Tag Archives: Gameday 1993

NFL

Haynes, Michael ‘Mike’ (WR)

gday92 mhaynesCards: GameDay 1992, Gameday 1993, Fleer 1995
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 12/28    Received:  2/8  (42 days)

Michael Haynes grew up in New Orleans as a Saints fan, so imagine his surprise when he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 7th round of the 1988 draft. A track man out of Northern Arizona with a powerful second gear, Haynes still ranks in the top 3 on the school charts for the 55 meter dash and the 200 meter dash.  Of his 13 catches in his rookie season, 4 went for touchdowns. The Falcons were mired at the bottom of the NFC West- a frequent whipping boy of the 49ers, Rams, and even the Saints during that period.

flr95 mhaynesIt was in 1990 that things would change under new head coach Jerry Glanville. Glanville brought his fiery brand of football from Houston including the Red Gun offense (a Run ‘N Shoot variant). The Falcons went high octane.  Mike had his best season as a pro in 1991, catching passes from Chris Miller and Billy Joe Tolliver. Among them was a Hail Mary from Tolliver to Haynes to stun the 49ers and kick the door open on the race for the NFC West.

He’d also bedevil his hometown Saints, catching a 50 yard TD during the regular season against them, and a 20 yarder in the playoffs. Haynes finished with a gaudy league leading 22.4 yards per reception, 1122 yards, and 11 touchdowns on just 50 passes.  In 1992 and 1993, Haynes led the NFL in longest reception with 89 and 98 respectively.  Haynes joined the Saints in 1994 and recorded a career high 77 receptions.   Over his 3 seasons in his hometown, Michael had 162 receptions for 2368 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He returned to the Falcons for a swan song in 1997 catching just 12 passes and not starting any contests.

Haynes is a reliable TTM signer and lives in Georgia.

G/GS 147/113     REC428    YDS 6588     AVG 15.4     TD 47    LG 98T

gday93 mhaynes

NFL

Jones, Robert (2)

flr95 rjones cla92 rjones pset92 rjones  stpics92 rjones gday93 rjonesgday92 rjones phomem15 rjones
Cards: Star Pics 1992, Gameday 1992, Gameday 1993, ProSet 1992, Fleer 1995, Classic 1992, Photo Memorabilia.
Acquired: In Person, Bud Light Signing San Antonio
See Also: Robert Jones

I braved a monsoonal torrent down I-35 in traffic for a hour to HEB only to discover after an hour of milling around that store that Gameday Sports Tours had moved the event to another location without notifying anybody.  It was literally the perfect storm, as Gameday had become fed up with behavior of other members on a message board and just decided not to update things anymore. While I understand why they did it, overall it strikes me as unprofessional and immature to check out like that. Left in the lurch, the manager at the HEB was able to eventually direct me via the phone to the correct location approximately 5 miles away for the event. With Robert running slightly late (- maybe due to the weather or the driver who also took him to the wrong location,) he expressed a need to leave early due to wanting to watch his son’s football game; However, he heartily signed anything and everything fans had.  Robert also is on Twitter and is very vocal about his Alma Mater’s current state of affairs in college football.

Some great cards here of Robert, it was difficult to choose which ones to get autographed. Luckily he hit all these cards for me and penned this garish photo of himself. I had always wanted to get his college cards autographed. Both Star Pics and Classic have fallen by the wayside in the garbage of dead companies over the years but I enjoyed their issues very much at the time. The Gameday and ProSet were all exceptional photoshots of Robert, while the Fleer was just a set grab. There’s probably just one or two more of Jones I’d like to get signed at this point, but otherwise, the event and the haul turned out to balance out a poorly set up event.

NFL

Birden, JJ

flr95 birden poff92 birden

gday92 birdenCards: ProSet 1992, Gameday 1992, Gameday 1993. Fleer 1995, Playoff 1993, business card.
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 10/13     Received: 10/31     (18 days)

A walkon on the Oregon Ducks football team in 1984, JJ was used sparingly until his Junior season, when he caught 20 balls for 257 yards. He’d record 19 more receptions for 399 yards and his first touchdown in his senior season.  Over his 4 years at Oregon, JJ had 45 receptions for 739 yards and a TD.

gday93 birdenBirden was drafted in the 8th round of the 1988 draft by the Cleveland Browns. JJ was shocked to be drafted because he was known primarily as a track man at Oregon.  He’d be injured in camp and spend his entire rookie season on IR. In 1989, he spent time on the Browns, and later the Cowboys practice squads.

It all began to come together in 1990 for JJ. He’d sign with the Chiefs, reuniting him with former Browns head coach Marty Schottenheimer.  Although Birden started no games during the season, he finally got on the field, contributing 15 receptions for 352 yards and 3 TDs.  In fact it wasn’t until 1992 that he finally was able to crack the starting lineup.  1993 would be his best season as a pro, starting all 16 games at receiver. He’d catch 51 balls for 721 yards and 2 TDs. Birden played one more season for the Chiefs in 1994, before signing with the Falcons. JJ played 2 more season for
Atlanta, retiring after the 1996 season.

mem15 birdenpset92 birdenJJ is a fighter through and through. Displaying toughness, grit, and heart, Birden fought uphill to make it on NFL rosters throughout much of his early career. He was also frequently tasked with taking on players that were sometimes 100 lbs or more to block. Since football he has continued to demonstrate this through his commitment to his family and in business. He specializes in Network Marketing

A solid and reliable TTM signer, JJ signed 5 cards for me and threw in a signed business card as well.  Some great cards her of JJ, it’s hard to single out one that I like the best, but the Gameday cards are among my favorite. If you want to read more, you can visit him at his website at www.jjbirden.com .

G/Gs 93/62     Rec 244      Yds 3441    Avg 14.1     Td  17      LG 90t
PR 15    Yds 115     Avg 7.7     Td 0    Lg 22
KR   1     Yds 14        Avg 14.0   Td 0    Lg 14