Tag Archives: tnt ufl 2011

Arena, NFL, ufl

White, Markee “Kee”

tntufl11 mwhiteCard: TNT UFL 2011
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Sent:  9/7/11  Received: 7/1/16  (1759 days)

Jy Bond deserves an assist for this one. The original plan was for me to attend the Colonials game against the Mountain Lions in early October, but with the NFL Lockout ending, the league scuttling the operations in Hartford, and rearranging their schedule, this was obviously out of the question. Among one of the cards I was most proud of was this high resolution shot* of Markee White making an understated tall grab. I knew this one would be awesome to get an autograph on.

After hooking Jy up with his player card design, I moved forward with sending him a set of physical trading cards based off of the design early in August. During the exchange he also offered to hook me up with other members of the squad he knew.

I immediately asked for Markee and he hooked me up with him via Facebook. I was surprised to realize that Kee played at Texas State- roughly 35 miles to the South of Austin, where I was from. Bobcat stadium also was the home of the San Antonio Riders during the early ’90s.  We exchanged pleasantries and worked out virtually the same deal I had with Jy and went from there.

It took him a while to respond, as he was hustling for a job, but in the end this one turned into a white elephant. Eventually irony interceded, and I happened to be at an Arena Football game in 2014 between the San Antonio Talons and Los Angeles Kiss, and it just so happened that he was on the Kiss. I attempted to flag him down after the game after I had made my way to the front of the visiting endzone, but he had already made his way through the crowd to the exit.  He responded to my email on facebook, and again promised to mail me one out. I waited another year and a half and asked him again. Kee struck me as being a man of his word. That’s why it always bothered me I had never gotten a response from but, but lo after some  1700+  days, -the longest I’ve ever waited for an autograph, I got this sweet custom card signed.

Markee finally got a gig after the UFL fiasco of 2010. A member of the disbanded Hartford Colonials, – the UFL left him out to dry following the season. Kee rounded the wagons and headed to the CFL for a season, playing for the Calgary Stampeders in 2012.  He returned to the AFL again in 2012 playing for the Arizona Rattlers, and then was traded in the offseason to the Jacksonville Sharks in 2013. Markee was again traded in 2014 to the Kiss, where he made a fearsome combo with Donovan Morgan at receiver. He was again traded, this time to the Philadelphia Soul, where he made an immediate impact catching an electrifying one handed grab against the Predators, in a must win game on ESPN.  Markee finished the game with 5 catches for 64 yards and 3 TDs.  Between the two teams White finished the 2014 season with 85 receptions for 855 yards and 13 TDs.  He returned to the Rattlers in 2015 and was having a career year with 16 TDs on just 57 receptions, but broke his back against the Spokane Shock.  A metal rod had to be inserted, and although the doctors have said Kee can return to football after rehab, it is unclear as to when or if he will return.

Disclaimer: The photos and logos remain the properties of their respective parties. The designs, bios, and presentations, I do claim ownership over. I am not affiliated with the United Football League or any of its member teams and these are classified as ‘mock up’ demonstration cards. Not for resale.
*CREDIT: photo taken by Mike D’Avino from Sportspagemagazine.com.
Arena, NFL, NFLE, ufl

Greisen, Chris

tntufl11 greisenCard: TNT UFL 2011
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Work
Sent: 7/18     Received:  8/29   (42 days)

In the short lived history of the UFL, no quarterback was more prolific than the Florida Tusker and Virginia Destroyers quarterback Chris Greisen.

Long before the signal caller played in the UFL, Chris was a 7th round pick out of Northwestern Missouri, of the Arizona Cardinals in 1999. A two time All-American after leading the Bearcats to their first ever National Championship, Greisen held numerous records upon leaving the school.  He played sparingly for the Cards over the first 3 seasons, and was released in 2002, only to latch on to the Redskins roster by the end of the year. Eyeing more experience, Chris joined the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe. He had a pretty solid season playing in Germany, throwing for 10 TDs, and 843 yards in only 131 attempts.

