Tag Archives: Houston Oilers

NFL

Pinkett, Allen

Cards: Fleer Update 1990, ProSet 1990, ProSet 1989, Score Supplemental 1989
Acquired:  TTM 2010, C/o Home. In Person 1990, Houston Oiler Training Camp.
Sent:  6/24   Received: 7/6  (12 days)

Allen Pinkett was drafted in the 3rd round from Notre Dame by the Houston Oilers as the team was still attempting to rebuild its runningback stable after the departure of beloved Earl Campbell. Along the way he’d be joined by Alonzo Highsmith, Mike Rozier, and Lorenzo White in a very crowded and talented backfield. Allen at 5-9 and 190, fit the role of a scat back for the team and had great hands that the team wholly underutilized. He’d also see kick returning for the Oilers, averaging right at about 20 yards a return on 80 kicks. After head coach Jerry Glanville was fired, the team went Run and Shoot full time. With Jack Pardee in charge, the team began to purge its runningback stable, and the last men standing by 1991 were Allen Pinkett, Lorenzo White and Gary Brown. Pinkett would enter the season as the starter against the Los Angeles Raiders and singlehandedly crush the Raiders running 26 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. He’d follow up with another 100 yard effort, and lead the NFL in rushing through the two weeks and later in the season he’d rush for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns against Pittsburgh en route to the Houston Oilers first division title. Allen would lead the team in rushing with 720 yards and 9 touchdowns and throw in another 228 yards receiving leading the team from scrimmage with 1456 yards.  Things seemed on the up and up for Pinkett after his breakout season but with Plan B and the dawning of free agency soon to come- Pinkett found himself on the roster of the New Orleans Saints to start 1992, but would not suit up for the team. He’d retire after 7 seasons.  Allen currently is a broadcaster for the Notre Dame radio network, and a spokesman for the Hartford Financial Group attempting to educate young athletes on planning for their retirement and happily signed my three cards in a very short amount of time.

G/Gs 87/27    Att  561      Yds  2321     Avg 4.1      Td 21   Lg 60  |
Rec 119   Yds 921  Avg 7.7  Td 5  Lg 51
Kr 80     Yds 1577     Avg 19.7    Td 0    Lg 48

CFL, NFL, Pro Football HoF, WLAF

Moon, Warren


Card: Action Packed 1991
Acquired: In Person, Houston Oilers Training Camp 1992
See also: http://n8d.flywheelsites.com/2011/moon-warren-2/

Warren Moon’s career is a long and storied one, that while it didn’t end in a SuperBowl appearance, certainly it was worthy of the Hall of Fame induction that he received in 2006.  Warren Moon’s career in football spans amazingly 4 decades of the sport. After a standout performance for the Washington Huskies that culminated in a Rose Bowl appearance and MVP honors, he was told by NFL scouts that he’d be better suited to play defensive back or tight end. You see back in the 70’s there was still the stigma at the pro level that black players couldn’t play quarterback. Frustrated and ready to prove people wrong, – Moon packed his bags and headed to Canada to play for the CFL, where he’d be signed by the Edmonton Eskimos. He went on to shatter CFL league records leading the Eskimos to 5 consecutive Grey Cup Championships from 1978-1982, and winning Grey Cup MVP honors in 1980 and 1982. He’d also set the record for most yards passing in a game,(broken in 2005,) and most yards (career) in league history.

Moon would decide to enter the NFL in 1984 where a bidding war ensued for his services. The Houston Oilers stepped up to the plate, offering the most attractive opportunity for Moon. With Hugh Campbell (his former CFL coach,) and a million dollar a year salary on the table, Moon immediately became the centerpiece for the long suffering Houston franchise. Moon quickly set the team season passing record in his first year under center, but Campbell would be fired after two losing seasons. With a new coach in Jerry Glanville, the Oilers began to take on a new tough personality, and Warren became the prime beneficiary of the team’s change. With the Red Gun offense firmly in place, Warren led the Oilers to their first winning record with him under center and the beginning of the team’s consecutive playoff appearance streak. 1989 saw Glanville’s last season in Houston, and the new Sheriff in town in 1990, who installed a new sense of discipline, and the Run ‘N Shoot offense- Jack Pardee. Over the years, the team built an impressive receiver corps in Drew Hill, Haywood Jeffires, Curtis Duncan, and Ernest Givins. Warren Moon would set new career highs leading the league in a variety of categories, and tied the record with 9 300 yard games. In his greatest moment, Warren trodded out onto the frigid Arrowhead stadium field in 1990, (a place they had gotten whupped a year earlier 35-3) and threw for 527 yards against a staunch Kansas City defensive unit.  1991 again saw  Moon set a new NFL record for attempts with 655 attempts (since broken), and during the offseason Warren would also help on USA broadcasts for the WLAF games.  The team won its first divisional title in 1991 and again in 1993 with a league best record 12-4- but the team advanced no further than the divisional round in any season. By the end of the 1993 season, Warren virtually held every team passing record.

