Tag Archives: action packed rookies 1990

Barnett, Fred

Card: Action Packed Rookies 1990
Acquired: In Person 1994, Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp

Wide receivers weren’t highly rated coming out of the 1990 draft and there wasn’t even one taken in the 1st round. In fact the #1 rated receiver Reggie Rembert didn’t even log 500 career yards. There were 6 receivers taken (7 if you include supplemental pick Rob Moore,) before Fred Barnett out of Arkansas State, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles along with Calvin Williams (5th round) and Mike Bellamy (2nd round). The Eagles were desperate to rejuvenate a beleaguered wide receiver corps that had Mike Quick retiring due to patella tendinitis in 1990 and Cris Carter being cut the previous year.  With Mike Bellamy wearing out his welcome and being cut midway through the 1990 season, Barnett and Williams became Randall Cunnningham‘s go to duo. Fred would not disappoint, hauling in a 95 yard touchdown in his rookie year and was known to sacrifice his body to go up top to make the catch. (Perhaps there was added pressure because head coach Buddy Ryan hated wide receivers, even going so far as saying to Barnett, “To catch the damn ball or you’re fired!”) Barnett would make the ProBowl in 1992, – with 1083 yards and 6 touchdowns. After an injury plagued 1993, Fred would return to form and have a career high 1127 yards in 1994.  He’d leave the Eagles in 1996, playing two oft injured seasons for the Miami Dolphins before retiring in 1998.

Barnett since retiring has remained physically active and fit- even considering returning to the sport as late as 2005. He has dabbled in a variety of ventures including fashion design, acting, and a variety of charitable work. At last glance he still lives in the Philadelphia area and still passionately follows the Eagles. I got his autograph at Philadelphia Eagles training camp in West Chester back in 1994. Also of note is that Fred is a cousin of former wide receiver Tim Barnett of the Kansas City Chiefs.

G/Gs 96/88     Rec  361       Yds 5362        Avg  14.9       Td 32        Lg  95T

Foster, Barry

Card: Action Packed Rookies 1990
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The Pittsburgh Steelers

Barry Foster. Quite an interesting player and career, but first a segway. I started playing fantasy football way back in 1990, so when my friends ‘discovered it’ in 1992, they casually omitted me from the league draft for some reason. The commissioner allowed me to join the league after their draft and I quickly assembled a competent group of free agents and players that included Barry Foster and Gary Clark into a team called the ‘Pennsylvania Pinto Beans’. I would dominate the first two weeks of the league until complaints from other owners arose, and the commissioner unceremoniously disbanded my team, stating that my team was ‘stacked unfairly’- even though my team was built from street free agents and no draft choices. Whatever.

I sent off for Barry during that season, partially because of my fantasy football success, and also because I am enamored with the Action Packed series of football cards. The embossed figures and gold lines really felt- well manly, and were just exemplary cards to get autographed.  I thought that Barry’s autograph was a fake- because it is so ‘pedestrian looking’ but after researching his signature it does appear to be this simple. Barry Foster was a fullback from Arkansas drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 1990 draft.  After a rough start in a game I saw on TV where he was assigned to the kickoff team in his rookie season and let a live football bounce past him on a kickoff, Foster slowly improved and eventually find himself inserted into the starting lineup.

By 1991, Foster had become a bruising powerback and after an injury plagued year, really turned on the jets in 1992 with 390 carries, breaking Franco Harris’ team rushing record. Barry was voted to the Pro Bowl after the season and was the AFC offensive player of the year.  Unfortunately injuries limited his effectiveness the rest of his career. Barry would start off strong each season, but his body frame couldn’t sustain the 16 game schedule. In 1995 he was signed by the Carolina Panthers, but failed the physical- to which he was quickly signed by the Bengals and retired. (He appears I believe on Tecmo Super Bowl Final Edition as a member of the Panthers, even though he never played a down for them.)

Barry had always been looking ahead, and loved coaching. He had been budgeting his money for retirement. At one point I had heard a rumor that he was a cop, but this turned out to be untrue. Foster would become a part of the NFL’s minority coaching fellowship and by 2003 was coaching in the NFLE for the Rhien Fire. He also participates in junior sports and football camps for kids.

G/Gs   62/44   Att 915   Yds  3943  Avg 4.3  Td 26   Lg 69 |
Rec 93   Yds 804   Avg 8.6  Td 2   Lg 42


Clayborn, Raymond

Cards: Score 1989 Supplemental, Action Packed Rookies 1990
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o Home.
Sent: 6/11   Recieved: 6/17   (6 days)

Converted from runningback, Clayborn was a superb and speedy defensive back and track athlete from the University of Texas that was selected in the first round of the 1977 draft by the New England Patriots. A rookie that would be used primarily as an electrifying kick returner, Raymond returned 28 kicks for a jaw-dropping 869 yards and 3- count ’em, 3 touchdowns- starting only 2 games. In 1978 he’d take over full time as the left cornerback  picking off 4 passes, and hold down the spot for 4 seasons intercepting 17 passes over that period. In 1982 Clayborn would move to the right position where he’d play the remainder of his career intercepting 19 passes. Raymond also recovered a fumble in Superbowl XX and was instrumental in the Patriots’ run up to the game. Injuries slowly crept up on Raymond with age, and he left via Plan B from the Patriots to the Cleveland Browns in 1990, where he retired in 1991 after 208 games and 36 picks. At the time of his retirement his 36 interceptions were a Patriots career record, and he’d be named consensus AP twice in his career along with 3 ProBowl nominations.

Since retiring, Clayborn was named to the Patriots 35th Anniversary team and the Patriots All-Decade team of the 1970’s and 1980’s. At the time of this post he lives in Dallas and is the Houston Texans’ uniform representative. (The uniform representative ensures that all players are wearing their team uniforms properly and recommends fines if he finds players in violation of the NFL standards.) I sent out these two cards to him at his home and he responded in a respectable amount of time. I always like following up with former Longhorns and I loved the Action Packed Rookies set, so getting autographs back from Raymond was a ‘win-win’ for me- especially in under a week. I am surprised though when players autograph the white box on the back that they originally intended for the player’s signature- and I prefer that they actually to sign the embossed picture side of the card.

Games 208     Tac N/a    Sac N/a    Fum 8
Int 36    Yds 555    Avg 15.4      Td   1     Lg 85