NFL

Hoover, Brad

Upper Deck MVP 2001, #35
Score 2004, #50
Upper Deck 2001 Pros & Prospects, #13

CARDS: Topps Total 2005, Score 2004, Upper Deck MVP 2001, Upper Deck Pros & Prospects 2001
ACQUIRED: TTM 2024, C/o Home
SENT: 1/22 RECEIVED: 2/5 (14 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • A star at Western Carolina University, Brad Hoover played RB for the.
  • He rushed for 3,616 yards at Western, and scored 28 touchdowns over his college career.
  • Undrafted, he signed with the nearby Carolina Panthers and was moved to fullback.
  • Brad made the squad and quickly became a darling of the team due to his play, local ties, and inroads with the local community as a liaison.
  • Hoover saw action in all 16 games his rookie year in 2000, starting 4 contests.
  • He rushed for 290 yards on 89 carries, scoring 1 TD and catching 15 passes.
  • Over his career he became a stalwart blocker and sneakily dependable receiver out of the backfield.
  • In 2009, the Panthers selected a fullback during the draft marking the end of Hoover’s playing time in Carolina.
  • He retired after the season.
Topps Total 2005, #132

ACCOLADES:

  • Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame

NOTES:

So way, way back in 2004, I went back to work, hat in hand, to a place I used to work at. I absolutely hated the job, but one of the silver linings was that my coworkers immediately wanted me to play in their fantasy football league.

Tagging me as an easy mark, I hadn’t played in a few years and I was pretty raw. Unfortunately for them I still had a great hand at the waiver wire, and I took full advantage of it.

Backing into the playoffs as the last seed, I took a very unorthodox approach. I had nothing to lose playing against the most high power team in the league- so I specifically targeted players who were playing for pride, a new contract, or had more going for them then playing for a half and sitting. I cut most of my starting lineup and picked up situational starters like Nick Goings and Brad Hoover.

It paid off. Not only did I win the game, I ended up winning the championship in a major upset, angering the GM and most of the participants. It was good times.

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NFL, ufl, WLAF, XFL

Haslett, Jim

Pro Set 1991 Helmet Card, #9
Topps 1986, #392
Topps 1982, #29

CARDS: Topps 1982, Topps 1986, Pro Set 1991
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 1/17/22 RECEIVED: 2/7/22 (21 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Jim Haslett played college football at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 1975-’78.
  • Played LB, DE, and P for the Crimson Hawks.
  • Dominant player who etched his name in the school’s record books.
  • Over 4 years had 35 sacks, 412 tackles, and 13 fumble recoveries.
  • Selected in the 2nd round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
  • Jim hit the ground running and in his first contest notched a team leading 17 tackles.
  • In rookie year had 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries playing at LILB.
  • Alongside fellow Bills players Fred Smerlas and Shane Nelson, they formed the nucleus of the defense’s ‘Bermuda Traingle’ unit.
  • An aggressive player and big hitter, Jim recorded over 100 tackles 5 times in his career.
  • He’d play 7 seasons in Buffalo, starting 86 games posting 7.5 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, and 6 interceptions.
  • In 1987 he came back for 3 games playing for the New York Jets before moving into the coaching ranks.
  • After three years working for Buffalo University both as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator, Jim moved up to the spring football league circuit.
  • He’d coach the Sacramento Surge in 1991 and 1992.
  • He parlayed his experience in the World League into a positional coaching job in the NFL with the Raiders as a linebackers coach in 1993.
  • After two years there, Jim spent a year with the Saints as their linebacker coach.
  • It’d be in 1996 that Haslett experienced his first taste of being a defensive coordinator with the Saints where he saw potent results.
  • He’d not be retained by the Saints after they cleaned house in ’97, so he spent the next 3 years as the DC of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
  • The Saints cleaned house again in 2000, and brought Haslett back to be head coach that year.
  • Jim led the Saints to their first playoff win that year.
  • He’d be fired after a tumultuous 2005 season, one in which the team cratered thanks in part to having to relocate temporarily from Hurricane Katrina to San Antonio.
  • Haslett then was defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2006-’08.
  • Jim replaced Scott Linehan as interim head coach in 2008.
  • In 2009, Haslett was head coach of the UFL ’09 Florida Tuskers.
  • From 2010 to ’14 Haslett served as defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins.
  • After a consulting gig with Penn State in 2015, Jim served as linebackers coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2016-’18.
  • That’d lead to an inside linebacking coach gig with the Titans in 2020 and 2021.
  • He then served as head coach of the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL in 2023 finishing with a 7-3 record and a playoff berth.
  • Unfortunately after the league merged with the USFL, the Sea Dragons were not retained.
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NFL
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NFL
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NFL
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730.700
UFL
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UFL 09

ACCOLADES:

  • NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 1979
  • IUP Athletics Hall of Fame 1996
  • NFL Coach of the Year 2000
  • UFL09 Coach of the Year 2009
  • College Football Hall of Fame

NOTES:

Jim is one of the many members of the World League pipeline working his way up from the coaching ranks after his playing career ended.

NFL, Pro Football HoF

Tarkenton, Fran ‘The Scrambler’

Upper Deck Legends 1997, #13
Topps 1970, #80

CARDS: Upper Deck Legends 1997, Topps 1970
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o Home
SENT: 9/23/20 RECEIVED: 10/31/20 (38 days)*
* Fee enclosed

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Fran Tarkenton played college ball at Georgia from 1958-’60.
  • At QB over 3 years he completed 186 of 317 passes for 2100 yards and 18 TDs to 20 INT.
  • In 1961 was a 3rd round pick of the then expansion Minnesota Vikings.
  • Came off the bench in his first game and threw for 4 TDs and rushed for another in a comeback win.
  • Rushed for a career high 5 TDs his rookie year.
  • His 89 yard completion in 1962 led the NFL.
  • Displayed his gift for running out of the pocket early on- becoming one of the first modern hybrid scrambling QBs.
  • In ’64 passed for 2506 yards and 22 TDs to 11 INT as Tarkenton led the Vikings to an 8-5-1 record.
  • Traded to Giants in 1967.
  • Threw for a career high 3,088 yards and 29 TDs that year.
  • Traded back to the Vikings in 1972.
  • During the 70s, alongside the Purple People Eaters, led the Vikings to two 12-2 records, and a 10-2-1 record enroute to the 3 Super Bowl appearances,
  • Led NFL in Attempts in 1975, ’76, ’78, completions in ’75 and ’78 and completion percentage in 1977.
  • Finished out on top in 1978 with 3468 yards passing and retired after the season- his 18th in the NFL
  • At the time of his retirement, owned many of the NFL career passing records.
  • Moved into business, public speaking, commentating, acting, wrote self help books, and an annuity market firm.

ACCOLADES:

  • Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
  • College Football Hall of Fame
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame
  • All Pro 1975
  • NFL MVP 1975
  • NFL Offensive Player of the Year 1875
  • Pro Bowl 1964-’65, 1967-’70, 1974-’76
  • Minnesota Vikings 25th Anniversary Team
  • Minnesota Vikings 40th Anniversary Team
  • 50 Greatest Vikings
  • Vikings #10 Jersey Retired
  • Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor

NOTES:

Fran Tarkenton with Cathy Lee Crosby on ‘That’s Incredible’ alongside Hopper the Frog

Fran Tarkenton was a very comfortable voice during my childhood, in which I wasn’t really familiar with him from football post retirement but from his stint as a host on the show ‘That’s Incredible’. It only lasted one season in the 80’s but the format, some of the segments, the hosts and the theme music stuck with me over the years.

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Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.