Category Archives: NFL

NFL

Pinkett, Allen

Cards: Fleer Update 1990, ProSet 1990, ProSet 1989, Score Supplemental 1989
Acquired:  TTM 2010, C/o Home. In Person 1990, Houston Oiler Training Camp.
Sent:  6/24   Received: 7/6  (12 days)

Allen Pinkett was drafted in the 3rd round from Notre Dame by the Houston Oilers as the team was still attempting to rebuild its runningback stable after the departure of beloved Earl Campbell. Along the way he’d be joined by Alonzo Highsmith, Mike Rozier, and Lorenzo White in a very crowded and talented backfield. Allen at 5-9 and 190, fit the role of a scat back for the team and had great hands that the team wholly underutilized. He’d also see kick returning for the Oilers, averaging right at about 20 yards a return on 80 kicks. After head coach Jerry Glanville was fired, the team went Run and Shoot full time. With Jack Pardee in charge, the team began to purge its runningback stable, and the last men standing by 1991 were Allen Pinkett, Lorenzo White and Gary Brown. Pinkett would enter the season as the starter against the Los Angeles Raiders and singlehandedly crush the Raiders running 26 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. He’d follow up with another 100 yard effort, and lead the NFL in rushing through the two weeks and later in the season he’d rush for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns against Pittsburgh en route to the Houston Oilers first division title. Allen would lead the team in rushing with 720 yards and 9 touchdowns and throw in another 228 yards receiving leading the team from scrimmage with 1456 yards.  Things seemed on the up and up for Pinkett after his breakout season but with Plan B and the dawning of free agency soon to come- Pinkett found himself on the roster of the New Orleans Saints to start 1992, but would not suit up for the team. He’d retire after 7 seasons.  Allen currently is a broadcaster for the Notre Dame radio network, and a spokesman for the Hartford Financial Group attempting to educate young athletes on planning for their retirement and happily signed my three cards in a very short amount of time.

G/Gs 87/27    Att  561      Yds  2321     Avg 4.1      Td 21   Lg 60  |
Rec 119   Yds 921  Avg 7.7  Td 5  Lg 51
Kr 80     Yds 1577     Avg 19.7    Td 0    Lg 48

AFL, College Football HoF, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL, Super Bowl MVP

Staubach, Roger “The Dodger”

Card: ProSet 1990
Acquired: In Person, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp 1992

Reluctantly I went to Cowboys training camp that day. I was in a really bad mood but my neighbor took pity on me and took me up to St. Edwards with his kids. I used to always pack as many players as I could- and I’d also pack their most popular retired players gambling that perhaps one of them would show up. This worked for me twice. First with Harvey Martin and the second time with Roger Staubach. Roger was a killer victory for me. He was quite overwhelmed in the autograph alley- surprised at the reaction he got, but signed quite a few cards. My neighbor got behind me and shoved me through the crowd up to the fence line. Roger saw the card and grabbed it and penned it with his marker. Later I’d open a pack of Proline cards and also find another Staubach autograph in there. Josh was jealous and smacked himself on the head for not going that day, so mercifully I gave Josh the Proline card.

The forerunner to John Elway– Roger Staubach was a Heisman Trophy winner at Navy in 1963. (Roger would be drafted in 1964 by the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, and in the NFL by the Dallas Cowboys.) After serving his military duty, Staubach would sign with the Dallas Cowboys in 1969 developing quickly into a star. Staubach was an accurate quarterback who could stretch defenses with his legs. With nicknames like “Roger the Dodger”, “Captain America” ,and “Captain Comeback”, Staubach was originally a part-time change of pace starter with Craig Morton, but by the end of the season in 1971 he was beginning to eclipse Morton, and Staubach would guide the Cowboys to the SuperBowl and was named MVP. Injuries limited his 1972 season but he’d rebound to lead the team to eventual glory. A 6 time Pro Bowler, Roger would lead the team to three more SuperBowl appearances, winning his second championship in 1977.  Voted into the Hall of Fame in 1985, -at the time of his retirement Roger held the highest passer rating in HoF history and has an incredible 85-29 record as a starter.

Staubach is also arguably known as the ‘Greatest Dallas Cowboy of All-Time’. Staubach was a cardiac kid leading the Cowboys back from impossible odds doing so on 23 game winning drives.  In 1975 after an improbable comeback against the Vikings in the playoffs where Roger threw a last second bomb for the win, Roger was quoted in the locker room as stating that he “said his Hail Mary’s before the throw in the huddle.” The name stuck and that is how the term came to be.

Roger after retirement has diversified his holdings into real estate, NASCAR, and sold his holdings of his personal corporation for over 100 million dollars. He is active politically and helped in Dallas’ bid to host the SuperBowl in 2011.

G/Gs 131/114     Att 2958    Comp 1685    Yds 22700     Pct 57.0
Td 153    Int 109    Rat 83.4  |
Rush 410    Yds 2264     Avg 5.5     Td 20     lg  33

CFL, NFL, usfl

Verdin, Clarence

Card: ProSet LL 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, Colts Blitz

Clarence Verdin was a refugee from the Houston Gamblers of the USFL. With deceptive speed and great cutting ability, Verdin would light up the scoreboard in 1984 and 1985 under the Run N Shoot offense, before heading over in 1986 to play for the… -Washington Redskins where he would win a Superbowl playing for the team. Clarence would spend two seasons there, before the Colts picked Verdin up where he’d really be known as the team’s primary return man and as a spot wide receiver. He would see the endzone on occasion and treat fans to his touchdown celebration in something he called ‘the Verdance’. Clarence would go to the ProBowl in 1990 and 1992 for his return skills, leading the team in touchdowns in 1992 with 2, and returns (50) and yards (1050) in 1993. After the 1993 season, he would sign with Falcons, before an abbrieviated 6 game stint in the CFL in 1996, for the British Columbia Lions.

At last glance in 2003 Clarence was living in the New Orleans area, owned a series of barber shops and worked for an oil corporation. Below is a video of one of his returns from his days playing days in the USFL.

G/Gs 118/25  Kr 237   Yds 8076  Avg 20.8   Td 1  Lg 88T |
Pr 178   Yds 1650  Avg 9.3   Td 4   Lg 84t

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds15aLbmMgI