Tag Archives: Action packed 1991

Lockhart, Eugene

Cards: Action Packed 1990, ProSet 1990, Action Packed 1991
Acquired: In Person 1990, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp. TTM 1992, Patriots Blitz

A shrewd 5th round pick by the Dallas Cowboys administration in 1984, Eugene Lockhart was witness to the collapse and rebirth of the dynasty.  Eugene was the first rookie to start at middle linebacker for the Cowboys and was a tackling machine. Perhaps his best season was in 1989 where he logged well over 220 tackles, yet was playing for the 1-15 Cowboys, and was not voted to the ProBowl. The tackles were a club record. Unfortunately the team decided to jettison him to New England (for the Cowboys drafting rights to Russell Maryland) in 1991 where he’d play through the 1992 season and retire. Over the years I got his autograph at Cowboys Training Camp and then through the mail with the Patriots. Lockhart was shocked by the trading and was heartbroken by the decision. He’d be quoted as saying, “It’s a cold business.. and it’s even colder in New England.” While on New England he’d contribute any way he could to the franchise, even playing as the ‘up back’ on special teams. On a more hilarious note, Lockhart blocked his own team’s punt -with his butt. His teammates would affectionately nickname him ‘Bigbutt’.

Unfortunately Lockhart hasn’t made the best decisions since his playing days- being jailed recently for violating the terms of his bail (from bank and wire fraud), reputedly failing a drug test while out on bail. As of early 2011 he is still awaiting trial.

G/Gs 136/117   Tac 996      Sac 16      Fum 11      Int   6    Yds  83     Avg  13.7    Td 1   Lg 32

Brooks, Bill

Card: Action Packed 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, Colts Blitz

Bill Brooks was a reliable, sure handed receiver drafted by the Colts in the years before their brief Andre Rison fling. Taken in the 4th round of the 1986 draft, he’d be a pretty decent bargain for the Colts, as Brooks would make 1136 yards receiving his rookie season topping even perennial Pro Bowl receiver Ernest Givins who came off the board in the first round as well. A popular player among fans, Bill dominated the Colts receiving charts and was immortalized in the first edition of Tecmo Bowl on Nintendo. He’d fly under the radar for the majority of the remainder of his career for the Colts, yet lead the team in receiving in five of the seven seasons he was with the team. At 6’0″, 193, Brooks posessed a nice balance of size and speed to get open and make the catch over smaller defenders. He never failed to make below 700 yards a season until an injury plagued 1992. During his tenure with the Colts, Bill played with 7 different quarterbacks, ranging from Jack Trudeau and Chris Chandler, to Jeff George and Gary Hogeboom. Brooks played 3 more seasons with the Bills helping the team reach the Super Bowl XXVIII, and going from worst with Indianapolis to first in Buffalo. After his stint in Buffalo, Billy played one more final season in 1996 with the Washington Redskins before retiring with a respectable 8001 receiving yards.

Bill is well received by the Colts faithful and has been inducted into the team’s ring of honor. Holding multiple records for the Indianapolis Colts upon his departure, Bill now works in the front office for the franchise. One wonders how Bill’s career would have turned out if Eric Dickerson didn’t show up, the team didn’t have 4 coaches during his 7 years with the franchise, or he had regular consistency at the quarterback position.

G/Gs 169/132     Rec 583     Yds 8001    Avg 13.7   Td 46     Lg  84t

Stark, Rohn

Card: Action Packed 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, Colts Blitz

An All-American decathalete and punter at Florida State, Rohn Stark was the most decorated punter to play college football since Ray Guy. (He was also a killer punter during the 80s and 90s with the Colts. He not only played for the Indianapolis Colts but also the Baltimore Colts- before they got in the Mayflower trucks and headed East.) Stark would also be a part of probably the best kicker and punter combination in Tecmo Bowl being paired with Dean Biasucci, and ironically year over year they’d be the most consistent part of the Colts through their combined tenure up to the end of 1994.
Originally drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 2nd round of the 1982 draft, Rohn would really come into his own by 1983 where he’d be named 2nd team AP with a gaudy 45.3 average and lead the league with over 4100 yards. His 1984 would be equally impressive as Stark would lead the league with 98 punts that season. 85 and 86 would be ProBowl caliber seasons, leading the league in average yards per punt with a 45.9 and a 45.2 yard average respectively. While the rest of his career would not see him reach such levels- Rohn would never average below 40 yards per punt during 13 seasons but would return to the ProBowl again in 1990 and 1992. With free agency and the salary cap making players and positions more expendable, Stark would leave via free agency in 1995, playing one season in Pittsburgh where he made his lone SuperBowl appearance. In 1996 he’d put his skills to work for the Carolina Panthers, and in 1997 finish out his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Rohn also held on extra points and field goal attempts and was notably left footed- meaning the ball was spinning the opposite direction than punt returners would expect after he would punt it. Stark holds another odd accomplishment as the only Baltimore Colt to play against the Baltimore Ravens. At the time of his retirement in 1997, Stark was top 5 in career punts and yardage. Stark like many other punters, will probably never get his due as the NFL HoF shows little respect for the position.

G/Gs 233/233    P 1141      Yds 49471    Avg 43.4    Lg 72   Blk  7