Tag Archives: ttm autograph

NFL, University of Texas

Akins, Marty

Cards: University of Texas Upper Deck 2011, UT UD 2011 ATA, UT UD 2011 NC
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Home
Sent: 5/5  Received: 5/12   (7 days)

Marty Akins played for the Texas Longhorns from 1972 to 1975 and is considered legendary coach Darrell Royal’s favorite quarterback. Oddly the Longhorns starting quarterback first got noticed as a dangerous kick and punt returner during the 1973 Cotton Bowl. He became the starting quarterback for the Longhorns in the 1973 season and led the school to Conference Championships in both 1973 and 1975.

At the time of his departure from the school, Marty earned numerous school records and finished with a 27-9 record. Among his QB records were the school career rushing record (2020 yards),  career rushing TDs (26), and the single game rushing yard record (188), which all stood until the Vince Young era. Marty capped his 1975 by earning NCAA All-American Honors, and numerous SWC and National honors. The Wishbone never caught on at the pro level, so the NFL was at a loss as what position a gifted athlete like Marty should play.

He’d be selected in the 11th round of the 1976 Draft by the then St. Louis Cardinals. Although a featured member of the scout team who could play a variety of positions in a pinch, he saw no significant playtime during his stint in the league.  Later in 1977 he’d be traded to the New Orleans Saints, but retired before the regular season began.

In 1995, Akins was inducted into the Longhorn Honor Roll, and has received many other post retirement honors for his time at Texas. He went into law, coached golf at the college level, and as of 2017 lives in the Austin, Tx area.

Wow. Great find in Marty here. With 3 superior action shots of him here, this is a great example of a canvas made better by an exquisite autograph. Marty has solid curvature to his signature, with all the loops and hooks at the right place. He wrote me a warm return letter and included a copy of a nice note that Darrell Royal sent Marty, telling him that Marty was the best quarterback he ever coached.

NFL

Dryer, Fred ‘Hunter’


Cards: Topps 1971, Topps 1976
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Work

I think the first time I saw Fred Dryer was during the mid-80s. It was premiere week and NBC was eager to find a competing product to Magnum PI. They cast Fred Dryer as the lead in the TV show Hunter and the rest was history.  As a kid I never really knew about Fred nor was I observant enough to know that he was a former football player, but when I became aware of football and the LA Rams were fast becoming my favorite NFC team, I knew eventually I wanted to get Fred’s autograph.

A first round pick of the New York Giants in 1969 Fred wrecked opposing offensive lines from the start of his career recording 8.5 sacks in his first year from his defensive end position.  Considered a wild man by teammates, Fred lived out of a van and grew out his hair and beard. He even offered to set his hair on fire whenever he scored another TD later in his career.  In 1970, he had 12 sacks and 69 tackles earning his first Pro Bowl honors. After recording 8.5 sacks in 1971, Fred was traded to the New England Patriots for a bevvy of picks. Refusing to report, the Patriots were left with no choice but to deal Fred to the Los Angeles Rams.

During his 1972 season, the Rams used Fred as one of the first situational pass rushers. He’d put up 4.5 sacks. LA started him full time at defensive end the following year and he made history sacking Green Bay quarterback Scott Hunter twice in a game for a safety.  Fred finished with 10 sacks in 1973.  His best season as a pro came in 1975 when he earned another Pro Bowl honor, with 61 tackles, 12 sacks and a 20 yard interception for a TD against the Eagles.

Fred helped the Rams make Super Bowl XIV in 1979. During the season he had a 5 sack game against his former team the Giants, en route to a 10 sack season.  He retired after the 1981 season.  A well decorated member of the NFL, it’s disappointing that Fred has not received a call to the HoF, however during the period he played, sacks and tackles were not an official statistic.

Fred has been a pretty busy TV and film actor since retirement. Before the TV show Hunter made him a star, he was also considered for the TV show Cheers to play the main role of Sam Malone.  In the past few years he’s seen a renaissance of sorts cast in a variety of diverse roles, including a brief appearance on Agents of Shield as Octavian Bloom- a HYDRA leader.

G/GS 176/165     TAC  N/A      SAC  104.0    FUM 20
INT  1     YDS 20      AVG 20.0    TD 1     LG 20T

NFL, WLAF

Williams, Ronnie

Cards: Wild Card WLAF 1992, Ultimate WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Home
Sent: 8/4   Received:  9/8   (35 days)
*donation enclosed

Ronnie Williams played college ball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys from 1984-1987.  Originally a quarterback, he’d be converted to wide receiver by his senior year.  Over his time at OSU Ronnie completed 264 of 349 passes, and as a Senior caught 26 passes for 304 yards and 2 TDs.

He’d sign with the San Diego Chargers as a free agent in 1988. After not being able to latch on with a team over the next few seasons, Ronnie decided to give the WLAF a shot.

Ronnie was selected in the first round of the WLAF positional draft in 1991 by the San Antonio Riders. He’d lead the team in receptions with 30 catches, and 4th in 321 yards.  In 1992 Ronnie had 20 receptions for 216 yards and 4 TDs.  Although the Riders finished with a 7-3 record, they were left looking in on the playoffs. Like the rest of the WLAF, the Riders were dissolved with the league after the season concluded. Ronnie is notable as he is the franchise’s career leader in receptions with 50.

Ronnie became one of the WLAF success stories. After the 1992 season, he signed with the Miami Dolphins.  He didn’t see the field in 1993 and was primarily used as a 3rd TE and blocker by the Dolphins over his career.  Perhaps his most memorable moment was catching his first professional TD pass, a 1 yard sneaky grab from Dan Marino during the 1994 playoffs in a win over the Chiefs (27-17). He played for the team through 1995, joining the Seattle Seahawks in 1996.  Ronnie caught his only regular season TD from Rick Mirer that year. After the season he’d retire.

Ronnie had two amazing WLAF cards that were not widely available until after the 1992 season, and I always wanted to get them signed. Plus he was a Rider. I had just barely missed him on two or three occasions, but finally got a hold of him.  I agreed to send a donation to his kids program and updated him on the status of many of his teammates.

WLAF      REC  50         YDS  537     AVG   10.7     TD  4
NFL  55/5         REC  10                 YDS   79             AVG  7.9        TD 1