Category Archives: NFL

NFL

Leahy, Pat

Card: Topps 1985
Acquired: Canton Acquisition 2012

Pat Leahy was an ageless kicker for the New York Jets, that provided stability to the position for 18 seasons from 1974- 1991. He was one of the new breed of soccer style kickers (in the mold of Jan Stenerud), and after graduating from St. Louis University, (where Pat had not played football,) it was a whole new start for him under the bright lights of NYC. Leahy bridged many generations of Jets players (Namath to Nagle at quarterback), coaches (Buddy Ryan was his special teams coach, before there were ST coaches), and teams. He retired as the Jets All-time leader in scoring, and most games played. At one point he also made a team record 22 straight field goals which also stood for some 22 years.  After the 1991 season he’d retire, as his back finally gave out on him. At the time of his retirement, he was ranked top 5 in career points. (He also made it into the digital age, appearing on Tecmo Super Bowl as the Jets kicker.) Pat has enjoyed his life since then thankful for the opportunity that NFL football gave him. He’s owned his own business and also worked for Home Depot for many years as a district merchandise manager.

G 250   XPA 558    XPM  584      
FGA 304    FGM 426    PCT 71.4%    Pts 1470

CFL, NFL, University of Texas

Cavil, Kwame

utud11 cavilutud11 cavil ATA

Cards: UT UD 2011, UT UD 2011 All Time Alumni
Acquired: 2/26/13,  IP  Rudy’s Ribfest 2013
See Also: Kwame Cavil (2), Kwame Cavil (3)

Rudy’s in Round Rock was packed for Ribfest ’13, so I was left searching exactly for what Kwame looked like. Thanks to the power the internet, I Googled his face and realized he was sitting at the table next to me while I was standing in line. I quickly pulled out the cards and asked for his autograph and he said, “Absolutely. Do you have the Upper Deck Longhorn cards?” I handed them to him and he penned them right there on the spot.

Kwame Cavil was a Big 12 star for the University of Texas during the heyday of Ricky Williams and Major Applewhite. At 6’3″, 205, Cavil kept teams honest at wide out, setting UT and Big 12 single season records (at the time) with 100 receptions and 1,188 yards, both numbers he posted in 1999. In 30 games Kwame recorded 174 receptions and 2279 yards for the Longhorns. He and Applewhite formed one of the most productive passing/receiving duos in school history. Cavil could’ve probably set more school records but declared after the 1999 season for the draft. After a poor showing at his pro day and the combine, Cavil went undrafted. He signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2000 recording 4 catches for 66 yards.

In 2002, Kwame signed with the CFL Montreal Alouettes playing there through 2005, being named a CFL East All-Star in 2004, and a Grey Cup Champion in 2005. Signing with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2005, he was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the 2006 season. The Tiger-cats In turn traded him to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2006. He enjoyed moderate success over his career in the CFL and was embraced by fans for his end zone celebrations. Currently Cavil lives in Central Texas with his family and is an assistant football coach at the High School level.

NFL   G/Gs 16/0   Rec 4    Yds 66    Avg 16.5     Td  0       Lg  39
CFL        Rec   193     Yds  2,328     Avg  12.1   Td 13    Lg 72

 

 

NFL, WLAF

Banes, Joey

ultwlaf92 banesCards: Ultimate WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Work
Sent: 7/11  Received: 7/18  (7 days)

Every once in a while I pull out the stack of WLAF cards and go through them to find players to see if I can register a hit through Google. Joey Banes was one of these lucky finds. I later emailed him where he agreed to sign this card for me. A few days later I got the card back signed, plus a really nice letter, thanking me for updating him with many of the players and reaching out as a fan of the league.

Joey Banes was an 11th round choice of the Houston Oilers in 1990 out of the University of Houston. I would assume that because Jack Pardee was Joey’s college coach there at UH and they ran the Run ‘N Shoot, it was his call to draft Joey. 1990 was a banner year for the University of Houston as Lamar Lathon, Alton Montgomery, Andre Ware, Alfred Oglesby, Craig Veasey, Chris Ellison, and Joey all heard their name on draft day. The thought was Banes could be slipped in as a project player on the practice squad for the team. The injury ridden Colts though signed Joey in November and he was elevated to the regular roster where he played in 3 games for the Colts. After the season, he’d resign as a free agent with the Houston Oilers in 1991.  The Oilers were very deep on the offensive line, and despite Joey getting a little seasoning, he could not crack the roster.

Joey was drafted in the 1st round of the 1992 WLAF draft. He’d be immediately reunited with fellow Oilers 3rd string quarterback Reggie Slack on the New York/ New Jersey Knights. He’d be a perfect fit for the Run N Shoot Knights, as he’d block up front for a ground game that boasted not only Slack, but Eric Wilkerson, and Chris Clairmore. The team saw dividends as the Knights’ sacks allowed were cut almost in half from the previous season (68 to 35), and the total team yards increased from 3728 to 4133.

After the season, the league folded, and Banes hung up his cleats. He currently lives in Houston and works for a communications company where he raises 3 sons, who are all young, aspiring football players as well.