level, despite his robust productivity. Head Coach Jim Mora was determined to give the Saints a strong rushing game, and unabashedly drafted 3 more backs during the draft: Rueben Mayes (3rd), Barry Word (5th), and Gil Fennerty (7th). In addition, the Saints signed USFL Breakers runningback/ fullback Buford Jordan. Hilliard finished as the team’s second leading rusher his rookie year with 425 yards and 5 TDs, as Mayes established himself as the lead back. 1987 saw Hilliard emerge as a touchdown threat. He’d lead the team in TDs with 8 as the Saints cracked the playoffs with a 12-4 record, in a rotational platoon. As injuries sapped Mayes productivity, Hilliard began to see more playing time.

pset90 hilliard llIn 1989 Dalton had an impact year for the Saints rushing for 1,269 yards and 13 TDs and 52 receptions for 512 yards and 5 TDs. He’d lead the NFL in TDs that year, and earn a Pro Bowl berth.  He’d not get a chance to repeat, as he had a season ending catastrophic knee injury in Week 6 of 1990.

Dalton returned to the Saints for 1991, but was relegated to primarily scat back status, as Fred McAfee and Craig ‘Ironhead’ Heyward, also shared time with Dalton through the 1993 season. After the season the Saints did not reelect to sign him. Dalton decided to retire, less than 100 yards from being the team’s all-time leading rusher.

Hilliard entered into the business world where he’s had a lucrative contracting businesses, and is currently a CEO for an energy corporation.

At one point, I had gotten Dalton’s Starting Lineup figurine, and back in 2011, I sent out for his autograph but never got a response. He was just one of those players who had some amazing looking cards over the years.  Unable to get a response from him, I did a paid signing in 2015 to finally knock him off my list.

G/GS 108/43      Rush  1126    Yds  4,164      Avg   3.7       TD  39      Lg 65 |
Rec  249     Yds 2,223     Avg  9.0      TD  14       Lg  54
KR  25     Yds  526     Avg 21.0    TD 0     Lg 74
Att 7      Comp 4        Yds 114     Pct  57.1     Td 4      Int 0       Rat  141.4

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