Tag Archives: Houston Oilers

Givins, Ernest (4)

Gameday 1993, #61

CARDS: Gameday 1993, Skybox Premium 1993, Fleer 1995, Action Packed All-Madden Team 1990, Pro Set 1992, Fleer 1990, Playoff 1992, Playoff 1993
ACQUIRED: GTSM 2023

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

Well since the last time I wrote Ernest, he stopped signing TTM. Such is the life of the game. I had been fortunate to get him many times both in person and TTM, so I was fine with spending a little extra cash to get these last cards knocked out of him.

Action Packed All-Madden Team 1990, #34

For some reason my tickets weren’t popping up properly on the app. The gatekeepers were treating me like I was trying to cheat the system, but yes indeed I had 8 cards I wanted to be signed by Ernest. Since we couldn’t get it to work in time, they had to manually key it in for me. It almost completely ruined the experience for me, but I was able to go behind the curtains and meet the players that way and they gladly signed for me.

Ernest protested because Curtis and Haywood were excited I was wearing an original 1990s #80 Houston Oilers jersey, as at one point during Jeffires and Duncan’s careers they both wore that number, while Givins stuck with 81.

I had enough time behind the magic curtain to ask him how it was going with tutoring his nephew and trying to get him into a league. He said he’s still at it. Curtis immediately chimed in and started talking about how Ernest was trying to teach his nephew how to drop his shoulder and juke off the LOS- something Givins excelled at doing in the slot. Givins then went on to mention that he was trying to get his nephew to pick up gymnastics, because that really helped Ernest as a receiver take his game to a new level.

White, Lorenzo ‘Lo’ (3)

CARDS: Score Supplemental 1989, Fleer 1990, Pro Set 1990, Gameday 1992, Gameday 1993, Gameday 1993 Gamebreaker, Topps Update 1990, Pro Set 1992, Pro Set 1991, Pro Set 1993, Pro Set Power 1992, Action Packed 1991, Skybox 1992, Skybox Premium 1992/3
ACQUIRED: GTSM 2023
FAILURE: TTM 2020, C/o Home

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

Maybe I got carried away here? Nah- Not for a paid signing. I consider this going…. ‘all out’. Lorenzo White is an enigmatic signer TTM, and even though I was lucky enough to get him once, I really wanted to replace more of these stamps in my collection (Score Supplemental 1989, Gameday 1992, Action Packed 1991). So I just figured why not get EVERYTHING signed I needed, especially at a bargain bin price of just 15 bucks an autograph. I then thought… well, why not take a photo with him too?

Besides the kerfluffle I experienced using digital versus printed out tickets, I was able to rib Lo a bit about Tecmo Super Bowl. You see in the game Lo is given a bad 44 ball control. (Yes, that previous season, he led the NFL with… I think 8(?) fumbles.) I told him he got the shaft in the game. He laughed briefly and told me, that well he showed everyone the next season (-a year in which he had over 1,000 yards rushing and some 1,800 total yards).

He was also very proud of the two big plays of his that always stick out in my mind: The draft video of him running down the field with one shoe on, and his catch and go against to beat the Cleveland Browns- when he galloped for some 70+ yards. When I asked him why he went to Cleveland… like if it was a hometown favorite of his, he said no, that it was all business.

Jefferson, Shawn

CARD: Action Packed Rookies 1991
ACQUIRED: 2023, Consignment
FAILURE: TTM 2015, C/o Tennessee Titans

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Shawn Jefferson played college ball at UCF from 1988-1990.
  • He caught 67 passes for 1087 yards and 11 TDs over his college career.
  • Boasting a 4.45 40, Shawn was a 9th round pick of the Houston Oilers in 1991.
  • He was traded almost immediately to the San Diego Chargers along with a #1 pick in exchange for DE Lee Williams.
  • He played the next 5 seasons with the Chargers, and had two back to back 40+ catch, 620+ yard seasons.
  • Shawn joined the Patriots in 1996, and immediately bested those numbers.
  • In 1997, he had a career high 841 yards.
  • In 1998, Shawn posted a league leading 22.7 yards per reception (34 catches).
  • He’d sign with the Atlanta Falcons in 2000, and post a career high 60 receptions (822 yards).
  • Played with the Detroit Lions in 2003.
  • Finished career with 13 years under his belt, 470 receptions, and over 7k yards- Pretty good for a 9th round pick.
  • Went into coaching, working his way up with the Lions to the wide receivers coach position (2006-2012).
  • Served in same capacity with the Tennessee Titans from 2013-15, the Miami Dolphins (2016-18), New York Jets (2019-20), Cardinals (2021-22), and currently the Panthers (2023).
  • At all his more recent stops, (Jets, Cardinals, Panthers) Shawn has also been an associate/assistant head coach in addition to his wide receivers coaching duties.

NOTES:

I’d swear, I’ve tried Shawn at least 3 times, but the tape doesn’t lie. I just flushed cards on him once, back in 2015. I went ahead and did a consignment to knock him out at last.

The Action Packed Rookies 1991 card of him was one of my favorites. When the Oilers drafted him, I thought he had outstanding potential, so needless to say when Bobby Beathard shrewdly peeled him off the Oilers along with a first round pick in exchange for DE Lee Williams, I was still a bit disappointed, as I thought Jefferson was having a pretty good preseason.

Shawn talked a lot of smoke during his early days with the Chargers. -And when he mocked the Oilers, before their meeting in 1992, he became bulletin board material in Houston’s locker room. The Oilers would pummel the Chargers 27-0.

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