Category Archives: College Football HoF

AFL, College Football HoF, NFL, Pro Football HoF

Griese, Bob

Card: Pro Set 1990
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 2/22     Received: 12/8   (290 days)

At 290 days, -a wait well worth it I’d say, as another HoF headliner joins the club, in the name of Bob Griese.  I had given up on Bob, and when I got the envelope back I must admit that I was surprised and pleased with his response. Bob had an impressive career at Purdue for the Boilermakers playing football, basketball, and baseball. He’d play quarterback for the Boilermakers from 1963-1966. It wasn’t until his Sophomore season in 1964 that Bob took the reins and start as the team’s quarterback, punter, and kicker.  In 1965 he led Purdue to a 25-21 upset of #1 ranked Notre Dame. As a starter he’d post a 22-7-1 record. In his senior season, Griese led the team to a Rose Bowl victory over USC 14-13 in what is considered the school’s signature victory. Bob was a smart QB and what he couldn’t do with his arm, he’d frequently do with his legs. His final numbers set precedence for the school’s modern era quarterbacks such as Jim Everett and Drew Brees to break.

Griese was drafted in the first round of the 1967 AFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.  He’d have 15 TDs passing,  2005 yards, and 157 yards rushing his rookie season- good enough to earn All-Star Honors, despite starting the season originally on the bench, and for an expansion franchise. He’d grab All-Star honors the next season as well with 21 TD passes. Still, the team continued to struggle with winning, and Griese was becoming known as a good quarterback on a bad team. Don Shula was brought in to coach the team in 1970, and Griese guided the team to a 10-4 record. At the conclusion of the season, Bob was named MVP of the league, but the team fell in Super Bowl VI against the Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins came back with a vengeance the next season, and steamrolled opponents in 1972, going 14-0. While Earl Morral came in to replace Griese during the season due to injury, the team returned to Bob in the playoffs to help them win the Super Bowl. Griese capped off Super Bowl VIII as well with a victory over the Minnesota Vikings.  By 1977 Bob began wearing those iconic black rimmed glasses on the field, but new powers began to rise in the AFC in the Central division, with the indomitable Steel Curtain in Pittsburgh and the Houston Oilers ground game led by Earl Campbell. While Griese continued to post good numbers and the Dolphins posted solid records, they wouldn’t return to the Super Bowl again.  After the 1980 season, Griese retired. The Dolphins had David Woodley waiting in the wings, and he’d guide the team to another Super Bowl loss, before Dan Marino took the reins in 1983 and rewrote all the record books for the franchise.

Griese kept close to the game and did color commentary for many years at the college level. He also handled color for the Dolphins’ preseason games as well. He’s enjoying now full retirement, in Florida and was inducted into the Pro Football HoF in 1990, the College Football HoF in 1984, the Dolphins Honor Roll, and had his number retired by the franchise as well.

G/Gs 161/151     Att 3429     Comp 1926         Yds 25092      Pct 56.2%      
Td  192   Int 172    Rat 77.3  |

Rush 261   Yds 994    Avg  3.8     Td 7     Lg 35

College Football HoF, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL, Super Bowl MVP

Howard, Desmond

Card: Classic 1992
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o ESPN*
Sent: 8/7    Received: 9/8  (32 days)
*postmarked from FL

I originally had Desmond Howard penciled in for the start of the year in my initial January send out, but for some reason kept kicking that can further down the road. I’m really glad I finally got him, as I’m sure the acclaimed athlete will soon be overwhelmed with requests. Going to Michigan in 1989, Howard switched from tailback to wide receiver for the Wolverines. From there he’d go on to rewrite the record books for much of the school when it came to receiving records (12) and NCAA records (5). After a breakout 1990, with 63 receptions,1025 yards, and 11 TDs receiving, Desmond ran away with the Heisman in 1991 posting 19 touchdowns receiving on 62 catches.  Howard could not be stopped as a receiver or returner, and  he was so confident that he’d win the award, that after burning rival Ohio State in a game, he struck a Heisman pose. (Desmond at this time still holds the record for the largest margin of victory in Heisman voting, nabbing about 85% of the vote in 1991 for the award.)

Before the 1992 draft, Desmond was being touted as the next Rocket Ismail with electric speed that amazed and wowed fans. The Redskins after they won the 1991 SuperBowl traded up and picked Howard with the 4th overall pick. With a fleet set of receivers already that were seeing a bit of wear and tear (Monk, Clark, and Sanders,) the Redskins wanted Howard to be the lead receiver of the next generation of Skins receivers- but instead he was stuck on return duties. Desmond in 1994 recorded career highs in receptions (40), yards (727), and TDs (5), however with the emergence of Brian Mitchell, Howard had generally seen his playing time shrink as a return man. Usually this is a good thing for a receiver, but in Desmond’s case he found himself dangled out by the Redskins as part of the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft.

