Tag Archives: tampa bay buccaneers

CFL, NFL

Christie, Steve

pset90 christieCards: Score Supplemental 1990, ProSet 1990, GameDay 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 4/1    Received: 4/17   (16 days)

Steve Christie left William & Mary as the school’s All-Time leading scorer in 1989 with 279 points. He was signed as a free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1990. The Bucs had a solid kicking game with Donald Igwebuike, but Christie beat him head to head in camp and won the job outright. Through Week 7 of the 1990 season Christie was the leading scorer in the NFL with 57 points and hit all of his XP, and was 14 of 16 of field goals.  By the end of the season Steve was named All-Rookie by the UPI, as he finished second in the NFC with a .852 field goal percentage.  After another solid season in 1991 with the Bucs, Christie was left unprotected by the team, controversially after he made promises not to leave the team.

The Buffalo Bills had finally decided that it was time for longtime kicker Scott Norwood to go. They offered Steve twice the salary he was making in Tampa to come to Buffalo.  Christie didn’t look back. scosup90 christieHe’d later cite that the ‘lack of winning tradition’ in Tampa as factoring into making his decision easier, because, “You get quite depressed only winning 3 games a season.”
Christie distinguished himself with the Bills almost immediately. and played with the franchise through the 2000 season, erasing many of the previous kicking marks held by Norwood. Steve set the franchise records that he set were the longest field goal (59 yards), the longest field goal in playoff history (54 yards), and the most career field goals in the playoffs (9). Steve is the franchise’s All-time leading scorer with 1,011 points, and set a franchise record with 14o points in a single season (1998).

In 2001, Steve signed with the San Diego Chargers after a somewhat contentious divorce from the Bills. A preseason injury forced the Bills to offer Christie an injury settlement- an offer that he rejected. So the team with no real choice at that point placed him on injured reserve, and then finally granted his unconditional release a few weeks later. He played with the Chargers through the 2003 season. From there he spent some time with thegday92 christie Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants in 2004.

Christie then entered a period of semi-retirement. He briefly played for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 2007 as a favor to general manager Mike Clemons- a teammate from William & Mary. Afterwards he signed a one day contract with the Buffalo Bills to officially retire as a member of the franchise in 2008.  He’s done some football commentary since then and has worked in the CFL as a player agent. As of 2014, Steve’s 1,476 points ranks 16th in NFL history and his 336 field goals rank 13th.

In this day and age, kickers have become more interchangable between franchises, but the best clutch kickers such as Christie, Stenerud, Anderson, and Andersen, have just become more and more rare, especially when they were able to pull of long stints with one team.

G  229           XPA 473         XPM 468         PCT  98.9
FGA 431         FGM 336         PCT  78.0          PTS 1476

 

 

 

NFL, WLAF, XFL

Adams, Scott (1966-2013)

psetwlaf91 adamsCard: Pro Set WLAF 1991
Acquired: EBay, 2014

Scott Adams was another modest success story of the WLAF. At 6’5″, 275 Adams was a perfect fit for the Barcelona Dragons run oriented offense.  After not making the squads of the Dallas Cowboys (1989) and Atlanta Falcons (1990), Scott was drafted by the Dragons in the 3rd round of the 1991 WLAF draft. Although an impressive guard, Adams had the flexibility to also play tackle as well. He helped key the team’s drive to World Bowl I.

In 1992, Scott signed with the Minnesota Vikings and remained with the team through 1993. He’d then spend a series of one shot seasons with with the New Orleans Saints (1994), Chicago Bears (1995), Denver Broncos/ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996), and the Atlanta Falcons in 1997.

After a 4 year hiatus, in 2001 Adams was drafted by the San Fransisco Demons of the XFL. He’d block up front for Mike Pawlawski and Pat Barnes, as the team made a late season charge only to lose in the Million Dollar Game against the Los Angeles Xpress. After the season the XFL folded and Adams retired back to Georgia where he eventually became an mortgage banker. Scott unexpectedly passed away on September 16th, 2013. He was just 47 and is survived by his wife and daughter.

 

 

NFL, ufl

White, Dewayne

poff04 DeWhite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Card: Playoff Contenders 2004
Acquired: Box Breaker 2013, Target Autograph Memorabilia Pack

white FRA very inspiring story of overcoming long odds and tragedy, Dewayne White  overcame the loss of both his parents, two fires that destroyed family homes, and a serious knee injury during his senior year of high school. He went to school collegiality at Louisville, where he established himself as one of the nation’s most formidable pass rushers at defensive end, with an NCAA leading 27 sacks from 2000-2001.

He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with their 2nd round pick in the 2003 draft but did not see significant playing time that year. In 2004, White began to come into his own with 6 sacks and 23 tackles. In both 2005 and 2006, he recovered 3 fumbles in each season with increased playing time. 2007 was a change of scene for Dewayne, as he headed up to Detroit. In both 07 and 08 he had 6.5 sacks, but an injury plagued 09 season, in which he didn’t even register a sack, combined with an upcoming million dollar bonus, prompted the Lions to cut White early in 2010.

Dewayne was made the overall #1 pick of the Omaha Nighthawks in the 2010 UFL Draft. He finished the season with 5 tackles, a sack, and 2 pass defensed that season. I did a custom card of him, but since the league folded I never got a chance to get it signed.