Cards: Topps 1990, Topps Stadium Club 1991
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Home
Sent: 10/9 Received: 12/16 (68 days)
Failure: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Eddie Brown played for the Miami Hurricanes. A two year starter in 1983 and 1984, he posted 89 receptions for 1754 yards (19.7 yards per reception) and 14 TDs. Gifted with a great skillset of speed and hands, Brown was selected with the 13th pick overall in the 1985 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. This draft is known for its incredibly strong wide receiver pool, which included notables such as: Jerry Rice, Andre Reed, Al Toon, Jessie Hester, Vance Johnson, Reggie Langhorne, Emile Harry, Eric Martin, and Willie Drewery.
Despite putting up solid numbers for the Bengals, Brown has always been mistreated by fans and the media outside of Cincinnati- as he was selected 3 picks before Jerry Rice. Still early on the Bengals looked like the winners as Eddie won the NFL Rookie of the Year Award, after he caught 53 passes for 942 yards and 8 TDs. His best season came in 1988 when Eddie had a career high 53 receptions for 1,273 yards and 9 TDs- earning him his one and only Pro Bowl appearance. (His single season 24 yards per reception average set an NFL record that still stands today.) For most of his career, Eddie’s numbers middled around 800 to 900 yards. He got really beat up over his career and retired after the 1991 season. Eddie teamed up with Tim McGee and QB Boomer Esiason and gave the Houston Oilers continual fits.
Eddie has had lingering injuries since retirement. Alarmingly, he has not been able to turn his neck since 1992 thanks in part possibly from a herniated cervical disc. He was kind enough however to sign these two cards for me, since I could find neither the ProSet 1990 or the Action Packed 1991 that I wanted to send. The Topps 1990 card is one of those oddballs. It’s a great photo of Brown- even if he’s not making the catch. Stadium Club was Topps attempt to create a premium line to keep up with the ProSets and Scores of the world. The strategy worked, and all the other brands established their own parallel premium brands to keep pace.
G/GS 102/99 REC 363 YDS 6134 AVG 16.9 TD 41 LG 86t