Cards: Topps Stadium Club 1994, Topps 1994, GameDay 1994
Acquired: IP 7/11/15, Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party
See Also: Steve Jackson
All smiles from Steve Jackson, the matridee of the Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party and president of Steve Jackson Foundation as everything for the event seemed to go off perfectly. Dapperly dressed in a plaid jacket, Steve was incredibly friendly, even going so far as to invite any and all Houston Oilers fans to the afterparty at Prospect Park. Once I finally got to him, he was more than happy to sign all these cards for me.
He knew I was a true fan when I talked to him about the Oilers 10-3 win over the San Fransisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in 1993. It was the first time in over 10 years the 49ers had been held without a TD in their home stadium. Jackson would seal the deal, picking Steve Young off in the endzone as TE Brent Jones committed a flagrant facemask to try to get Jackson to drop the ball.
Jackson also knew exactly what moment the Topps 1994 took place as well, telling me that if they had instant replay back then in 1993, this play would have sealed the game against the Chiefs in the playoffs. Still Steve managed to pick off Joe Montana as well, but the Oilers fell 28-20. A valuable and impressive special teams contributor, Steve played with the Oilers through their transition to Tennessee, and has since spent time coaching at the pro ranks.
At the time of the production of these cards, I was completely out of the market. Both of the Topps relesases (base Topps and Stadium Club) are daring in presentation, but garish by today’s standards. The Stadium Club entry is a complete departure from their previous entries. Abandoning the style completely that distinguished Stadium Club from other entries, I’m not really sure if it had a positive impact on sales. The Topps 1994 base card with its rounded design is a nice departure from the angular designs that Topps settled into there over the last 15 years or so, but the type feels completely out of place, with the formal script and the square sans serif occupying the same space so near eachother. Again nothing but good things to say about Gameday. The card lets the picture do most of the talking and keeps everything neatly at the bottom.
Besides his time playing football, Lilly is an avid photographer. He loves interacting with fans, and he gets high marks as a TTM responder for a very nominal fee. The Cowboys and the NFL HoF keep him very busy as he is one of the most requested NFL alumni for functions, speaking engagements, and signings. You can visit his website at www.boblilly.com.
Lily was the first ever pick of the expansion Dallas Cowboys in 1961. (He was also drafted by the AFL Dallas Texans as well.) A giant, dependable, and durable (just missed one game during his career) defensive tackle, he manned the position for the Cowboys for 14 seasons. Over that time he demonstrated incredible reaction time, strength, and speed for the era as a key cog to the Cowboys defensive alignment. He became the franchise’s first Hall of Fame inductee in 1980.