Category Archives: NFL

NFL, usfl

McNeil, Gerald “Icecube”(2)

Cards: ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990, Score 1991
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o The Cleveland Browns
Sent: 10/6  Received: 11/17  (40 days)
See Also: Gerald McNeil

Gerald McNeil was one of my favorite players as a kid, as I had vivid memories of seeing him play for the Browns, so when the Oilers signed him I was really excited to see what he could do. While those twilight years weren’t as successful as the time he had with the Browns and Gamblers, it was unfortunate that in his final year with the Oilers he suffered a quadriceps injury that ended his career. During his heyday he was one of the most dangerous returners of that age ala the same diminutive size but shifty speed as Lionel James. Gerald’s nickname apparently came about from William “The Refrigerator” Perry. One of McNeil’s teammates remarked that Gerald was so small that he could fit inside The Refrigerator, – and along with his penchant for escaping tackles and scoring touchdowns, the nickname stuck.

I had been after Gerald for quite sometime, and finally was able to find him via… SotL.com. (Notice a recurring theme here yet?) After geeking out for a while, I exchanged some communication with him, where he told me the best way to get an autograph was sending it via the Browns who he acts as an ambassador for (along with the Texans). I zipped out a few cards and after about 40 days, I finally got my hands on the slippery Ice Cube again and completed out the collection of cards that I owned of him- sans the nasty Topps cards of that era.

NFL

Jackson, Steven “S-Jax”

Cards: Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009, Prestige 2010
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o The St. Louis Rams
Sent: 11/1   Received:  11/15   (14 days)

Steven Jackson has been a nothing short of a monster runningback since graduating from Oregon State back in 2004 and is second in yards from scrimmage since that time only to LaDanian Tomlinson. A blue chip specimen at 6-2, 240, Jackson can do it all and that is what makes him so dangerous. At the end of his time at Oregon State, Jackson was 2nd all time in career yardage (4545 yards) and scoring (279 points).

Going late in the first round of 2004 (24th), teams were scared off by a knee procedure done at the end of Steven’s senior season, but the Rams in fact traded up to grab him- needing a replacement for their all-world back Marshall Faulk. Behind Faulk his rookie season, Jackson still managed to run for 673 yards, and it has been the only year in his career that he has not rushed for over 1000 yards. A fantasy stud, Jackson has been a solid 4 down back for his team and rarely is off the field, typically only for a breather or due to injury. In 2006, he rushed for a career high 1528 yards, along with 806 yards receiving on 90 receptions and 16 total touchdowns. During the 2010 season Steven crossed the 10,000 yard barrier and at this time, it appears that there is no stopping him rushing towards the record books. Jackson has earned All Pro honors in 2006 and 2009, as well as Pro Bowl honors for 2006, 2009, and 2010.

Glaringly underrated, I drafted Jackson in the bottom of the second round of this season’s fantasy football draft. While injuries have taken a significant toll this season, he has been solid when he has been in the lineup, since the team relies so heavily on him. Typically overlooked possibly because of the Rams record, I was very happy to add S-Jax to my collection in a stunning 14 days via the Rams address on these two cards. Sadly thinking about these two cards it’s entirely possible that they were stamped, as I’ve seen many, many cards recently with almost the same signature. Clearly stamping technology has improved over the last 20 years, but I hope that my suspicions prove to be false. You can also visit his website at: http://www.sj39.com/ .

 

College Football HoF, NFL, ufl, University of Texas

Sisemore, Jerry

to81 j sisemoreto80 j sisemore

Cards: Topps 1980, Topps 1981
Acquired: In Person, 11/9/11 Card Traders of Austin UD 2011 UT Football Card Launch Party

Really Upper Deck? Shame on you for not printing a card of University of Texas legend Jerry Sisemore. I guess they are saving him for series 2. Pathetic. Well Jerry also appeared at the event and signed some cards. He was a last second booking, but I was happy to add him finally to the collection along with Bill Bradley, Johnny Walker, and Rod Babers.

The 3rd overall pick of the 1974 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, Jerry Sisemore was a man-mountain, at 6’4″, 250 after graduating from the University of Texas.  He’d go on to start 155 games for the franchise over the next 12 seasons at both guard and tackle. Sisemore played for an Eagles franchise from some of the lowest doldrums of the NFC East, to its apogee and the Super Bowl in 1980. In 1979 alone he played for a monstrous 430 minutes. Considered one of the Eagles finest linemen ever, he was inducted into the Eagles Wall of Honor in 1991 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Currently Sisemore partially owns a chain of sub shops in Austin called Delaware Subs, that used to air somewhat hilarious commercials where his Texas drawl and delivery were the punchline of them. He’s dabbled in coaching, lastly for the Florida Tuskers of the UFL.  Jerry also is highly active in commercial property development, which if you live in Austin is quite lucrative.