Following his time in the NFLE, Greisen entered the Arena Football League 2 and played for the Green Bay Blizzard. After a successful debut for the team in 2004, Chris was quickly signed by the Dallas Desperados and became the primary backup.  Signing with the Georgia Force in 2007, Chris was finally able to take over the reigns as the starting quarterback.  The Force posted a 14-2 record as Greisen threw a league record 117 TD passes. He’d continue to enjoy success with the AFL until it suspended operations in 2009.

Wanting to continue his career, Chris pursued a shot with the UFL Florida Tuskers in 2009, backing up former NFL pro Brooks Bollinger. With the return of the AFL in early 2010, Chris decided to split his time in both leagues. He signed with the Milwaukee Iron and then went on to throw an AFL record 5,139 yards.  Back to the Tuskers after the season, Chris ended up starting for the team after Bollinger went down due to injuries.  He’d lead the team to the Championship game and throw for 346 yards while rushing for 2 scores in a loss to the Las Vegas Locos.  He signed with the Dallas Cowboys after the UFL season.

With the UFL still clinging to life in 2011 and the Tuskers moving to Virginia, Chris returned to play for the Destroyers under Marty Schottenheimer. He’d complete 21 passes for 174 yards as the Destroyers vanquished their arch rival Las Vegas Locos 17-3 in the Championship Game. Greisen played in the final season of the UFL’s existence in 2012.

Since then he’s opened up a passing academy in Wisconsin, where he trains and counsels future professional quarterback prospects. I had made this great card of him and decided to see if he’d sign it for me and enclosed extras for him to keep. A month or two later I got a response from him thanking me for the cards, and asking for a few more of ‘these awesome cards’.

NFL    0/5        ATT  16       COMP 7       YDS  69         PCT  43.8%
TD 1        INT 0       RAT 77.3
RUSH 1       YDS 1       AVG  1.0     TD 0     LG 1

NFLE       ATT 131        COMP 76        YDS 843         PCT 58.0%
TD 10        INT 5       RAT 86.8
RUSH  24      YDS  171      AVG  1.7      TD  1    LG  9

AFL          ATT 1695        COMP 1185        YDS 15108         PCT 69.9%
TD 324        INT 40       RAT 127.23
RUSH  46     YDS  70     AVG  1.5      TD  16

Arena, CFL, NFL, ufl

Johnson, Jerrod

tntufl11 jjohnsonCards: TNT UFL 2011
Acquired: IP, Aaron Williams Lone Star Showcase 2015

I was a big fan of the United Football League, before all the dirt came out about them not paying their players, and developed a set of cards for the league. As word got around of my work, a few players contacted me and asked for their cards, so I expanded the set from roughly 50 to 100 cards.  Included in the set were 12 or so rookies who were selected by the league during the first ever sports Twitter draft.

After Josh McCown had bolted back to the NFL as one of the UFL’s success stories, new Hartford Colonial’s coach Jerry Glanville assembled an impressive coaching staff and selected Jerrod Johnson with the first overall pick of the 2011 UFL Draft. Johnson planned to sign with the league, but with dark financial clouds brewing, Jerrod signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Soon thereafter, the Colonials owner assumed control of the Virginia Destroyers, and the league contracted Hartford.  Jerrod saw time on various rosters around the NFL (Eagles, Steelers) and Arena (Rattlers) leagues. He then returned to the UFL in 2012 suiting up for the Sacramento Mountain Lions. Johnson threw for 321 yards, completing 25 of 59 passes with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also ran for 12 yards in 6 attempts.  This led him back to the NFL, where he ws on the offseason and practice rosters of the Seahawks and Bears through the 2014 season. Later Jerrod signed with the Montreal Alouettes.

Jerrod liked the custom that I did of him, and when I said the #1 pick of the UFL in 2011, he remarked, “The man knows!” Jerrod was one of the many attendees at the Lone Star Showcase. Working with the kids at quarterback you could tell he got a lot of enjoyment out of giving back. Although it was a pretty hot day, the event was well run and players were kind and accomodating to fans of all ages.