Tag Archives: ttm autograph

Thompson, Anthony

aprks90 athompson fraprks90 athompson ba

Cards: Pro Set 1990 MAW, Action Packed Rookies 1990
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent:  7/6    Received: 1/28/14   (206 days)

pho athompson2A two time Big 10 rushing champion, Anthony Thompson put the Indiana Hoosiers football program briefly back on the map with his solid NCAA career from 1986-1989. He’d finish second in the Heisman Trophy race in 1989 to Andre Ware, but win the Maxwell Award after finishing his senior season with 358 carries for 1,793 yards, and 24 TDs rushing.   Anthony amassed 5,299 yards and 67 rushing TDs, including an NCAA single game record of 377 yards rushing against Wisconsin in 1989, breaking the record held by Rueben Mayes and Mike Pringle.  His 67 rushing TDs were at the time an NCAA record as well, but have both been since surpassed.

A deeply pious individual, Anthony never knew his patience would be so tested at the pro level. The 1990 draft was considered to be a decent followup to the 1989 blockbuster, and runningback was a pretty deep class. It’s amazing looking back at how Thompson was the 8th RB taken off the board- at only the 31st overall pick (2nd round). The Cardinals were a team mired in misery. The punching bag of the NFC East, Phoenix had not had a runningback rush for over a 1,000 yards since Ottis Anderson was jettisonedpho athompson1 in favor of Stump Mitchell back in ’85. Thompson was immediately pencilled in as the starter, but as a contract holdout dragged on, a late start allowed 7th round pick Johnny Johnson usurped the starting role. There were flashes from Anthony when Johnson was not in the lineup, as Thompson averaged over 100 yards per game for a 3 game stretch his rookie year, but outside of that, it was a frustrating campaign in Phoenix. Anthony was released by the Cardinals during the third week of the 1992 season.  Given an audition by the Los Angeles Rams, he suited up for 7 games for the team that year, but played primarily on the scout team. He’d be waived by the team in 1994, but not before he was immortalized in Tecmo Super Bowl.

pset90 athompson MAXAnthony eventually went back to college and finished his Batchelor’s of General Science in 2002, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. He currently is a Pastor in Indiana.

A class act all the way around, Anthony actually sent me a manila envelope with my cards and the two additional photo cards covering his career at Indiana. It may have taken sometime, but it was totally worth it considering the return.

G/Gs  37/7    Rush  251    Yds 831    Avg 3.3     Td 6      Lg 40   |
Rec   14      Yds  74      Avg 5.3     Td 0    Lg 14

 

Renfro, Mike

to81 renfroCards: Topps 1980, Topps 1981
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 12/10    Received: 12/19  (9 days)
Failure: TTM 2010, C/o Home

Upon his graduation from Texas Christian University, Mike Renfro held virtually all of the schools’ receiving records, and was the Southwestern Conference’s all-time leading receiver for receptions (162) and yards (2,739) . The Houston Oilers drafted Mike in the 4th round of their blockbuster 1978 draft. To say that head coach Bum Phillips was not enamored with kids from the SWC that year was an understatement as Renfro joined fellow SWC rushing leader Earl Campbell as rookies on the team. Mike was fortunate. With Billy White Shoes nursing a knee injury, Renfro was able to begin building a rapport with quarterback Dan Pastorini, while honing his blocking skills. Later in the year Mike scored his first professional touchdown against the Oakland Raiders.

It’d be in the 1979 playoffs the next season, that the team met with that heartbreaking bad luck they always seemed to find in the oddest ways. The Oilers’ battles with the Steelers were titanic by this point and Houston was one of the few teams that was formidible in combat with Pittsburgh. The Oilers rode into 3 Rivers Stadium for the AFC Championship Game that year. Trailing 17-10, the Oilers drove down the frigid field, after starting from their own 14 yard line. Pastorini was hot on Renfro that drive, already striking to him for 21 yards to put the ball on the Steeler 6. It’d be on the next play that Renfro is perhaps remembered most for. Under a nasty rush, Pastorini lobbed the ball up in the air to Mike over the helpless defensive back Ron Johnson (who held Renfro). Despite the no call hold, Renfro pulled the ball in and cradled it before stepping out of the endzone. The side judge, made an initial no call, then made a weak incomplete pass signal. While the replays showed otherwise and the commentators agreed as such, there was nothing that could be done. The Oilers settled for a field goal, and this was the closest the franchise ever made it to the Super Bowl. The Steelers scored a final touchdown with 53 seconds remaining to inflate the score to 27-13. The play caused a national firestorm and debate over the sport. The call today is still regarded as one of the worst made in sports history- ever. While video replay had been in use going back some 20+ years prior, the major sports had been reticent to adopt it as a way to better assist officials in making  better calls in games. The USFL became the first major football league to open the can of worms and adopt instant replay formally in 1985. The fans universally appreciated the program, seeing it as a sign of fairness and transparency. The NFL finally followed suit in 1986. After a lot of trial and error, the program was modified, abolished, and reinvented by 1998 and has been in use with minor tweaks every season since by the league.

to80 renfroMike played with the Oilers for the next 4 seasons. As a run first team, Mike got the knack of being a fearless, possession receiver who had great hands and ran fine routes. Renfro’s stats, especially compared to other receivers (of this current time) hearkens to a bygone era of aggressive defenses and the Dead Ball years of the sport. He finished his tenure in Houston with 160 catches in 51 games for 2183 yards and 11 TDs. Mike was also witness to the dawn and sunset of the Earl Campbell era as well as being one of the last remnants of the old guard to move on before the beginning of the Moon era in 1984. That year, Mike found himself traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for WR Butch Johnson, and a swap of 2nd round picks between the Cowboys and Oilers. Oh the Oilers also threw in a 5th round pick as well, which the Cowboys used to draft some guy named Herschel Walker. In essence, the Cowboys can thank the Houston Oilers for the catalyst that propelled them into the dynasty they became in the 1990s. Renfro stepped into the Cowboys organization at a critical juncture as well. He became the go to man for young quarterback Danny White as the team transitioned between eras at wide receiver from Pearson to Irvin. Mike was there to pick up the slack when Tony Hill began to decline and Mike Sherrard broke his leg. Mike posted a career highs in receptions (60), yards (955), and TDs (8) in 1985. Mike is also remembered fondly for having one of the greatest Thanksgiving performances in memory in 1987 when he caught 7 passes for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings. Sadly though, Mike was at the end of the line after finding a new role in Dallas. In 1988, Michael Irvin joined the squad, and with a host of new talent at receiver, and Renfro banged up from the wear and tear over the years, knew it was time to go. No hard feelings for Mike though.  Retiring to the Dallas area, Renfro was a sucessful investor and horse breeder for a while.

I had written Renfro back in 2010, but did not receive a response because I had gotten the address partially incorrect. I did not realize that the error was on my end until I had recently seen some responses from him. I was happy to finally get him on these two Oilers cards. Mike also makes an appearance on the original Tecmo Bowl on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

G/Gs  123/95       Rec  323     Yds  4708       Avg  14.6      Td 28   Lg  60

 

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