Category Archives: NFL

NFL

Beebe, Don

pac91 beebeCards: Pacific 1991, Pro Set 1989, Topps 1990.
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 1/7       Received: 1/25  (18 days)

Don Beebe is a wide receiver best known for his Super Bowl moment, (during his stint with the Buffalo Bills,) when he swatted a football out of Dallas Cowboys Leon Lett’s embarrassed hands in Super Bowl XXVII.

Don sorta came out of nowhere, playing only two years of college football for Western Illinois (1987) and then at Chadron State (1988). While playing at Chadron, Don had 49 receptions for 906 yards and 13 touchdowns. With his breathtaking speed, Beebe averaged 18.5 yards per catch, and 25 yards per kick return, taking an additional ball to the house. His performance for the Eagles earned him Little All-America second team honors, and an invite to the NFL combine. He wowed the scouts there with his incredible speed, leaping, and work ethic, translating his efforts to a 3rd round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the deep 1989 draft. (In fact, it was so pset89 beebesurprising, that Pro Set struggled to find a photo of  Don settling for this granulated photo of him on his rookie prospect card.)

Don made his first catch against the Houston Oilers- a 63 yard barn burning touchdown. He then repeated the effort with another 63 yarder against the Dolphins that next month. He’d finish his rookie season with 17 receptions for 317 yards, an 18.5 yard average, and those 2 touchdowns. Occasionally Beebe got some time at returner his rookie season, posting an 85 yard kickoff return against the Falcons. His 1990 season was marred by injury and sitting behind incumbents Andre Reed and James Lofton didn’t help. Still he managed 11 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown. 1991 was a great season for Beebe, as he’d record a career high 6 touchdowns on 32 receptions. Through 1994 Beebe was pretty automatic to lock in for 30+ receptions recording a career high 40 in that final season with the Bills.

In 1995 the expansion Carolina Panthers were building their roster, and offered Beebe a free agent contract. While he played to90 beebesparingly that single season in Carolina making just 14 receptions for 152 yards, the team boasted a decent receiving corps led by Mark Carrier, Willie Green, and Eric Guliford. Don was cut after the season.

Don’s final two seasons were spent at Lambeau as a member of the Green Bay Packers. Returning to form in 1996, with Brett Favre at the helm, Beebe recorded 39 receptions for a career high 699 yards and 4 touchdowns, in 6 starts. Also after his Superbowl heartbreaking stint in Buffalo, Don finally got his ring in after the season. He’d play one final season in 1997 and retire. It is of note that in 5 out of his 9 seasons, Beebe caught a long pass greater than 60 yards.

A well rounded and respected member of the NFL community, Don is the maestro of operations for “The House of Speed”. He also coaches high school football, and has written a book about his journey to the NFL titled: “Six Rings from Nowhere”. Don suffered numerous hits over his playing career including a frightening one against Browns safety Felix Wright during the NFL Playoffs where he landed on his head (Pro Set 1990 card). Beebe has suffered numerous concussions over his playing time in the NFL and is one of the major names lending credence to the current concussion related lawsuit.

G/Gs  116/51      Rec 219     Yds 3416      Avg 15.6     Td 23      Lg 80t
Kr 81     Yds  1735     Avg 21.4     Td 1    Lg 90t

 

NFL

Fencik, Gary

Card: Topps 1985
Acquired: Canton Acquisition, 2012

A 10th round draft choice out of Yale- by the Miami Dolphins in 1976, nobody really gave Gary Fencik a chance to make the team roster; However by the time he retired after the 1987 season, he was the Chicago Bears All-Time leader in career interceptions (38) and tackles. Gary didn’t even make it out of camp before he was cut, and the Bears snatched him up where he appeared in 13 games his rookie season. In 1977 Fencik, earned the starting job at Strong Safety and held the position for the next 5 seasons, before he shifted over to Free Safety. Gary earned AP honors in 1981 with 6 interceptions for 121 yards and a touchdown, and a Pro Bowl nomination for his efforts both in 1980 and 81.

With the shift to Free Safety in 1983, Gary saw his time increase as an enforcer closer to the line of scrimmage in defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan‘s scheme. Although Fencik had a super 1984 season with 5 interceptions, a sack, and a fumble recovery, he didn’t find himself earning anymore accolades, but in 1985 contributed to the Bears 15-1 Super Bowl winning season, playing in one of history’s greatest defenses and participating in the Super Bowl Shuffle. Retirement came after the ’87 season, which came on his own terms.

Gary has been in the in the financial industry since 1995. He’s also spent time as a color and in studio commentator for WGN and CBS.

G/Gs 164/140      Tac  1220        Sac  2.0     Fum 13
Int 38          Yds 488       Avg      Td  1       lg 69

NFL, Pro Football HoF

Fouts, Dan

udlgd97 foutsCard: Upper Deck Legends 1997
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 3/18   Received: 3/28    (10 days)
Failure:  TTM 2011, C/o Home

Dan has always been good to fans and through the mail, so I was a bit miffed when I did not receive anything back from him a few years ago. I patiently waited for a response, – one that I never got. Since then I saw a lot of traffic on him recently, I chocked the Topps 1977 card of him up to the mail gods, and finally worked around to another attempt.

Dan Fouts numbers are misleading based on the era he played college ball in and it was frequent during the early 70s for quarterbacks to struggle with both their TD/Int ratio and also their completion percentage. While at the college, Fouts shattered 19 different career and season records for quarterbacks at Oregon.

Standing at 6-3, 204, Fouts was not the highest rated quarterback in the 1973 draft however. That honor fell to Bert Jones. In the meantime, Dan had to wait until the middle of round 3 (pick #64) and would be the 5th quarterback off the board.  He had a rough patch early on, as he honed his craft, but with the Don Coryell bringing his revolutionary vertical offense (also known as ‘Air Coryell’) to town under offensive coordinator Bill Walsh, Dan gave it his best shot. The Chargers offense matured and became one of the most prolific and exciting offenses in the league, bringing a thunderous end to the ‘Dead Ball Era’.  Fouts guided the Chargers to the playoffs from 1979 to 1982, but the team was never able to advance beyond the AFC Championship game.  Fouts played in 6 Pro Bowls, and was AP 3 times.

By the time of his retirement in 1987, Dan pretty much owned most of the Chargers all time records for quarterbacks. He is also the first quarterback to throw for back to back 4,000 yard seasons, and one of a select few who have thrown for back to back 30 TD seasons. Considered ‘The Greatest Charger of All-Time’ by fans, and one of the 100 Greatest NFL Players of all time, Fouts was inducted into the NFL HoF in 1993.  He has spent a lot of his time in broadcasting, both radio and TV color commentary for NFL games, and appeared in the movie “Waterboy”.

G/Gs 181/171    Att 5604     Comp 3297     Yds 43040     Pct 58.8     Td  254   Int 242    Rat 80.2  |
Rush  224    Yds  476    Avg 2.1   Td 13  Lg 32