I had been after Eric Jones forever and a day on this card, but due to the commonality of his name, I was unable to locate him. I had done some research that led me down a rabbit hole that he was working for a medical device manufacturer, but the trail went cold- so I gave up. Thankfully Mark, of Mark’s Signing Bonus came to the rescue. He shot me a line and I was able to get Eric on this card. He also included a nice note thanking me for being a fan. Unfortunately, I do not believe that Mark ever got his autograph back from Eric… And since that point the address has grown cold.
I mean huge get for me here. The Ultimate World League 1992 Official Spokesperson Jim Kelly autographed card is one of the 2 Holy Grails in this set. (The other being the Lawrence Taylor autographed card.) These autographed cards were one of the prizes given away for spelling W-O-R-L-D via the in pack game scratch off, and only 500 exist. I had seen this card from time to time on Ebay and kicked myself for not buying one a few years ago because it was priced at a premium to my budget. Since the COVID pandemic, a lot of things changed, and also since I haven’t been buying card boxes for a while, these sorts of splurges are a bit more affordable. Furthermore with Jim Kelly’s TTM signing fee being a stiff $50.00, I bought this one immediately when I saw it comparatively at a strong discount.
The front of the card is beautiful. It’s a very simple design that has grown on me over the years. The back of the card is much like the other Ultimate World League insert promos with the WIN $1,000,000 blurb and the contest information. The only major difference on the card being an NFL shield next to Ultimate Trading Card company’s address. -Again still no clue if anybody actually ever won the million bucks.
CARDS: Ultimate World League 1992, Ultimate World League 1992 Defense, Ultimate World League 1992 Promo ACQUIRED: TTM 2021, C/o Home SENT: 12/14/21 RECEIVED: 1/3/22 (20 days) FAILURE: TTM C/o Home, 2014, 2016, 2019
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Walked on to the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 1985.
Fairytale story continued as he contributed to the Sooners National Football championship that year, catching 5 passes for 96 yards and 2 TDs.
Went undrafted in 1987, but thanks to the NFL Players Strike, saw significant playing time starting 3 games for the Green Bay Packers.
Contributed career best 6 catches for 132 yards and a TD in win over Eagles during Week 3.
Among final tough cuts during 1988 training camp.
Joined CFL Toronto Argos late in season.
Had 5 catches for 86 yards and TD against Winnipeg a few weeks later.
Played following season for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Emerged as San Antonio’s most reliable receiver in 1991, contributing 23 catches for 409 yards and 2 TDs- including a franchise long 73 yard TD grab.
Returned for 1992 season but suffered season ending injury after catching 9 passes for 174 yards.
Ultimate 1992, Defensive Overview #191
NOTES:
I had been hunting for Lee Morris for quite some time- striking out at 3 different addresses over the years. From time to time I like to look at EBay. It’s a backdoor way to see who is signing TTM sometimes, and this one paid off. I found a listing on the site for Lee’s autograph on his Ultimate base card. Then I cross referenced the information I had on him and realized he signed from a previous address I had tried him at a few years ago. It made me quite ecstatic when I got these back. These cards are technically the first responses of 2022.
These are some great action shots of Lee. I remember leaving a game or two, and seeing kids chase Lee for his autograph on his Ultimate promo card that were inserted into the Gametime magazines. (I was quite jealous as I couldn’t find one.) He seemed quite happy that he had a card.
Later the base card appeared in all its glory. I love this shot of him jumping up in the air to make a grab, however it showcases the Riders and the league’s lackluster attendance woes.
I tossed in the Defensive Overview card as well, and since it had a receiver in the picture, it made sense to have Lee sign it. Oddly the back image has Surge helmets on it, but I’d assume it’s not an error card as the set itself is meant to introduce fans to football.
Ultimate WLAF 1992, #156
NFL
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
16
259
16.1
1
46t
CFL
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
24
348
14.5
1
55
WLAF
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
32
583
18.2
3
73t
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
