I got Roger many, many years ago in person at Cowboys training camp, but over the last few years there was a few cards I added to my collection from sets I really wanted to get signed. Staubach was kind enough to sign 1 of 2, but also sent a note back saying not to write to him again.
Staubach was also one of these players whose fee and signing habits changed wildly over the last 20 years. There was also a rumor that he had a ghost signer. While I couldn’t verify whether or not that was true, this autograph is certainly different than the one I got in person back in the 90s.
Upper Deck College Legends 2011, #56Upper Deck College Legends 2011, #BGH-GB
CARDS: Upper Deck College Legends 2011, Upper Deck College Legends 2011 Bowl Game Heroes ACQUIRED: TTM 2023, C/o Home SENT: 1/11 RECEIVED: 1/28 (17 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Played Quarterback for UCLA from 1965-1967
Threw for 4087 yards and 23 TDs (23 INT) on 465 attempts (243 completions) over college career.
Was a dual rushing threat, running for 1271 career yards and 35 TDs on 462 carries.
Rushed for a career high 590 yards and 14 TDs, while passing for 1483 yards and 9 TDs in 1965.
Threw for 8 TDs and 1359 yards, for a career high 55.8 completion percentage (87/156), while rushing for 227 yards and 11 TDs in 1967.
Selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft, but would be traded to the Washington Redskins after the team couldn’t agree on contract terms with Beban.
Sat on the bench behind Sonny Jurgensen and was released in 1970.
Signed with the Broncos, but was cut in camp and retired soon afterwards.
ACCOLADES:
Heisman Trophy Winner 1967
UCLA Bruins Jersey Number Retired (#16)
Unanimous All-American 1967
Rose Bowl HoF
UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
NOTES:
Gary is a legend at UCLA, but over the years, he’s signed less and less due to the resell market that exists pervasively on EBay and in other places. (In fact, he’s gone so far as to discourage people from writing him due to this problem.) These cards were awesome, and I have always liked this set to some degree, so I took a shot in the dark at him. There had been very little TTM activity on him over the last few years so, I thought no risk, no reward right? I was so happy to get these two cards back from him emblazoned with a Heisman inscription.
I’ve started getting a little too conservative with my send outs, trying to up my successes and success percentage, and I realize I’ve grown a bit bored because of it. Beban is one of those players, I should’ve written sooner and you just don’t find in every fan’s collection.
I had forgotten that I had pulled Jason’s certified base card autograph from this set, so when I sent this one I also sent the other card by mistake. He signed both of them, so I gave the additional autograph to my friend Lance. I like these Decades Best cards. The canvas is super clean and welcoming of an autograph. It pops very nicely.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
