Category Archives: College Football HoF

College Football HoF, NFL, University of Texas

Johnson, Johnnie

utud11 jojohnsonCards: UT Upper Deck 2011, UT Upper Deck All Time Alumni 2011, UT Upper Deck NCAA All-Americans
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  6/2    Received: 6/14   (12 days)

Johnnie Johnson is another member of the Texas’ DBU connection. He boasts an impressive resume that includes winning the 1978 Defensive Back of the Year Award (before the advent of the Jim Thorpe Award), and was a two time All-American. He was also an accomplished speedster and returner, finishing with 114 punt returns for 1004 yards and a TD.  During his time at UT he anchored a secondary that consistently ranked among the tops in the nation.

utud11 jojohnson ATAA first round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams in 1980, Johnnie was selected 20th overall. In his rookie year, he’d start all 16 games. Quickly Johnson asserted himself as a force in the secondary, returning an interception for a team record 99 yards for a TD against the Packers.  He’d also recover 5 fumbles that rookie season.

Johnnie continued to have a nose for the football, recovering 22 fumbles during his career that spanned 10 seasons in the NFL earning an All-Pro nomination in 1983. Johnnie also had a habit of finding the end zone recording 4 TDs. He played nearly his entire career for the Rams, eventually even seeing Longhorn Jerry Gray also join him in the secondary. In 1989, Johnnie signed with the Seattle Seahawks via Plan B as his age became a liability.  After 2 games, the Seahawks cut Johnson due to the pounding that he took on his knees from the Kingdome turf. Johnson retired and started signing real estate, but the Rams came calling, needing depth in the secondary- and Johnson couldn’t resist one last go round. He’d retire for good after the season.

utud11 jojohnson NCAAJohnnie was one of the more venerable and popular players on the LA Rams during his career. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Johnson is president of World Class Coaches- an organization committed to teaching basic fundamentals as part of its basic coaching instructional delivery process. He also is a member of the Moving Families Initiative, which helps kids adjust to the challenges that they face when moving to new schools and neighborhoods.

G/Gs 124/108     Tac N/a    Sac 2.0    Fum  2
Int 22   Yds 390   Avg 17.7    Td  4  Lg 99t

 

 

CFL, College Football HoF, NFL, NFLE

Ware, Andre ‘Air Ware’ (2)

pset90 wareCards: Pro Set 1990, Upper Deck College Legends 2011
Acquired: 4/30/15, Houston Texans Draft Party
See Also: Andre Ware ‘Air Ware’

Lance and I arrived at the 2015 Houston Texans Draft Party with high hopes, but were ultimately disappointed when we didn’t have cards of the Ambassadors who showed up, and the players I did have a card of were only taking photo ops. Queue the Astrodome air raid siren, because Andre Ware came to the rescue.

As Lance and I made our way towards the photo op booth, I heard a familiar voice on TV. Andre Ware was being interviewed on Fox Spots Southwest. Recognizing that the broadcast was taking place in the stadium, I walked over to one of the people working at the stadium and asked them where Andre was. The stadium employees identified it as being at radio row where only the VIP fans were allowed. We got as close as the elevator, and after borrowing a pen and waiting for about 15 minutes, Lance and I decided to locate the ground floor exit of the VIP area to get a better vantage point.  We walked for about 5 minutes, and emerging out of the crowd from the other direction, wasudlgd11 ware Andre Ware. Kudos to Andre for cheerfully signing 2 cards for me and Lance, even though he had his hands full with two kids by his side and all their stuff.

I can’t encourage collectors enough to build out a compact and expanded box of cards that covers the full gamut of players, former players, and sports personalities. With Andre covering the Texans on the radio as a color commentator and also being  a local legend, it made sense to have a few extras on the off chance he did make an appearance.  Otherwise  these are great cards of Ware, and leaves me with only a handful of extras that I would love to have autographed for my collection.

College Football HoF, NFL

Lyons, Marty

to84 lyonsto89 lyons
Cards: 1989 Topps, 1984 Topps
Acquired: Canton Acquisition, 2012

Marty Lyons was a man-machine in the middle for many years for the New York Jets. Although considered a terror along the line and well respected by opposing offenses, Lyons numbers have not garnered him a Hall of Fame nomination. Lyons was the 14th player taken in the 1979 draft and joined with (fellow draftee) Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, and Abdul Salaam to form the famed “New York Sack Exchange”.

Originally a member of the University of Alabama from 1975-1978, Lyons racked up 202 tackles, 20 sacks, and 6 fumbles while playing for the Crimson Tide. In his final year there, he earned consensus All-American Honors, and is considered one of the finest defensive linemen of his era. While considered a beast on the field, pummeling opponents and taking no prisoners, Lyons has received immense attention for his work at large for the community and giving, winning the NFL Man of the Year Award in 1984. He currently runs his own foundation, which is pushing near 30 years of service.

Over 12 seasons with the Jets, Lyons helped the franchise reach a level of respectability during the 80s playing defensive tackle, and occasionally kicking outside to defensive end. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 1982 and 1983 as an alternate while the team saw its first playoff berth since the days of Joe Namath in 1982, reaching the AFC Championship against Dan Marino and the Dolphins. They’d again return to the playoffs again in 1983 and 1985. In 1988 Lyons was named defensive captain of the team.

Since retirement, Lyons has been named to the College Football Hall of Fame (2011) and 5 other local and state Hall of Fames as well for his efforts on and off the field. In addition to his duties for the Marty Lyons Foundation, he has also been a color commentator for Jets radio.

G/Gs  147/135      Tac   n/a     Sac  29    Fum 8
Int  0        Yds 0        Avg -.-     Td 0        Lg -.-