NFL

Wilder Sr., James

Proset 1989, #420

CARD: Proset 1989
ACQUIRED: Paid Signing, 2023
FAILURE: TTM 2010, C/o Home

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • At the end of his time at Missou, James Wilder was the school’s all-time leading rusher with 2,357 yards.
  • A second round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1982.
  • Slotted into the lineup as a FB.
  • Impressed coaches so much he took over starting duties at RB in 1984.
  • Set NFL single game record (since broken) rushing 42 times against Pittsburgh in 1984.
  • He carried the ball a whopping 407 times for 1577 yards and 13 TDs.
  • His 2229 total yards were only 19 yards off the combined rushing receiving single season record.
  • By the end of that season- his 4th- Wilder had passed Ricky Bell to become the franchise’s all-time leading rusher.
  • Wilder was ahead of his time, as not only was he a great runner, but he was an extremely talented receiver as well, catching 85 passes that year.
  • In 1985, Wilder had another solid season, posting 1300 yards rushing on 365 carries and 10 TDs.
  • James never eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark again over his career.
  • While this could’ve been attributed to injuries or a conversion back to FB is not known, as the backfield became quite crowded.
  • The Bucs traded James to Detroit in exchange for Eric WIliams in 1990.
  • At the time of his departure, Wilder owned nearly every rushing franchise record and even the team’s record for receptions.
  • He played the majority of the season with the Lions, before finishing his career on the roster of the Redskins that year.

ACCOLADES:

  • Pro Bowl 1984

NOTES:

Finally! I absolutely adore this card and have wanted to get it signed by James for some time. James embodied the creamsickle orange to me. The autograph is just as good! It’s strong, the color is superb, and the placement is perfect.

I love my RBs and Wilder had a very interesting NFL career to me. I considered also sending his Score Supplemental 1990 in his Lions uniform, or his Score 1989 card, but since I had failed on him 10 years ago, never restocked on his cards.

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