Card: TNT AFL Talons 2014, TNT 2011 AFL promo
Acquired: IP, 5/3/2014 Talons vs. Barnstormers, 5/17/14 Talons vs. Voodoo

With Chad Cook sitting out the season for the Talons, the team signed Mykel Benson to be the starting fullback. A compact, low to the ground runner, Benson was originally signed by the Milwaukee Mustangs in 2011, after graduating from Florida A&M. While playing for A&M, Benson lodged 14 career scores.

During his rookie season with Milwaukee, Mykel ran for 178 yards and 17 touchdowns. The following season, he’d split time with the Georgia Force and Orlando Predators, but still managed to record 8 scores in 74 carries. He’d continue playing for the Predators in 2013, rushing for 89 yards and 10 more scores, before hopping over to the Talons for the 2014 season.

When I got Mykel’s autograph he remarked that the cards looked similar to one he had signed of himself in his Mustangs uniform. I must admit that I am flattered that somebody out there printed out the older card previously and had him sign it. When I told him that I was actually the person who designed that card, he quickly also asked me for a copy of that card as well.

I approached Benson after the Voodoo game, this time with his 2011 promo. He told me he had already framed up the card I gave him in his Talons uniform, and also printed out a copy of the card I made of him back in 2011 from my drawingwithlee.com website. He thanked me profusely for the Mustangs promo and signed an extra for me to keep. It is amazing how things work out, as I never would have thought back in 2011, that the promos I was working on would ever be treasured so much by these players- little less signed by them. As word has spread, a lot of players have begun requesting a copy of their cards that I designed or for me to design one for them. It brings me great joy that I can bring these players happiness and added sense of pride/ accomplishment through what I do for them. It is the least I can do to pay them back for their efforts on the gridiron and in the arena.