I really wanted to get Jonathan Wells TTM, and after seeing him sign TTM briefly, he just as quickly stopped again. I gave up and picked up this nice certified of him.
As the Texans have continued their flawless rebrand over the past season or so, they had a blowout event to get rid of some old gear and trade things in. I thought about going to the event, and then grit my teeth afterwards hearing that Wells was there as a player representative.
John Mackey played RB and WR at Syracuse from 1960-’62.
He rushed for 259 yards on 58 carries, scoring 2 TDs while catching 27 passes for 481 yards and 6 TDs over his college career.
Selected by the Baltimore Colts in the second round of the 1963 NFL Draft.
Made an immediate impact as a TE, catching 35 passes for 726 yards and 7 TDs.
Over the next 7 following seasons- he never failed to reach 400 yards or catch at least 22 passes.
In ’65 he had 30 catches for 814 yards and 7 TDs.
Then in ’66 he caught 50 passes for a career high 829 yards and 9 TDs.
Finally in ’67 Mackey caught a career high 55 passes.
Caught an acrobatic75 yard TD from Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V over the Dallas Cowboys.
He’d play with the Colts through the 1971 season.
After an acrimonious departure from Baltimore, Mackey played a final season in 1972 with the San Diego Chargers.
A knee injury ended his career- but over that period he played in 139 out of a possible 140 games- a testament to his durability.
ACCOLADES:
Syracuse Orangemen #88 retired
NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
Pro Bowl 1963, ’65-68
All Pro 1966-1968
Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor
Pro Football Hall of Fame
100 Greatest Football Players
Nassau County High School Athletic Hall of Fame
NOTES:
John Mackey is considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time and he was the second pure TE inducted into the HoF in 1992. He revolutionized the position with his combination speed and power.
He was also instrumental in unionizing the players into the NFLPA, serving as the group’s first president after the merger, and held that capacity from 1970-’73. (He was blackballed at the end of his career, but squeezed out a final year in San Diego.) Mackey organized the first labor strike, and helped overturn the ‘Rozelle Rule’ (which was in regards to free agency).
Frontotemporal dementia entered his life and it became harder and harder for him to function, and after a few bizarre social episodes, he entered full-time assisted living. Mackey’s wife reached out to Paul Tagliabue, who then worked with then current NFLPA president Gene Upshaw to create a new plan that would help cover the cost of former NFL players struggling with dementia and Alzheimer’s. It was called the ’88 Plan’ in Mackey’s honor.
In a final note, it’s very important with Mackey to make sure that you are getting a certified autograph of his- as there is a bustling market of fake autographs of his circulating in the wild.
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
331
5236
15.8
38
89t
EPITAPH:
7/6/2011- John Mackey passed away at the age of 69. His brain was posthumously donated to science, where it was discovered he suffered from CTE.
Cards: Score 2009, Score 2010, Topps Prime 2010, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009 Longevity, Upper Deck Star Rookies 2009 Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Work Sent:11/12/18 Received: 7/9/19 (239 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Austin Collie played WR at BYU in 2004, 2007, and 2008.
In 2008, he smashed school records and led the conference with 106 catches for 1,538 yards and 15 TDs.
He’d be selected in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
In Austin’s rookie season he battled Pierre Garcon for the starting position in the slot.
Collie finished with 676 yards on 60 catches, scoring 7 TDs.
In 2010, Collie caught 58 passes for 649 yards and 8 TDs in 9 games, but suffered two concussions in non-consecutive games- shortening and eventually ending his season.
Rolling into 2011, with Peyton Manning on IR, the team trotted out Curtis Painter initially, but later saw both Dan Orlovsky and Kerry Collins take snaps at QB.
Collie’s numbers suffered, as his yards per reception dropped (9.5) and his TD catches plummeted (1).
He’d again suffer a concussion during the 2012 NFL season, and later during the regular season- a season ending knee injury.
Signed with the 49ers, but didn’t make it through the final roster cuts.
Joined the Patriots and was on and off the roster throughout the 2013 season catching 6 passes for 63 yards on the season.
After a year out of football, Collie played in the CFL for the BC Lions in 2015.
On the season, he caught 43 passes for 439 yards and 7 TDs.
Retired in 2018 and currently works in the medical field treating concussions.
NOTES:
I don’t recall sending Austin a Topps Prime 2010, so it was nice of him to include it with the bevy of cards I sent to him- which covered all my set needs during that period and as well as the additional 2009 Upper Deck Star Rookies card.
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
179
1908
10.7
16
73
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
43
439
10.2
7
N/a
CFL
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
