Tag Archives: proset 1990

NFL, usfl

Johnson, Mike (LB)

Cards: Score 1990, Fleer Ultra 1991, Action Packed 1990, ProSet 1990, Score 1991
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home
Sent: 10/20   Received: 11/9     (20 days) 

Despite playing alongside future defensive hall of famer Bruce Smith at Virginia Tech, linebacker Mike Johnson ended up in the upstart USFL playing for the Philadelphia Stars (1984) and the Baltimore Stars (1985). NFL teams took notice, and after finishing a stellar career in the USFL, Mike was selected in the USFL player dispersal draft with the 19th pick. Mike joined a host of other USFL castaways (Mack, Minnefield, and McNeil) on the Browns, helping solidify the nucleus of a powerful playoff opponent. 

Johnson was a rare talent. A versatile, durable inside linebacker, who could cover runningbacks and tight ends in the flat in Cleveland’s defensive alignment. Mike earned two Pro Bowl appearances in 1989 and 1990 both as a middle linebacker. During the 1990 season he’d record a 64 yard interception return against the Chargers (Billy Joe Tolliver).  In 7 of his 10 years in the NFL, Mike recorded over 100 tackles, and 6 of those, he’d manage over 130. Johnson’s best season came in 1993 when he pulled down 181 ball carriers. 

In 1994 Mike was allowed to depart for Detroit where he finished his career in 1995. Rejuvenated, he’d start 32 of 32 games and have 250 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 3 interceptions for 71 yards and a TD.

Mike Johnson is the Browns 1980s TTM version of Ernest Givins! 

-Deadhorse

A sure friend to the TTM community, Mike’s responses are of legend. He takes the time to respond to letters that ask questions, signs everything and includes extras. I only dropped 4 cards in, but he included an extra two for my trouble, giving me an extra signed ProSet 1990 and including the Fleer Ultra 1991 card. 

I was surprised that I couldn’t find Mike’s Pro Bowl 1990 card, but whatever- I was still happy to get this bevvy of cards signed. Both his Score cards and his ProSet base cards are very nice action images. His Fleer Ultra 1991 leaves a lot to be desired. I really hated this set from a design standpoint. It was just lazy, and his silhouette is partially obscured by a Bills player’s butt. Action Packed took what they could get sometimes, even if the action shot was from behind (as is the case with Johnny Holland and Mark Carrier’s (S) cards- respectively). I wasn’t really a fan of it, but since I had gotten this card in every other pack of Action Packed that I first bought for a while there, it made sense to send one up to see if I could get it autographed.  

USFLTACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
N/A5.5N/A22914.51N/A
NFLTACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDNFL
144/125122414.5261321716.6264t
NFL

Case, Scott

Cards: ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed 1991
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home
Sent: 7/9    Received:  7/19      (10 days)

Scott case played JC ball at tiny NE Oklahoma A&M in Miami, OK before catching on with the Sooners. He played for the Norsemen from 1980 to 1981 earning JC All-American Honors (’81). He joined Oklahoma in 1982. There he quickly cemented himself as the starting cornerback and had 2 interceptions that year. In 1983, Scott jumped to Free Safety and tied a school record with 8 interceptions that year. He’d be drafted in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

A headhunter in the secondary at corner, Case developed a reputation as a reckless ballhawk, and an aggressive enforcer at the line of scrimmage. In 1988, he had a career high 10 interceptions, earning him his only Pro Bowl berth. 

With the arrival of Jerry Glanville in 1990, Case moved to free safety and saw his tackle numbers explode and in both 1990 and 1991 he posted 160+ tackles on the season, and 100+ tackles through 1993. While there were some spectacular names that came and went through the secondary, Case’s consistent presence allowed him to move up the career stat charts to finish second in tackles (946) and fourth in interceptions (30).

After 11 seasons with the Falcons, Scott joined the Cowboys in 1995 where he played one final season under his college coach from Oklahoma, Barry Switzer. Case at long last earned his due and won Super Bowl XXX, retiring after the season.

As of 2018, Scott lives in Georgia and owns a construction company. He is very good to the TTM community and signed these 4 cards for me in no time flat. 

Scott’s first cards appeared during the big boom of collecting during the late 80s. (After his 10 interception season, nobody could really ignore him anymore.) All the major brands (Topps, Score, and ProSet) put out cards of Scott in his glory. Thankfully the Falcons hadn’t made the jump to black yet, and there were a few cards that existed of him in the old school red uniform. Sifting through the piles of cards that I had available, I came across these 4 that really stood out to me. My favorite is either the Action Packed 1990 card or his ProSet 1989 card, as their photos stood out a bit more than the others. Scott has a nice autograph, and it is complimented well by his choice of marker and strength of signature.

G/GSTACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
178/1249607.57302678.9147
NFL

Lipps, Louis

Cards: ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990, GameDay 1992
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home
Sent: 7/8    Received: 7/18   (10 days)*
* Fee enclosed

Louis Lipps is a highly reliable TTM respondent, provided you insert his very nominal fee. He’s got a great signature with two very nice loops in it, which accentuates these cards very nicely. Once ProSet and Score came out, a bevy of really nice action shots popped up of him. Among my favorites are these Proset entries and the Gameday card I got autographed. I always hesitated getting Lipps- much like many members of the Steelers, because of the rivalry that they shared during the late eighties and early nineties with the rise of the Oilers.  He always seemed to bring his best games against the shoddy secondary of the Oilers there for a while, until Cris Dishman and Darryll Lewis stepped up.

Louis Lipps slipped onto the NFL radar and into the first round of the 1984 draft. Selected by the Steelers out of powerhouse Southern Mississippi, Louis had a stellar rookie season, under the tutelage of grizzled veteran John Stallworth. Louis went on to become NFL rookie of the year, with 656 yards in punt return yardage, to go along with 856 yards on 45 passes and 9 TDs. He also earned a Pro Bowl berth and AP honors. His best season as a receiver came the following year, when he posted 59 catches for 1,134 yards and 12 TDs. A solid barn-burning option, Louis had 4 seasons over his career where he averaged 18.9 or more yards a click. While he’d never crack the 1,000 yard plateau over the rest of his career, Louis twice peaked at over 900 yards with 973 in 1988, and 944 in 1989- a year in which he was named team MVP.  He finished his career taking a flyer with the Saints for 2 games in 1992, in an otherwise unremarkable season.

 Thanks in part to playing during the highly forgettable era of the mid to late 80s (for Steeler fans), and a swath of unheralded quarterbacks, Lipps largely is ignored for his contributions and numbers in the Steelers stat books. He also was surrounded by talent from other eras such Lynn Swann, the aforementioned John Stallworth, and then in the current era by guys like Antonio Brown. Louis currently lives in the Pittsburgh area.

G/GS 110/98     REC 359     YDS   6019    AVG   16.8     TD 39    LG  89T
PR  112     YDS  1234     AVG  11.0     TD  3     LG   76T