Category Archives: College Football HoF

College Football HoF, NFL

Casillas, Tony

GameDay 1992, #62

CARDS: GameDay 1992, Pro Set Update 1991, Upper Deck College Legends 2011
ACQUIRED: TTM 2021, C/o Home
SENT: 6/29 RECEIVED: 4/10 (285 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Played for the Oklahoma Sooners from 1981-85, medical redshirting in 81.
  • Played DT sparingly, before moving over to NT by 83.
  • Finished his college career with 213 tackles and 18 sacks.
  • Second overall pick of the 1986 draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
  • Had a solid debut contributing 111 tackles, 2 FF and a sack in 86.
  • Best season came in 1989, posting 152 total tackles, 3 forced fumbles and 2 sacks.
  • Entered doghouse of new head coach Jerry Glanville in 1990, and numbers suffered enough that he was considered expendable by 91.
  • Joined Cowboys in 1991, moving to DT, and solidified their defensive line in time for their Super Bowl Championship runs.
  • Signed with Chiefs in 1994, but left team early in camp, eventually signing with the Jets.
  • Returned to Cowboys for final stint in 1996, and retired after the 1997 season.

ACCOLADES:

  • College Football Hall of Fame 2004
  • 1985 Lombardi Award Winner
  • NFL All-Rookie Team 1986
  • 1989 Pro Bowl Alternate

Pro Set 1991 (Update), #820 Upper Deck College Legends 2011, #5

NOTES:

Tony was one of those players at Dallas Cowboys Training Camp back in the early 90s I never was able to get. He rarely signed and when he did he was always too far down the line to get. I also thought that I had tried him previously and failed but this success was the first attempt that I had made to him TTM. He’s got lots of great cards, but these really stood out to me.

What I always remember most about Tony is when the Cowboys were playing the Lions in the playoffs in 1991, and Barry Sanders did what he does, and essentially turned Casillas around in a circle trying to chase Barry down.

TACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
76823.01000-.-0-.-
AFL, College Football HoF, NFL, Pro Football HoF

Griese, Bob (2)

Upper Deck College Legends 2011, #13

Cards: Upper Deck College Legends 2011, Panini Classics 2016 (17/99)
Acquired: TTM 2020, C/o Home
Sent: 6/29 Received: 9/18 (446 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

Panini Classics 2016 Canton Collections, #8

NOTES:

Well, true to form Bob made me wait almost two years between two returns. When I opened up the Panini Classics pack and found this patch inside, I thought it’d make a great canvas on which to get his autograph. I was not disappointed.

College Football HoF, NFL

Swilling, Pat

Gameday 1992, #269

CARDS: GameDay 1992, Skybox Impact 1992, Skybox Preimum 1993, Skybox Impact 1992 Major Impact
ACQUIRED: TTM 2021, C/o Work
SENT: 6/19 RECEIVED: 7/13 (24 Days)
FAILURE: TTM 2010, C/o Work, TTM 2015, C/o Home

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • 3rd round pick out of Georgia Tech in 1986 joined ‘The Dome Patrol’ alongside Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson, and Rickey Jackson at linebacker.
  • After quiet rookie season, became fulltime starter and put up 10.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and a pick.
  • In 1989, recorded 16.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles.
  • In 1991, led NFL with 17 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and an interception for a TD.
  • Traded to the Detroit Lions in 1993 and played the following season with the franchise before hopping over to Oakland in 1995.
  • Moved to right defensive end that year, and had 13 sacks and 5 forced fumbles.
  • Retired in 1997, but returned for the 1998 season for the Raiders before retiring again after the season.
Skybox 1992, #234

ACCOLADES:

  • Pro Bowl 1989-93
  • All-Pro 1991/92
  • NFL sack leader 1991
  • NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1991
  • Saints Hall of Fame 2000
  • College Football Hall of Fame 2009
1992 Skybox Major Impact, #19
TACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
490107.53667913.1139T

NOTES:

While the records show I failed on Pat early on in my return to collecting in 2010, and then later in 2015, before I got him in 2021- 11 years later, in reality I had failed to get Swilling in person back in 1995 when he played for the Raiders. Oakland was visiting Dallas Cowboys training camp at St. Edwards in Austin, Texas. I had previous success with acquiring James Lofton by sticking out a sign that said “WILL WORK FOR JAMES LOFTON’S AUTOGRAPH”. Unfortunately said strategy did not work for Pat, and although the players found it very funny and chuckled, they let me know that he was skipping camp in Austin rehabbing due to an injury.

For a while there too, Pat had a ghost signer, and his autograph went from looking like what’s above… to something very pedestrian. I flushed numerous cards down the toilet with no luck, but reloading for a final shot, and seeing some successes that looked good, I went ahead and popped these out for 3rd shot.

1993 Skybox Premium, #120