Gary Plummer played junior college ball before transferring over to Cal where he played NT.
After going undrafted in 1983, played for the Oakland Invaders of the USFL.
The Invaders decided Plummer’s best fit would be at LB- a position he’d play for the remainder of his pro career.
Gary played in 53 USFL contests over his career, lodging 2 sacks, and 6 picks.
Still, Gary was not selected during the 1984 USFL Supplemental Player Draft, so he’d be a free agent after the league folded following the ’85 season.
Signed by the San Diego Chargers, Gary quickly became a starter for the team, as he had strong versatility at the position.
Over his career in the league, Gary started nearly every LB position in 3-4 or 4-3 alignments.
He played the next 8 seasons there in SD, racking up 792 tackles.
At the grand old age of 35, he signed with the 49ers in 1995.
After winning a Super Bowl against his former team, Plummer went on to play for the ‘9ers through the 1997 season.
Action Packed 1990, #237Skybox 1992, #113
NOTES:
A member of Tecmo Super Bowl, with some great cards, I thought it was fine time to add Gary to my collection. He has a very nice autograph. I really like the unique curvature of his signature, especially the ‘G’. I appreciate him taking the time to sign my cards, with apparently a pretty fresh sharpie.
Pacific 1991, #79Pro Set 1990, #347 PBAction Packed 1991, #43Pro Set 1991, #40
CARDS: Pro Set 1991, Action Packed 1991, Pacific 1991, Fleer 1990, Pro Set 1990 Pro Bowl ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home SENT: 5/7 RECEIVED: 5/31 (24 days)
Almost immediately after I got Mike’s autograph a few years ago, I found his Pro Set Pro Bowl card and his Fleer 90. The Fleer card is really awesome. Again, like many of those cards from back when the Browns played in their old stadium (before the original franchise fled to Baltimore,) it’s an old school treat to see dirt on players pants. Otherwise, his Pro Bowl card- ironically the only time he’d appear in a Pro Bowl, is really nice as well. Too bad both his Pro Set ’91 and Action Packed ’91 are near mirror image photos.
CARD: Topps XFL 2020 ACQUIRED: IP 2023, San Antonio Brahmas v Orlando Guardians
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Eli Rogers played WR for Louisville from 2011-14.
Consistent and dependable, Rogers never failed to catch less than 41 passes every year.
Over his 4 years with the school he posted 176 receptions for 2020 yards and 12 TDs.
He also moonlighted on punt returns, with 29 career returns for 248 yards.
He spent the entire 2015 campaign on IR with the Steelers after signing as an UDFA.
Earning the final (5th) WR spot with the Steelers that year, he ended up starting 8 games, recording 48 receptions for 594 yards and 3 TDs.
24 of his receptions went for first downs.
With an increasingly crowded WR room and an ACL injury, Rogers saw his playtime decrease over the next two seasons.
After being cut in August of 2019, he’d find his way to the XFL 2020 as a selection of the DC Defenders.
He’d catch 19 passes for 164 yards.
After bouncing around between the Montreal Alouettes (2021), and the Bandits (2022), Eli was a first round pick of the Orlando Guardians in 2023.
Despite the franchise’s early on QB woes, Eli posted 20 catches for 173 yards and a TD.
NOTES:
Eli was one of the first players out onto the field for the Guardians, as he serves as a return man for the Guardians. I moved to this really sweet spot that puts me in earshot of the players. I called out his name and he saw me with my card and pen and flashed a smile. After warm-ups finished and the players started returning to the locker rooms, Eli came over and signed his XFL 2020 card for me. We joked about how I was an OG fan of the XFL in 2020 and how the Defenders were fun to watch, before he kindly signed this card for me.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
