Leo Lewis was an offensive weapon in college at Missouri, seeing time rushing receiving and punt returning.
Played for the Tigers from 1975-’78.
Over college career amassed 82 receptions for 1043 yards and 9 TDs, 17 carries for 104 yards and 2 TDs, and returned 51 punts for 468 yards.
Undrafted he played in Canada for a season splitting time with the Calgary Stampeders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1980.
Signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 1981.
Had most successful season in 1984, catching 47 passes for 834 yards and 4 TDs for the Vikings.
Doubled as the team’s primary punt returner in 1988 and ’89.
Led league with 58 returns (550 yards) in ’88, and had another 44 in ’89.
Split the 1990 campaign with the Browns and Vikings.
Retired after the 1991 season and 11 seasons with the Vikings.
Caught 182 passes for 2924 yards and 16 TDs while returning 49 punts for 1868 yards and a TD.
Vikings Director of Player Development from 1992-’05
Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development at the University of Minnesota from 2005-’14.
NOTES:
Leo appeared early on in the Topps sets before the big boom of cards. I was surprised that he didn’t appear in Pro Set or Fleer for that matter near the tail end of his career, so I was happy to see that there was a Score 1990 floating around of him. He has a great autograph and I was a bit disappointed he wasn’t my first return of 2026.
Leo appeared in the classic Nintendo game Tecmo Bowl as a member of the Minnesota Monsters franchise and is a fantastic punt and kick returner.
Joe Mathis played OLB at Washington from 2013-’16.
Posted 15.5 TFLs, nine sacks and two forced fumbles before suffering a year-ending toe ligament tear injury in 2016.
The toe injury was… unusual… requiring 9 screws be inserted into his foot to squeeze a bone back together.
Initial diagnoses were optimistic at 6 weeks, but it turned into a year long rehab instead where he had to learn how to walk, jog and run again.
Over his college career he appeared in 41 contests.
Graded out as a DE/EDGE, and although his athletic skill set intrigued scouts, Mathis went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft due in part to lingering concerns about his recovery from his injury.
Received an invitation to come to a mini-camp with the Houston Texas, but failed the physical exam because of his foot.
Ended up joining the CFL British Columbia Lions as an import player, but didn’t make the squad.
Spotted at the Huskies 2018 pro day after fully recovering from the toe injury and looked swole, but didn’t draw any attention.
Joe kept the dream alive and has played pro ball in the Xleague for the Fujitsu Frontiers located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
CARDS: UT Upper Deck 2011 HACK, UT 2026 ACQUIRED: IP, 2026
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Ramonce Taylor played RB at Texas from 2004 to 2005.
As a Freshman he ran for 284 yards on 28 carries scoring his first college TD against Oklahoma State, primarily backing up Cedric Benson.
He also completed a pass for 48 yards against Missouri.
During the Rose Bowl against Michigan on New Year’s Day, he returned 7 kicks for 201 yards, helping the Longhorns beat Michigan 38-37.
In 2005, Ramonce rushed for 513 yards on 76 carries, scoring 12 TDs.
Twice during the team’s national championship run, he ran for a career high 102 yards.
He also displayed a gift for receiving, catching 27 passes for 265 yards and 3 TDs.
In the National Championship game against USC, Ramonce Ran 4 times for 12 yards, but most importantly scored a TD in Texas’ 41-38 win.
Over his college career he rushed 104 times for 797 yards and 13 TDs, to go along with 30 receptions for 329 yards and 3 TDs.
He also had 26 kick returns for 701 yards.
In 2005, Ramonce made a series of bad decisions, which cascaded and culminated in him being dismissed from the football team.
Caught between a rock and a hard place he ended up declaring as a Junior, but after a bad combine, he slipped off NFL team’s draft boards.
Despite making some more questionable decisions, Ramonce kept in football shape.
In 2009 he got back on the football radar with the Rio Grande Valley Dorados of the AF2.
Very quickly he jumped to the CFL, and was with the Blue Bombers for the preseason, before returning back to the Dorados.
Spent 2009 with the Edmonton Eskimos but didn’t see any playing time.
2011 saw Ramonce return to the AF2, this time with the Rio Grande Valley Magic.
He’d then spend the remainder of his career in North Texas first with the Allen Wranglers in 2012 and then the Texas Revolution the following two years.
In 2017, Taylor played in the CIF for the Centex Calvary where he was a jack of all trades for the team playing QB, RB, KR, and on defense.
Since that time Taylor has gone into coaching.
NOTES:
Ramonce arrived to the event early, which was good for me. It was a drive from Austin to Temple, and it saved me a few hours. He really liked his card, even though the vendor had provided his own version from the UT set as well. I was impressed because Ramonce knew where the photo was from and correctly identified it as the game winning TD catch from the Red River rivalry.
Everything’s really changed. It almost all connects from Austin to Temple without a break. When I was a kid my parents would meet my grandparents halfway between Austin and Waco about once a month in Temple. We’d have lunch at this buffet there next to an inn called the ‘Smorgasbord’. It’s now called something like ‘The Cowboy Stop’ or something.
I’ve been digging through my mom’s room… organizing things- It’s a tough process to handle when a loved one has dementia. I found photos of those good times at The Smorgasbord, with me becoming super excited for gifts and presents from my grandparents in paper bags while wearing a Captain America tank top.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
