Category Archives: usfl

NFL, usfl

Eatman, Irv

Gameday 1992, #201
Pro Set 1989, #170
Score 1990, #76

CARDS: Pro Set 1989, Score 1990, Gameday 1992
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 5/18/22 RECEIVED: 6/2/22 (15 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Clocking in at 6’6″, 271, big OT Irv Eatman played college ball at UCLA.
  • He was moved to OT in his Senior season after playing DL most of his career at the school.
  • Selected by both the Philadelphia Stars (USFL) and the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) in the respective drafts for each league.
  • He opted to join the USFL playing for the Birmingham Stars in 1984.
  • In 1986, after the USFL collapsed, Irv took his trench work to the Kansas City Chiefs.
  • Irv saw action at both RT and LT, before a knee injury cost him his starting job in 1990.
  • Eatman signed as a FA with the New York Jets in 1991, helping shore up their OL.
  • 1993 saw Irv return out west playing for the Rams, who needed help on the line after the retirement of Jackie Slater.
  • The next season, he’d play for the Falcons- but only saw action in 4 games.
  • I seem to remember at this point Irv was considered a bit washed up coming into his 13th season.
  • The HOUSTON Oilers signed him in 1995 and I remember not being too enthusiastic about the signing.
  • But much to my surprise I was wrong, Irv came through, and in fact started all final 16 games of his career in 1996 in H-Town.
  • Irv went into coaching starting in1999 coaching with the Packers and Steelers (’00), as an OL coach.
  • In 2001, Irv joined Dick Vermeil’s staff in KC, where he coached the OL through the 2005 season.
  • After coaching for the Raiders in 2006, Irv decided to step away from professional coaching to spend more time with family and raising his son.
  • Since then he’s done a lot of charitable work, and worked in youth sports camps.

ACCOLADES:

  • All USFL All-Star 1984-’86
  • USFL Man of the Year

NOTES:

Irv had some great cards, and with two of them being set needs, I sent these two out. As an added bonus he was also a HOUSTON Oiler.

NFL, The Spring League, usfl, XFL

Cannella, Sal

CARD: TNT XFL 2023
ACQUIRED: IP 2024, San Antonio Brahmas v Arlington Renegades

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Salvatore Cannella played TE/WR at Auburn from 2017-’19.
  • Oft used at the majority ground and pound school, he provided mismatches with his unusual size (6’5″, 228), speed, and hands.
  • He finished his college career with 25 catches for 330 yards and 5 TDs.
  • Undrafted, Sal played in 2020 for the TSL Generals of the Spring Football League.
  • He put in his all catching 5 passes for 66 yards and a TD in the Spring League Championship Game.
  • After a workout with the Colts, he played for the Generals again in 2021.
  • This led to short stints with a mini-camp at Chicago, and on the off season roster of the Dolphins that year.
  • The TSL retooled as the USFL, and Sal found himself as the second TE off the board in the positional phase of the league’s draft by the New Orleans Breakers in 2022.
  • Sal had a great season, catching 34 passes for 368 yards and a TD.
  • Shortly thereafter he spent roughly a month on the Packers offseason roster.
  • Cannella was a huge defection for the USFL, when he was drafted and signed by the Arlington Renegades of the XFL in 2023.
  • He finished second in receiving among TEs with 42 receptions for 415 yards, and was a key cog in the Renegades XFL Championship victory.
  • After offseason stints with both the Seahawks and Vikings, he resigned with the Renegades for the ’24 campaign.
  • Sal concluded the season with 53 catches for 497 yards and 6 TDs.
  • He joined the Bucs for the offseason, but didn’t make the squad.

ACCOLADES:

  • All USFL Team 2022
  • All XFL 2023

NOTES:

A little over a week before the game, I went ahead and created and ordered cards of Sal and Luis Perez. (I wasn’t going to be caught flat footed like the previous season.) I was pretty happy with the results.

When I went to the game, I arrived at my normal seats. The players were doing warmups and I flagged down Sal. He looked genuinely touched that I made a card of him and that it was of such high production value. Sal signed the card, and I let him keep the extras I had as thanks.

NFL, ufl, usfl

Marable, CJ

Upper Deck USFL 2023, #19

CARD: Upper Deck USFL 2023
ACQUIRED: IP 2024, San Antonio Brahmas v Birmingham Stallions

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • CJ Marable played college ball at Arkansas State in 2016, but after seeing little time on the field, transferred to Coastal Carolina.
  • In 3 years playing for the Chanticleers, he ran for 2691 yards on 491 carries scoring 29 TDs.
  • He also was a solid receiving option catching 84 passes for 703 yards and 12 TDs.
  • Signed as an UDFA by the Bears, he’d be waived at the end of camp.
  • Selected in the 28th round of the 2022 USFL Draft by the Birmingham Stallions.
  • Solid debut rushing 102 times for 401 yards and 5 TDs, while catching 20 passes for 161 yards for Birmingham.
  • After being waived by the Patriots, he’d return to the Stallions for 2023, catching 28 passes for 235 yards and 2 TDs, while rushing for 524 yards on 118 carries (2 TDs).
  • In his 3rd season with the Stallions, CJ rushed 80 times for 293 yards (4 TD) and caught 10 passes for 45 yards.
Birmingham Stallions (8-0) v San Antonio Brahmas (6-2), 5/25/24
CJ MARABLE R 2 YDS 17 AVG 8.5 TD 0 LG 11
REC 1 YDS 2 AVG 2.0 TD 0 LG 2

ACCOLADES:

  • USFL Player of the Week 2022 (Week 5)

NOTES:

I didn’t hold out much hope getting any Stallions autographs after the Brahmas game. They had just suffered their first loss in over a year and they looked bushwhacked and tired. Still you have to hand it to them that they are happy to have fans. I was able to waive him over, and he kindly signed 3 cards including this 1/499. The other two I sent to my friends Joe and Mark (Mark’s Signing Bonus). CJ has a great big autograph, and I love it.

I thought I’d push it a bit further and ask him for his glove, to which he responded, “For a true fan, I got you bruh.” Big win. Getting back to basics: This is how a league really courts fans.