Tag Archives: action packed rookies 1990

CFL, NFL

Rison, Andre ‘Bad Moon’

Action Packed Rookies 1990, #83

CARDS: Pro Set 1989, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed Rookies & Stars 1990
ACQUIRED: 2022, Private Signing

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Andre Rison was a dominant receiver who played at Michigan State.
  • He established career record marks for receptions (146), and yards (2992).
  • Also was a great basketball and track man for the Spartans.
  • Selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft.
  • Was second among all rookie receivers in 1989 with 820 yards, and was the first Colts receiver in almost 10 years to catch over 50 passes in their rookie season (52).
  • He and Bill Brooks were an effective 1-2 punch, pairing for the most 100 yard games since ’68.
  • Well in 1990, the Colts were desperate for a QB, so they packaged up Andre, T Chris Hinton, and draft picks to get the #1 pick from the Falcons to select Jeff George.
  • While the Colts were imploding over the next few years, Rison was reaching new heights in the Falcons Red Gun offense.
  • He also adopted a bad boy persona and became known as ‘Bad Moon’ Rison.
  • He had a career high 93 receptions in ’92, 1,242 yards , and a league leading 15 TDs in 1994.
  • Andre started 73 games over his time in Atlanta, catching 423 passes for 5633 yards and 56 TDs over 5 seasons.
  • In 1995, Andre signed with the Browns playing one seasons with the team.
  • After a disappointing season in Cleveland, where he feuded with fans, Rison played in 1996 for the Jags, and then was picked up by the Pack who needed help at receiver.
  • He’d earn a Super Bowl ring that season catching passes from Brett Favre.
  • Rison cashed in after the season, proving that perhaps he just needed a change of scenery from his hiccup two previous seasons ago in Cleveland.
  • Andre had a minor resurgence after he signed with the Chiefs in 1997.
  • He’d catch 72 passes for 1092 yards and 7 TDs, earning the nickname Spider-man.
  • Rison at this point of his career was attempting to rehabilitate his image as a diva, and Spider-man seemed like a positive role model.
  • After a total of 3 seasons in KC, Rison played one final year in the NFL with the Raiders in Oakland.
  • Despite not starting that year, he put up 41 catches for 606 yards and 6 TDs.
  • Rison took some time away from the sport, but returned in 2004 to play for the Toronto Argonauts.
  • He played just long enough to help the team win the Grey Cup, and retired after the 2005 campaign.
  • After his playing days ended, Andre has gone into coaching.
Pro Set 1989, #497
Action Packed 1990, #107

ACCOLADES:

  • Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
  • All-Rookie Team 1989
  • AP 1990
  • 2nd Team AP 1991-’93
  • Pro Bowl 1990-’93, 1997

NOTES:

Boasting an extremely low signing percentage and an ancient last return date there was no way I was going to get Andre through the mail. I knew the best chance I’d have is to probably go through a private signing. I follow a couple of private signers and Facebook pages that promote them, and finally after missing out on one already- I was able to get him affordably on these three cards. The problem is with Andre, as he was an early darling of every set that came onto the scene in those early days of the big card boom, so I literally have probably five or six more set needs. Andre was an excellent receiver on the Atlanta Falcons in Tecmo Super Bowl and Super Tecmo Bowl.

Andre has a pretty solid resume, but maybe due to his bad image early in his career that caused him to be perceived as a diva, and then just as a bad guy in general, he’s gotten little traction from voters for the HoF, even though he’s gone to great lengths to dispel his reputation. Despite possessing a 10k resume, and impressive TD numbers, Rison is now caught in the logger jam at WR building from more modern candidates that have inflated numbers due to a game geared more towards the passing game. Andre is also one of a unique club of players who has won both a Grey Cup and a Super Bowl.

NFL

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CFL

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NFL

Carter, Dexter

Score 1990, #657

CARDS: Action Packed 1990, Score 1990, Pro Set 1990
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 5/18 RECEIVED: 5/27 (9 Days)
FAILURE: TTM C/o Home 2018, 2019

