Tag Archives: topps 1992

NFL

Johnston, Daryl “Moose”

Cards: Playoff 1992, Topps 1992, Upper Deck Legends 2011
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 9/14  Received: 10/2 (21 days)
See Also: Daryl Johnston

I used to go to training camp for the Cowboys way back when they were in Austin. On one of the first days that I was there I got Daryl Johnston on his Topps 1990 rookie card.

A few years later I got the Topps 1992 and this Playoff 1992 card. I took them both to training camp with me, but never was able to get Johnston again. I don’t know whether or not he recognized me as a regular at camp, or that the Cowboys were too big for their britches and didn’t sign anymore, but he went from being a stellar in person signer to the classic ignorer, within 2 years. Part of me didn’t blame him if that was the case. The fences at training camp were a difficult to navigate with the throngs of fans who wanted autographs. Not to mention there were a lot of kids running over to the local card shop and selling all those autographs right afterwards. 

 Needless to say it’s great to see that Johnston is a pretty good signer TTM. When I uncovered this Upper Deck Legends card recently I went ahead and shot out these cards to him.  

All of these are great cards of Daryl. Once the card companies got wind of his popularity, solid play, and the Cowboys rise to prominence again, he became a regular in most of the card sets. He has a beautiful autograph, with a solid, encapsulating loop on the ‘J’.

Johnston is not a member of the NFL concussion litigation group. He instead is an advocate of proactive brain testing for players.

NFL

Orlando, Bo

tosc92 orlandoCards: Topps 1992, Topps Stadium Club 1992
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 12/16   Received: 12/31   (15 days)

Bo Orlando was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the 6th round of the 1990 NFL draft. A co-captain of the West Virginia Mountaineer team that went undefeated and played for the National Championship in 1988, He made the squad primarily as a special teams guy and filled in a bit at safety for aging Terry Kinard. The team in 1991 made a concerted effort to draft defensive backs. Exposed in the playoffs and burned with regularity, the Oilers drafted Darryll Lewis, Mike Dumas, Steve Jackson, and Marcus Robertson that year, but it was Orlando surprisingly who made the biggest noise for the team in the secondary. After winning the starting free safety job in camp, he’d rack up 56 tackles and 4 interceptions in 1991. An injury shortened ’92, the emergence of Marcus Robertson at the position, and new defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan in 1993 meant Orlando wasn’t seeing much playing time, but still off the bench starting in 3 contests Bo still managed to make 3 interceptions.

to92 orlandoIn 1995, Bo was left unprotected and signed with the San Diego Chargers.  He’d step in and record 69 tackles and a forced fumble, in his first full season of action since 1991. Again left exposed, Orlando signed with Cincinnati in 1996 and recorded a career high 72 tackles playing for the Bengals. He’d finish his career in 1998 with his homestate Pittsburgh Steelers, retiring after the season.

Injury ravaged during his career, Orlando is a great example of one of the lesser unsung players who really layed their bodies on the line week in and week out for our entertainment. While he has enjoyed a career as a high school football coach in Bethlehem, Pa, and been inducted into the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame, his body has certainly taken a toll from the abuse inflicted on it from his 9 seasons in the league.

G/Gs 129/55   Tac 267   Sac 2.0  Fum 4   Int  10  Yds 126  Avg 12.6  Td 1  Lg 38t

NFL

Anderson, Alfred


Cards: Topps 1992, ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990, Score 1991, Fleer 1991
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 1/25   Received: 1/30 (5 days)

I have over the past few years seen a few hits for fullback Alfred Anderson. As a Texan and a Baylor grad, he certainly earns my respect. Baylor up until the time of RGIII, had been a long suffering football program since the days of the SWC- but there was a  golden era, when guys like Mike Singeltary, Cody Carlson, Gerald McNeil, Walter Abercrombie, Ray Crockett, and big bam fullback Alfred Anderson roamed the land causing mass destruction for the Baylor Bears. A Waco, Texas resident, and the #1 ranked high school RB prospect in Texas, it seemed a no brainer for the local product to go to Baylor, where he helped the Bears make a Bluebonnet Bowl appearance in 1983. In his senior season Anderson rushed for 1046 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Minnesota Vikings made him their 3rd round pick in the 1984 draft. Alfred after the season would be named to multiple All-Rookie teams, leading the NFL among rookies with 773 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. He also notably completed 3 of 7 passes that season for 2 touchdowns. Alfred was utilized at fullback over the majority of his career, and blocked for players like Darrin Nelson and Herschel Walker, helping pave the way for 1,000 yard seasons. As a short yardage back, Anderson also had an ideal nose for the end zone, scoring 27 touchdowns over his 7 season NFL career on only 740 touches. He’d play for the Vikings through 1991 and retire.

Anderson was inducted into the Baylor athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and remains a fan favorite of Baylor fans everywhere. His son, Tony, also played for Baylor as well. I met Alfred through Sotl.com, as I love talking to members of the NFL from ‘that era’ of football from my childhood. He and I began chatting back and forth about Baylor, and as I tend to lean Longhorns on everything, (and on the advice of Josh,) I took the Horns over Baylor in 2011 in football. Thankfully there was no money on the line, as Texas came out flat and got destroyed by RGIII. Anderson was a good sport however, and I was glad that in the end RGIII won the Heisman. As of late also the Bears from those glory days of Anderson, have finally gotten some press, and had a reunion this last season during one of the Bears home games.

I had a lot of Alfred’s cards when I was a kid. It used to be every other pack I’d find a common of his ProSet 1989 card. It’s a great card really, and that and his Score 1991 are probably his most solid. On the other hand, we have the Fleer 1991 entry, which stands in my mind as some of the most poorly designed cards in history. I was a fan of Fleer after their 1990 rebirth, but their 1991 entry certainly was an: “Are you kidding me?”, type effort. It’s a shame because this is a really good action shot. I never bought a pack of Fleer again after that.

I sent off for Alfred near the end of January and was really surprised to get  5 cards signed in a break neck 5 days.  I also gave him a stack of extras to keep as well.


Below are Anderson’s NFL statistics and a video of him rumbling through BYU in 1983:

G/Gs   108/70    Rush 626   Yds 2374    Avg 3.8    Td  22   Lg 29   |    Rec 114    Yds 1042    Avg 9.5   Td  5   Lg  54

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3CGKHB0O1Y