Category Archives: NFL

NFL, WLAF

Knight, Shawn

Cards: ProSet 1991, ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o Home
Sent:  9/21   Received: 10/27   (36 days)

A member of BYUs 1984 national championship team, Shawn Knight was drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New Orleans Saints. Originally chosen by the Saints to be a gap filling nose tackle,  Shawn’s size was ideal at 6-6 and 290. Unfortunately Knight was unlucky as he spent the majority of his tenure there on injured reserve. (In retrospect, this draft was an overall weak draft along the defensive line. Only Jerome Brown, Jerry Ball, and Henry Thomas from this draft received Pro Bowl nominations at that position.) In 1988 the Saints would turn around and trade him to the Broncos, where he spent one season, before heading over to Phoenix and Minnesota for 1989.

In 1991, he’d be drafted by the Sacramento Surge to play defensive line, and Shawn would contribute in the trenches notching 27 tackles and 2 sacks.  He would be named to the All World team after the season, but chose to retire from professional football. Shawn has since gotten his Masters and has bec0me involved in medical sales after working in physical therapy for a few years. In 2008 Knight would be inducted into the BYU sports Hall of Fame. Below are his WLAF statistics.

G/Gs 10    Tac 27    Sac 2.0    Fum 3

NFL

Lockhart, Eugene

Cards: Action Packed 1990, ProSet 1990, Action Packed 1991
Acquired: In Person 1990, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp. TTM 1992, Patriots Blitz

A shrewd 5th round pick by the Dallas Cowboys administration in 1984, Eugene Lockhart was witness to the collapse and rebirth of the dynasty.  Eugene was the first rookie to start at middle linebacker for the Cowboys and was a tackling machine. Perhaps his best season was in 1989 where he logged well over 220 tackles, yet was playing for the 1-15 Cowboys, and was not voted to the ProBowl. The tackles were a club record. Unfortunately the team decided to jettison him to New England (for the Cowboys drafting rights to Russell Maryland) in 1991 where he’d play through the 1992 season and retire. Over the years I got his autograph at Cowboys Training Camp and then through the mail with the Patriots. Lockhart was shocked by the trading and was heartbroken by the decision. He’d be quoted as saying, “It’s a cold business.. and it’s even colder in New England.” While on New England he’d contribute any way he could to the franchise, even playing as the ‘up back’ on special teams. On a more hilarious note, Lockhart blocked his own team’s punt -with his butt. His teammates would affectionately nickname him ‘Bigbutt’.

Unfortunately Lockhart hasn’t made the best decisions since his playing days- being jailed recently for violating the terms of his bail (from bank and wire fraud), reputedly failing a drug test while out on bail. As of early 2011 he is still awaiting trial.

G/Gs 136/117   Tac 996      Sac 16      Fum 11      Int   6    Yds  83     Avg  13.7    Td 1   Lg 32

NFL

Brooks, Bill

Card: Action Packed 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, Colts Blitz

Bill Brooks was a reliable, sure handed receiver drafted by the Colts in the years before their brief Andre Rison fling. Taken in the 4th round of the 1986 draft, he’d be a pretty decent bargain for the Colts, as Brooks would make 1136 yards receiving his rookie season topping even perennial Pro Bowl receiver Ernest Givins who came off the board in the first round as well. A popular player among fans, Bill dominated the Colts receiving charts and was immortalized in the first edition of Tecmo Bowl on Nintendo. He’d fly under the radar for the majority of the remainder of his career for the Colts, yet lead the team in receiving in five of the seven seasons he was with the team. At 6’0″, 193, Brooks posessed a nice balance of size and speed to get open and make the catch over smaller defenders. He never failed to make below 700 yards a season until an injury plagued 1992. During his tenure with the Colts, Bill played with 7 different quarterbacks, ranging from Jack Trudeau and Chris Chandler, to Jeff George and Gary Hogeboom. Brooks played 3 more seasons with the Bills helping the team reach the Super Bowl XXVIII, and going from worst with Indianapolis to first in Buffalo. After his stint in Buffalo, Billy played one more final season in 1996 with the Washington Redskins before retiring with a respectable 8001 receiving yards.

Bill is well received by the Colts faithful and has been inducted into the team’s ring of honor. Holding multiple records for the Indianapolis Colts upon his departure, Bill now works in the front office for the franchise. One wonders how Bill’s career would have turned out if Eric Dickerson didn’t show up, the team didn’t have 4 coaches during his 7 years with the franchise, or he had regular consistency at the quarterback position.

G/Gs 169/132     Rec 583     Yds 8001    Avg 13.7   Td 46     Lg  84t