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Possessing gamebreaking speed and great hands, Dexter Carter played from 1987-90 for the Florida State Seminoles.
  • Dexter rushed for 1839 yards and 17 TDs on 351 carries, splitting time for a majority of his career with Sammie Smith.
  • Selected by the San Fransisco 49ers near the bottom of round one in the 1990 NFL Draft.
  • Started at KR in rookie season, but was pressed into service early with injuries to Roger Craig.
  • Rushed for 460 yards and caught 25 passes, finishing with 1460 yards from scrimmage.
  • 124 yards rushing against Rams was highest total by a 49ers rookie since 1971.
  • 74 yard TD run against Rams was longest TD run of season in the league.
  • Saw similar role in 1991 in a platoon of runningbacks.
  • Ran for 379 yards and 2 TDs on 85 carries and caught 23 passes for 253 yards.
  • Had 37 kick returns for 839 yards, including a 98 yard TD to lead NFL.
  • After an injury riddled 1992, became 49ers resident return specialist for punts as well.
  • Had 34 returns for 411 yards and a TD in 1993.
  • In 1994, returned 48 kicks for 1105 yards (23.0 yards per return) and a 96 yard TD.
  • Signed with the Jets in 1995, but after only 10 games was cut, returning to ‘9ers to finish out season.
  • Had career long 78 yard punt return for a TD that year with SF.
  • Played one final year with 49ers in 1996 and retired.
  • Spent a few seasons as a positional coach at his Alma mater FSU.
Pro Set 1990, #693
Acton Packed Rookies 1990, #25

ACCOLADES:

  • San Fransisco 49ers 50th Anniversary Modern All-Time Team

NOTES:
After 2 failures, I finally was able to get Dexter Carter on his Action Packed card I wanted to have him sign all along. I had pretty much run out of cards, save for these last 3. His Score 1990 really stands out. It’s a beautiful, rare frontal shot of Dexter darting for daylight.

Dexter really didn’t get the credit he deserved as a returner outside of SF. One wonders that if he played 10-15 seasons like other accomplished returnmen if Dexter would’ve gotten the acclaim he deserved.

Dexter is notable as during his 1995 campaign between the Jets and the 49ers, he ended up playing in 17 games that year during a 16 game skid.

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NFL

McCants, Keith (1968-2021)

Action Packed Rookies 1990, #60

CARD: Action Packed Rookies 1990
ACQUIRED: Ebay, 2022
FAILURE: TTM C/o Home, 2018, 2020

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Alabama’s very own homegrown product played LB two years for the Crimson Tide in 88 and 89.
  • Highly regarded specimen coming out, finished with 156 solo tackles (216 total), 2 interceptions, 6 sacks, and a fumble recovery over college career.
  • Selected #4 overall in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  • Converted to DE in 1991, posting 54 tackles and 5 sacks that year.
  • Almost duplicated those numbers again in ’92, with 58 tackles and 5 sacks.
  • Converted back again to LB in ’93, but was cut and later signed by the Houston Oilers.
  • Used as a hybrid tweener DE/LB by Oilers.
  • After about a season and a half in Houston, signed with the Cardinals as a free agent during the ’94 campaign.
  • Recorded first career TD, intercepting a Steve Walsh (CHI) pass and returning it 46 yards.
  • Played one final season in Arizona, in 95, but not before recovering a fumble for a TD for second career defensive TD.
  • Loved scuba so much, that after playing career ended, broke barriers by becoming the first black marine conservation officer.
  • After that was extremely rough. Battled drug addictions, starting with painkillers in playing days, and advancing to more hard stuff after career had ended when those weren’t available.
  • Battled homelessness, financial destitution and attempted to commit suicide in jail.
  • Still managed to emerge from trauma, and by 2015 had written a book about his playing time and even started working as an afternoon sports radio personality in Tampa.

NOTES:

Perhaps the direst of set needs, when this autograph of his showed up on EBay alongside a host of other Bucs autos from the same vendor, I didn’t hesitate to pick it up.

Over the years, Keith had some amazing cards. He was there for the big boom, and had some great ones from 1989’s Pro Set entry to Game Day 1992.

Of small note, Keith was one of the more recognizable players on the Oilers, who got into the middle of and broke up the fight between Buddy Ryan and Kevin Gilbride.

One that just got away…

I mean, really what can I say about Keith? Don’t do drugs just somehow rings hollow- like both sarcastically and in a sense that it just doesn’t do enough justice to fix the problem…. You know like, “Thoughts and prayers.” -Especially when it comes to things like painkillers and prescription over the counter drugs.

I wrote to Keith and failed in 2018. Afterwards I was told he was on Facebook, so I reached out and started having conversations over the next few months with him supposedly on Facebook. I sent him an updated Facebook header and then he’d send me chain letter links and scriptures, but beyond that we didn’t get anywhere on autographs. Sometimes he’d initiate conversations. I unfortunately wondered even then if it was just a byproduct of a bender or something he was struggling with. Strangely it abruptly stopped right after I announced my father’s passing, however I wonder if that was just coincidental.

I was happy to know later that he was doing better, and had recently, with the help of a good samaritan, gotten his hip successfully replaced.

Unfortunately those demons of drug abuse again came to roost. Maybe he was a functioning addict. Who knows when or where it all started up again or if he was truly clean for the umpteenth time? All of that doesn’t matter.

All those dreams… All those memories…

He died of a drug overdose on September 2nd, 2021. -He was just 53.

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