Tag Archives: cincinnati bengals

AFL, NFL, Pro Football HoF

Joiner, Charlie

ud97lgd cjoiner
Card: Upper Deck Legends 1997
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Home
Sent: 1/2     Received:  2/2    (31 days)

Charlie Joiner played an exhaustive 18 seasons in the AFL/NFL. Originally a 4th round pick of the Houston Oilers in 1969, as a defensive back, he made the switch to wide receiver and then started 8 games in 1970. He’d record 28 receptions for 416 yards and 3 TDs, including a 87 yarder.  He’d play with the Oilers through 6 games of the 1972 season but was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Joiner spent the next 3 seasons there where he started coming into his own during the 1975 season. He’d pull down 37 receptions for 726 yards and 5 TDs.  The Bengals then traded him to the Chargers, where Charlie became the perfect fit for Air Coryell’s West Coast Offense catching passes from young Dan Fouts. In the midst of the ‘Dead Ball Era’, Charlie had 50 receptions for 1056 yards and 7 TDs -earning his first Pro Bowl nomination. He’d return to form in 1979 with a career high 72 receptions and 1008 yards with his second Pro Bowl berth.  The following year in 1980, Charlie earned his final Pro Bowl trip, and his first and only All-Pro Honor with 70 receptions for 1132 yards and 7 TDs. While he’d log a career high 1,188 yards in 1981, he did not earn any additional honors for the remainder of his career.  Joiner personified longevity in a league meant to break people.  He continued to play for the Chargers until his retirement after the 1986 season.  His 239 games played as a wide receiver, receptions, and yards, were NFL records at the time of his retirement.

G/GS  239/211      REC 750       YDS 12146     AVG 16.2    TD 65   LG 87

NFL

Hawk, AJ

sco09 ajhawk ad10 ajhawk

Cards: Score 2009, Adrenalyn 2009
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 10/13        Received: 10/29     (16 days)

AJ Hawk was a member of the 2006 NFL draft which had some storied players in it. Expectations were high for the class and comparisons were drawn between this draft and the 1989 and 1985 classes respectively.  The first surprise of the day was dropped by the Texans who did not draft either Reggie Bush or home town favorite Vince Young, but DE Mario Williams.  After D’Brickshaw Ferguson was taken off the board by the New York Jets, the defensive needy Packers drafted AJ Hawk out of Ohio State with the 5th pick.

AJ played in 51 games at Ohio State collecting 394 tackles (196 solo), 41 stops for a loss, 15½ sacks, seven INTs,  and three forced fumbles.
The colorful Hawk became an instant fan favorite in Green Bay for not only his aggressive style of play but his colorful personality and creative haircuts. His rookie season was outstanding as Hawk finished 3rd in voting for defensive rookie of the year honors after recording 119 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions.  He’d play for the Packers for the next 8 additional seasons- logging 4 additional 100+ tackle seasons.  In 2015 AJ was released from the Packers under amicable terms.  At the time of his departure, Hawk was the franchise’s all-time leading tackler with 1,030 combined tackles. He signed with the Bengals and played in 11 games,  making 16 tackles and a sack.

AJ is a passionate podcaster and web enthusiast. You can visit his website at thehawkcast.com

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Gelbaugh, Stan (2)

Card: Ultimate WLAF 1992 Promo
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 5/23    Received: 6/14    (22 days)
See Also: Stan Gelbaugh ‘Blueprint’

“Well he was one of the real good players over there with the London Monarchs there. He’s played a lot of football in his life and I know that he counts that time with London as one of the highlights- and to be the World Bowl champ in year number one and to be a part of that team, I know he has great memories.”

– Former SA Riders QB and Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett on Stan Gelbaugh

So I had this one last card of Stan Gelbaugh,- part of a promo pack given to fans upon entry during a 1992 WLAF game. I think I got them all, but I only had a few of them or a rare single here and there. There are two differences when you look at the promo cards: First, the front has a different color stripe than the default team. Second, with some rarety, the photo of the player can be different. Finally the back touts the Ultimate brand and their million dollar promotion they were doing that year if you spelled out the word WORLD. Some of the promotions were in different languages as well. I am not sure how many made it into circulation- little less what players are officially covered in this mini set. The demand is low so they probably aren’t worth much, but for a collector like me, it holds value. This is an otherwise great card of Stan, and I actually prefer the promo with the alternate stripe in yellow and black over the base card set.