Card: TNT AFL Talons 2014
Acquired: IP 5/17/14, San Antonio Talons vs. New Orleans Voodoo

DJ was a local product from Austin I met at the Talons ticket party in the back of the Lion & The Rose in San Antonio. At the time I sat down and talked to him I did not have a card for him, but we shared our experiences from Austin, how its grown at an astronomical rate, and the increasing commute times. Like many of the other players there at the event, he did not let on that he wanted a card made of him. At the start of the season, DJ was not suiting up, but as injuries mounted, the team leaned on him to play more and more.

I caught DJ after the Voodoo game. He was sitting in a row for the autograph session with Doug Pierce and a couple of other guys. I shoved my way up and said, “Austin guy right? Hey I got these cards I made of you.” His eyes got really big and Doug reached over and started asking why I didn’t have one of him too, so I slapped his on the table too. The players were really excited and created quite a stir.

An AFL rookie in 2014, DJ played for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2010 as he tallied 3 interceptions, 43 tackles, 2 TFL and 4 PBU. In 2011, he earned 83 tackles, 3 FF, 2 picks, 5 TFL, and 3 PBU, following it up with a stellar Senior campaign in which he had 90 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, and 5 PBU. DJ’s had 14 tackles in his final game at the Mineke Car Care Bowl.