Taken with the 55th pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Howard was sparsely used by the Jaguars on offense and special teams. Essentially fans thought he was washed up, but just as everybody gave up Howard, Desmond obviously had something left in him. Nobody really even blinked an eye when Desmond was signed via free agency by the Packers, who were looking for an extra spark in the return game. Howard displayed his signature abilities at returning, and destroyed special teams’ units single-handedly setting the NFL record for most punt return yards in a season with 875, and recorded 3 touchdowns.  At the conclusion of the season, Desmond won the Super Bowl XXXI MVP honors, with a 99 yard touchdown return, and 244 total yards from scrimmage against the New England Patriots.  Howard got snapped up by the Raiders after the season, and had a solid outing as a returner for the team leading the league with 1381 yards on 61 return in 1997.  He also had a stellar 541 yards and 2 TDs punt returning in 1998 but he snubbed on Pro Bowl voting.  Desmond was content to return to the Packers for a second stint in 1999, but found himself surprisingly traded to the Lions midway through 2000. It turned out to be a blessing as Howard reached the ProBowl for the first time in his career, after recording a 14.7 average on PR and 24.6 on KR. With injuries and age finally catching up with him in 2002, Howard decided to hang up his cleats after the season after establishing himself as one of the most explosive punt return men in league history.

Desmond has gone into broadcasting where he has garnered quite a positive reputation as a public speaker and college football analyst,  currently appearing on ESPN. In 2011 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and has appeared on the cover of NCAA Football 06 in his signature Heisman pose.

G/Gs   156/29       Rec 123        Yds  1597     Avg   13.0       Td  7       Lg 81t
Kr  359           Yds  7959      Avg  22.2    Td 0        Lg  91
Pr  244           Yds  2895      Avg  11.8     Td  8       Lg  95t

 

College Football HoF, NFL

Jackson, Keith “Boomer Sooner”

Cards: ProSet 1990, Action Packed Rookies Update 1992, GameDay 1992, Action Packed All Madden Team 1990.
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o P.A.R.K.*
Sent: 8/28        Received: 9/10  (12 days)
*Autograph Fee $5 per card.

Keith Jackson was the highest rated tight end off the board in 1988 after a prolific career for the University of Oklahoma. A complete package at the position, Jackson had soft hands, and just about the right size, speed, and blocking ability to handle just about every duty assigned to him. Over his career at Oklahoma he racked up 1407 yards on 62 receptions- a whopping 23.7 yards per catch. He’d earn the appropriate nickname ‘Boomer Sooner’ from his teammates for his penchant to show up in big games, making big plays, leading the Oklahoma Sooners to a National Championship in 1986. During the National Championship game against Penn State, Keith caught a spectacular 71 yard touchdown pass.

He was selected in the first round of the 1988 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Buddy Ryan, who was head coach of the time eschewed receivers, but loved the all around ability of Jackson and quickly put him to work.


It didn’t take long for Keith to become a fan favorite of the Eagles and Randall Cunningham, as he set the team mark for yards by a rookie with 869, to go along with 80 catches, and 6 touchdowns earning Keith his first Pro Bowl and AP nods. In a final accolade that season he won NFC Rookie of the Year Honors. 1988 was his best season statistically, but by no means did it represent the end of his career, as both in 89 and 90, he’d also be named AP and to the Pro Bowl for his solid seasons with 63 and 50 receptions respectively. After catching 49 balls his final season with the Eagles in 1991, Keith signed with the Miami Dolphins in 1992.

With the dawn of Free Agency and the Dolphins looking to add new weapons for Dan Marino, Keith quickly stepped right into the starting lineup for Miami, staying there for 3 seasons. Along the way Jackson scored 18 touchdowns on 146 receptions. Another ProBowl was in store for him in 1992, with 594 yards and 5 touchdowns. Keith moved on to the Green Bay Packers and became a nice redzone target for quarterback Brett Favre. Although his 1995 season was marred by injury, Keith recovered in time for 1996 scoring 10 touchdowns on 40 receptions. This earned Keith his final Pro Bowl nomination and culminated in the team’s victory over the New England Patriots in SuperBowl XXXI. He’d retire after the season.

Keith is a player who really hasn’t gotten his due, as he has never been considered for the Hall of Fame. Although the passing game has mutated into what it is today with tight ends that behave like wide receivers, Keith was an anomaly out of time. One surely wonders what sort of damage he would have done if he was playing during the current pass happy era of the NFL. Surely he would have posted some gaudy stats if things were different. Still when you look at the final count, in 9 seasons he was a 6 time Pro Bowler on 3 different teams, and a 3 time All Pro from his 3 seasons in Philadelphia. I had been long interested in adding Keith to my collection- as far back as 2009, but kept kicking the can down the road on this one. Wish I had sent out for this one sooner as it was a lighting fast reply c/o his charity P.A.R.K. He does color commentary on the radio currently for the Razorbacks, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

I really liked all these cards. Pro Set actually liked the 1990 card they produced so much that they used it frequently for promotion. I can see why with the way the light perfectly hits Keith’s pads, lighting up the green in contrast to the black background. It provides quite a silhouette. I was never really a fan of the ‘All Madden Team’ Action Packed cards that were produced, although this shot in particular is a good one. The GameDay 1992 cards were superior and unique cards, and along with the Action Packed, made great cards to get autographed due to their look.
G/Gs 129/105     Rec 441    Yds 5283    Avg 12.0    Td 49    Lg 73t