Category Archives: NFL

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

NFL

Miller, Chris

Cards: Pinnacle 1992, Upper Deck 1991, Skybox 1992, ProSet 1991,ProSet 1990,ProLine 1992, Proline Profiles 1992, Upper Deck 1992.
Acquired: In Person 1993, CGA Youth Golf Tournament
See Also: Chris Miller 2

Out of the University of Oregon, the Atlanta Falcons drafted Chris Miller with their first round pick of the 1987 draft under head coach Marion Campbell. A solid, traditional drop back passer with great mechanics, Chris was also a talented pitcher who threw for the Bellingham Mariners and Salinas Spurs in 1986.

He’d be slowly brought along by the team, but by his second year, Chris established himself as the starting quarterback of the Falcons. In 1989, despite the team’s bad record, Chris led the NFL with the lowest interception ratio at 1.9%. Oddly Miller is one of those strange quarterbacks who had a good touchdown to interception ratio, but had a losing record.

It wouldn’t be till 1991 when head coach Jerry Glanville took charge and installed the Red Gun offense that Miller would take fire, leading the team to the playoffs, posting his best record and statistics as a professional. He’d also go to the Pro Bowl after the season- one of the major highlights of his career.  He’d leave the Falcons and sign with the Rams, staying there for two seasons in 1994 and 1995, before retiring due to a concussion.

He would heroically return in 1999 to play for the Broncos- but once again he’d suffer another concussion and retire for good.

Since pro ball, Chris has coached at the High School level back in Oregon before he was hired to be the Cardinals quarterbacks coach in 2008. I met him at the CGA youth golf tournament where he signed every card I had on me in exchange for the 17×24″ drawing I did of him. He was really impressed by the likeness that I did of him.

G/Gs 98/92    Att 2892     Comp 1580    Yds 19320   Pct 54.6
Td 123   Int 102   Rat 74.9