Card: UT Upper Deck 2011
Acquired: 2015, Spoodog Box Break
Eddie Phillips had big shoes to fill, guiding the Longhorns offense after quarterback James Street graduated in 1970. He responded marvelously, leading Texas back to a share of the National Championship. During 1971 Phillips had his best game of his career in the Cotton Bowl, single handedly keeping Texas offense in a game against Notre Dame. He rushed 23 times for 164 yards, and was 9 of 17 through the air for another 199, but the Horns ultimately lost 24-11. Phillips returned later in the year for the Longhorns opener, however injuries limited his effectiveness the remainder of 71. The Longhorns remained relevant and played in the Cotton Bowl and Hula Bowl in 1972. Eddie finished his career at Texas with a 14-2 record and 1,211 yards rushing.
Phillips was selected in the 5th round of the 1972 draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Eddie was converted to safety, but did not make the roster of the team. He returned to Austin and has been involved in the financial industry for many years.
Blake Brockermeyer played tackle for the University of Texas from 1992-1994, earning All-American honors in 1995. He’d be taken by the Carolina Panthers with their second first round choice of the ’95 draft at 29th overall. Blake was a 4 year starter at left tackle for Carolina, before jumping over to the Chicago Bears in 1999. He played for the Bears from 1999-2001, but unknowingly blew out his shoulder badly that season in a game against Detroit. After not getting correct advice from team doctors, he continued to play on the bad shoulder- ultimately shortening his career. Blake joined the Broncos in 2002, where he played through 2003 as a solid reserve player, starting 3 games.
After football Brockermeyer has become a certified Performance Coach, and a Strength and Conditioning Specialist at the High School level. He has his own website as well where he promotes Brockermeyer Core Performance.
CCard: Donruss Rookies & Stars 2010 Gold, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2010 Foil, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2010 Patch, Photo Memorabilia, Poster.
Acquired: IP 4/16/2015, Sam’s Wholesale Lakeline Grand Opening
See Also: Vince Young
Well Vince was the apple of my eye for the Sam’s Grand Opening Event. I had planned weeks in advance to nab the increasingly elusive quarterback on as many cards as I could. To help my cause, I created this poster of Vince. It took roughly 15 hours to complete and the additional costs included printing the poster and mounting a copy for him. While I had hoped Young would sign everything in my possession after seeing the poster, I was ultimately disappointed in his response. I don’t think me asking for a stack of autographs was going to be greedy. The time and effort required to complete what I had done would have been equitable.
For a time there I was worried Vince wasn’t going to show up for the event, in which he was paired up with his former lineman Kasey Studdard. The line was rampant with discontent from the other attendees, including an incorrigible woman I recognized from a previous signing with Earl Campbell. Things eventually worked out though. The gatekeeper was pretty intimidating, and blocked me from being able to gather a larger number of autographs. Instead when I proposed a trade with Vince – Young seemed confused, and deferred to his gatekeeper to answer the question. Still- three cards, a photo and a signed copy of my own poster wasn’t too bad. I had been wanting to get these Donruss cards signed even if the encounter wasn’t memorable anyway. Vince now works for the University of Texas and can be frequently spotted at his steakhouse.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
Card: UT Upper Deck 2011
