Tag Archives: ultimate wlaf 1992

NFL, WLAF

Greene, Anthony ‘AJ’ (DB)

wcwlaf92 greeneultwlaf92 greeneCards: ProSet 1991, Wild Card WLAF 1992, Ultimate WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  8/12  Received: 11/3   (88 days)
Failure: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Donation: $20.00

pset91 greeneClocking in at 5’8″, 166, Anthony Greene set a school record in his Senior year while at Wake Forest with 7 interceptions for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He also set a school record his when he intercepted 4 passes in one game during the final game of his Junior year. This net him recognition from Sports Illustrated for his efforts. By the time he left the Demon Deacons, A.J. recorded 17 interceptions and 245 tackles  in his 4 years at Wake Forest.  In 1989, he was selected by the New York Giants in the 9th round of the 1989 draft. He then spent the season on the developmental squad of the New York Giants and much of the preseason during 1990 on the Buccaneers.
The WLAF Barcelona Dragons selected Greene with the 7th overall pick of the defensive back portion of the league’s inaugural draft. He’d make 40 tackles and 3 picks for 22 yards. With the additional seasoning A.J. was picked back up by the Giants and played in two games during the 1991 NFL season.  He returned to the Dragons for the 1992 season, and pull down another 3 interceptions for 16 yards. With the WLAF on hiatus after the ’92 season, Greene returned stateside and now lives in the Carolinas.

I had previously attempted to get A.J. a few years ago, but didn’t have any luck. Buoyed by the recent successes I had with retry replies TTM, I was optimistic that I could track him down. With Greene knocked off the list, I am now down to my final 6 of the ProSet 1991 WLAF inserts.

WLAF 20/20    Tac N/a    Sac N/a   Fum N/a   Int 6    Yds 38    Avg 6.3      Td 0

WLAF

Alexander, Philip

psetwlaf91 alexander ult92 alexander

Cards: ProSet WLAF 1991 AW, Pro Set WLAF 1991, Ultimate WLAF 1991, Ultimate WLAF 1991 KL
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Crystal Palace UK
Sent: 7/5   Received: 7/26   (21 days)

ult92 alexander scPhilip Alexander was one of the WLAF’s Operation Discovery success stories. After playing professional soccer in New Zealand from 1982-1986, and then playing American football with the Farnham Knights of the British Football League, Alexander earned a tryout with Ditka’s Chicago Bears. By 1991 though Alexander was looking to get a further taste of American Football. Things changed when the World League came calling, and Philip joined their ‘Operation Discovery’ program. The idea was that the program was to foster growth of American football in different countries by having teams sign international players to their rosters. Many of these players had no previous American Football experience, little less NFL experience. (Initially rules were suggested that one international player must be on the field at least once a drive or set of downs. Thankfully this rule was struck down before it even made it to the field.) Still this allowed for an additional four spots on rosters for teams to stash players. The Monarchs made the most of it, as both Philip and Victor Edubuike were placed on their OD rosters in 1991.

pset91 alexander CCAlexander made the best of his time with the Monarchs and not only earned Operation Discovery Honors as an outstanding international prospect, but also was named First-Team All-World League that season leading the league in scoring with 64 points and going 9/13 on field goal attempts. In 1992, he’d go 9 for 14 on field goals and score 46 points. The league would reorganize after the season, not to be seen again until 1995.

Philip returned to soccer (aka football) and eventually moved into the front office. I had been looking to get him for quite a while, but I kept putting it off after I had gotten stung by another long distance WLAF request a few years back. Still I reached out to the Crystal Palace organization and contacted him through email to confirm it’d be okay, and surprisingly I got a response back within a month. Amazing considering that the envelope travelled a grand total of 4,917 miles and back in one piece. This is one of those success stories that has to be chocked up just as much to the UK Royal Air Mail and the USPS, as it was for Philip signing this card.

WLAF 20/20   XPA/XPM 59/56    FGA/FGM  27/18     PCT 66.6%      Lg 52      Pts 110

NFL, WLAF

Baker, Tony (2)

pset91 baker LLultwlaf92 tbaker PromoCards: Pro Set 1991 WLAF League Leader, Ultimate WLAF 1992 Galaxy Team card, Ultimate WLAF 1992 Promo Card
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o home
Sent: 1/29    Received: 3/13
See also:  Tony Baker

ultwlaf92 galaxyOutside of Stan Gelbaugh, I think the card companies were betting early on that Tony Baker was going to be a star of the young WLAF. Counting all the ones I’ve had signed, I think Baker had 8 cards or so.

I had gotten the Ultimate WLAF promo card inside a copy of Gametime Magazine back during a game back in 1992. There was very little difference between this card and the regular issue card. The regular issue had the team flag in purple, not orange, and the back promoted their contest for a $1,000,000- (that I seriously question whether or not anybody actually won).  I had gotten Kerwin Bell previously in person, but otherwise there was Gelbaugh, Eric Wilkerson, Pete Mandley, and Peter Najarian that I was aware of.

I had gotten Tony back in 2010, and realized after I had dug up the lion’s share of my cards, that I had missed one or two. I threw in the Galaxy team card- since he symbolized the team most to me in those early years, and sent it out with an extra promo for him to keep. Much to Tony’s credit he signed these 3 cards for me in about 40 days.