In came meddling owner Bud Adams during 1994, (- a recurring theme in Oilers history), who decided that the team was too old and wanted to change the direction of the franchise. Bud decided that much of the team was too old, so he traded Warren to Minnesota for a few draft choices.  In the meantime the team slumped to 2-14 behind Bucky Richardson and Cody Carlson at quarterback as Jack Pardee quit. Warren however went on to prove Adams wrong throwing for over 4200 yards in each of his first two seasons with the Vikings.  By 1997, Moon was a free agent again, signing with his college hometown Seattle Seahawks. He’d be the oldest player to score a touchdown at the age of 40. After two seasons there (he’d play in the movie “Any Given Sunday” as head coach of the rival New York team and then,) he’d head to Kansas City to serve as backup, retiring in 2001.

Warren over his career was named to 9 ProBowls, ProBowl MVP once, Man of the Year in 1989, NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1990, Pro Football HoF in 2006, and the Canadian HoF in 2001, in addition to numerous other accolades. Warren was also named #5 on the all time list of greatest players  in CFL history. Warren also at one point was ranked in the top 5 of nearly every NFL category, (including career fumbles and fumble recoveries- since passed by Brett Favre in career fumbles). Since football he continues to do commentary for the Seattle Seahawks, and wrote a book “Never Give Up on Your Dream: My Journey”. Recently Warren Moon was mentioned in an episode of “30 Rock”, and he has struggled from time to time with domestic issues. To give perspective of Warren’s career, he threw for over 25 miles in 4 decades of football from 1978-2001 (23 seasons) and he is the first and only black starting quarterback in the NFL HoF. A stoic presence on the field and a shrewd negotiator of contracts, Moon had an amazing arm, longetivity, and displayed quick release and smooth velocity on his throws. His combined CFL and NFL statistics are listed below along with some great videos of his work.

G 312   Att 9205  Comp 5357   Yds  70553   Pct 58.2%     Td 435  Int 310  Rat 84.2

A Moon highlight video playing for the Huskies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp7hh52GBXE
Houston Oilers highlight video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxNuAcL2H74&feature=related
HoF video: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8012ef58/Hall-of-Fame-Warren-Moon

CFL, NFL

Wright, Felix

Cards: ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990 LL, Upper Deck 1991
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o home  (7 days)
Sent: 10/15  Received: 10/22

My first memory of Felix Wright? -A dominant defensive back in Tecmo Bowl and compliment to fellow safety Frank Minnefield. Beyond that, it should be noted that Felix is a tireless and patient TTM signer who has a quick response rate. I had dug through the boxes and found the ProSet cards of him with that  gold league leader card I had always admired. ProSet was the dominant name back then in football cards, but they quickly wore out their welcome and were out of business by 1995. It’s a shame because their sets were always quite thorough and at least through 1991 designed nicely. Upper Deck on the other hand had been a force in the baseball arena for sometime and was a new player to the burgening market in 1991, but I don’t think they really understood that fans want action shots of football players, and instead UD took the ‘Topps’ route on occasion. Take for example this hideous card of Felix getting his hamstring stretched.

Felix Wright went undrafted coming out of Drake college in 1982. He’d try out for the Oilers, but not make the team, instead opting out and heading North to the CFL playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, being named an All Star in 1984. Wright would then sign as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns- cementing his name as one of the team’s best free agent pickups. A solid DB with a great hands and good speed, Felix was one of the most feared players in the secondary during the late 1980s racking up over 100 interception yards in two straight seasons. His solid defensive play allowed him to lead the league in interceptions in 1990. In 1991, he’d sign Plan B with the Minnesota Vikings where Felix would play for two seasons, before retiring in 1993 with the Kansas City Chiefs.

G/Gs  121/84   Tac  N/a   Sac N/a    Fum 6      Int 29      Yds 492        Avg 16.9     Td 2     Lg 68