Tag Archives: tampa bay storm

Bell, Grantis

Card: Wild Card WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o Home
Sent: 6/11/10  Received: 12/3/11  (540 days)

Grantis Bell finished his career at WV with 46 receptions for 819 yards and 6 TDs and after a great Fiesta Bowl appearance, (where Grantis would make 4 catches for 44 yards,) he’d be signed as a free agent  by the Washington Redskins in 1989.  The next two seasons would be with the New York Jets, before he made his appearance in the WLAF for the Orlando Thunder in 1992. A smallish receiver at 5’10”, 160, Grantis could stop on a dime and run routes in traffic, -perfect for the Thunder’s spread offense. Bell in the end had a really nice season playing receiver on the Thunder, hauling in 36 receptions for 435 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’d also serve as backup kick returner with 11 returns for 200 yards and an 18.2 yard average, helping the team appear in World Bowl II, where they’d fall to the Sacramento Surge.

Grantis signed with the Arena Football League and made his debut with the Detroit Drive catching 39 passes for 681 yards and eight touchdowns as the team’s number three receiver in 1993. In ArenaBowl VII against the Tampa Bay Storm, he caught five passes for 77 yards and scored on a 34-yard touchdown catch. Bell transitioned with the team to Massachusetts in 1994, but had an injury shortened season after breaking his elbow, and then the Marauders folded. Grantis made the move to the Storm in Tampa Bay, and play there in 1995 and again in 1997 before retiring. He finished his Arena career with 62 receptions for 1017 yards, a 16.4 average and 13 touchdowns in 4 seasons of play.

I did not have a card of Grantis when the Thunder throttled the Riders in San Marcos back in 1992, however after acquiring the Wild Card WLAF 1992 set, I sent off for him last year. I was surprised that I did not get a response, but recently through SotL, I was able to contact him, where I sent him a new letter with the card.  This one was a bit odd, as he sent this one back in the original envelope I sent him from 2010, so this one officially becomes the longest wait at 540 days.  Shortly before the date of this post he also sent back the other card as well signed and personalized it. Below are Grantis’ WLAF statistics:

G 10   Rec  36    Yds   435     Avg   12.1    Td 4     Lg 46t

Arnold, Jahine

Autograph Memorabilia
Stampede Inaugural Magazine Austin Wranglers
Acquired: Gift 2004

My cousin got me a game program full of autographs back in 2004, that I found recently when digging through some boxes.

Jahine Arnold came to the Austin Wranglers in 2004 after a stint with the Los Angeles Avengers and Tampa Bay Storm in 2003.  Previously he spent 2 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers utilized primarily as a backup returner, but injuries limited his effectiveness and he was traded to Green Bay. He’d be drafted by the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL in 2001 and was waived in camp, but was quickly signed by the Memphis Maniax.

After retiring from pro football Arnold spent some time as a web designer and in real estate, however in 2007 he was tragically diagnosed with the same progressive liver disease as Walter Payton.Currently fighting what is known as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, Jahine has established a foundation and refuses to go down.  On top of that without insurance, Arnold has been battling with the Social Security Administration for the benefits he should be entitled to. He’s been involved in kids football camps in his spare time as well.

Willis, Peter Tom

 

Cards: Action Packed Rookies 1990, ProSet 1990, Score 1990
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Sent: 5/4 Received: 7/2  (59 days)

A strong-armed, mobile quarterback with outstanding accuracy and touch, Peter Tom Willis served as backup on the Seminoles from 1987-1988 before he received his break to become a starter in 1989. In only his first true season as leader of Florida State’s offense, he threw for 3124 yards and 20 touchdowns. His 6 TD passes against Memphis State would set a school record and he would be voted MVP of the Fiesta Bowl when he threw for 422 yards and 5 touchdowns over Nebraska. At the time of his graduation, his 4291 career passing yards ranked 3rd on the school’s all-time list.

The Chicago Bears drafted Willis in the third round of the 1990 draft. He’d be the fourth quarterback off the board after Jeff George, Andre Ware, and Tommy Hodson. Expected to be the quarterback of the future, he sat on the bench behind Jim Harbaugh and Mike Tomczak seeing a little mop up action his rookie and sophomore seasons. In a 27-14 loss to Cleveland in 1992, Willis threw for two touchdown passes and 279 yards in relief of Harbaugh, however his 5 game performance and 0-2 record as a starter still meant the jury was out. In 1993 with new head coach Dave Wannstedt in place Peter Tom would see backup duty again throughout the season, in a lackluster performance against Tampa Bay.

In 1997, Willis resurfaced in the AFL with the Tampa Bay Storm playing 3 commendable seasons with the franchise.  In 1998 he’d throw for 70 Tds and only10 picks, and follow that up in 1999 with 65-8. He’d retire from the sport after the season and enter into the radio booth with the Seminoles where he did radio color commentary from 1998 to 2008. He currently resides in the Tampa area.

I sent to Peter about 2 months ago and where he signed these 3 cards. I was a bit disappointed in the signatures. They appear to be from a dried up sharpie. I don’t think it’s a stamp however because the the ink of the signature would pool recognizably on the Action Packed card.  Action Packed, Pro Set and Score were the 3 companies that I enjoyed collecting cards of back in the early 1990s. I especially like this Score card of Peter in his college uniform.  Below are Willis’ NFL statistics:

G/Gs   21/3    Att  183   Cmp 104   Yds 1261   Pct 56.8     Td   6     Int 15    Rat  54.9 |