Category Archives: XFL

NFL, NFLE, XFL

Croel, Mike

aprks91 croelCards: Pro Set 1992 RotY, Action Packed Rookies 1991, Star Pics 1991
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 3/13   Received: 4/21  (39 days)

A short list player that I had wanted for some time, Mike Croel played collegiately at Nebraska. Mike played on some of the most dominating defensive Cornhusker teams during the late 80s and early 90s.

After being gashed on defense in 1990 the Broncos took a very defensive minded approach to their 1991 draft. It was a pretty good draft for Denver. Mike Croel was drafted in the first round with the 4th overall pick. Alongside Croel, Keith Traylor (3rd),  and Kenny Walker (8th) also made the roster.

pset92 croel royDuring the heyday of the trading card market right before things started to implode with the slow death of Pro Set in 1993, you could find trading cards everywhere and everybody was getting in on it. Not only were you able to find the cards in the local convenient stores like 7-11, but you could get them at places like… Michael’s, the Arts and Crafts store. I impulse bought a pack or two of the 1992 Pro Set standing in line there, and got this Mike Croel Defensive Rookie of the Year card in the pack.

He’d play RILB his rookie season. Blitzing from the inside, Mike recorded 10 sacks and 84 tackles in 10 games. This’d be good for 1991 Defensive Rookie of the Year Honors.  In 1992 he’d switch to LOLB, and in 1993 return a Brett Favre interception 22 yards for a TD against Green Bay in the opener. As the Broncos transitioned to a 4-3 Croel, played his final season in 1994 with the franchise at LLB. He joined his former head coach Dan Reeves in New York in 1995, and then made a pit stop with the Ravens in 1996.

stpi91 mcroelReturning in 1998 he played Spring ball with the Rhein Fire of the NFLE, before heading back to the United States to join the Seahawks for that year.

Mike again briefly popped up on the football radar playing for the XFL of the Los Angeles Xtreme in 2001. He was the first trade in the shortlived league- going from Las Vegas to LA for linebacker Joseph Tuipala. Croel retired soon thereafter before playing a down for the league.  Since then he’s dabbled in coaching and is a successful graphic designer in California.

NFL 102/84      Tac 412     Sac 24.0     Fum  6
Int 2       Yds  38      Avg  19.0     Td 1     Lg 22

NFLE     Tac  N/a     Sac  6.0       Fum N/a
Int  0        Yds  0        Avg -.-       Td 0      Lg -.-

CFL, NFL, NFLE, XFL

Barnes, Pat

to00 barnesCard: Topps 2000
Acquired: 2014, Albany Acquisition

Pat Barnes played for Cal during the late 90s, and was a second team All-American, under future NFL head coach Steve Mariucci. Putting up great numbers in the West Coast offense and defining himself as a future star, Barnes was a 4th round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1997. He’d get lost in the shuffle behind Rich Gannon and Trent Green, and sign with the Oakland Raiders the following year.

Pat is best remembered for his time in the NFLE for the Frankfurt Galaxy, where he defined himself as perhaps the best quarterback in that franchise’s extended history. He’d lead the team to a World Bowl victory in 1999 throwing 3 touchdown passes in the win over the Dragons.

In between his two stints with the Galaxy, he’d return stateside to ride the bench for the 49ers in 1999.

Perhaps Pat would have etched his name more definitively into the Galaxy record books if he just had some more time, but with a new league on the horizon, Barnes jumped at the opportunity to play for the San Fransisco Demons of the XFL in 2001, backing up former Cal QB Mike Pawlawski. The Demons played in the Million Dollar Game, but lost to the Los Angeles Xtreme 38-6.

Pat again dabbled in another league, heading North to the CFL, this time to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, in 2002. Another short run on the offseason roster of the Browns the following year, returned him to Winnipeg in 2003 where he retired after the season. Currently he lives in Los Angeles.

NFLE    Att 414     Comp 232    Yds 3422      Pct 56.0      Td 30    Int 18    Rat  89.3   |    Rush  38     Yds   179    Avg  4.7      Td  3      Lg   24

College Football HoF, NFL, XFL

Bosworth, Brian ‘Boz’

udou11 bosworthCards: ProSet 1989, Upper Deck Legends 2011, OU UD 2011, OU UD 2011 85 NC
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home*
Sent:   1/22   Received: 1/30  (8 days)
* Fee required

Brian Bosworth was one of the most indelible and engrossing personalities of the 80s to hit the gridiron. Boz’s influence was so strong that his hairstyle, sunglasses, and personality transcended sports barriers and transferred to mainstream American culture- but to Brian, that was all ‘The Boz’.

udldg11 bosworthI had been looking for Brian since I re-started TTM collecting in 2010. A long time ago I got his Starting Lineup figure. One of the few unique figures in the set, they had gone as far as giving Bosworth his stylish haircut.  I went as far as writing names, addresses on envelopes, and pulling cards, when I realized that he had not been responding to any TTM responses. I waited 6 years for a better shot at Brian while other peoples’ misses piled up.

It was then a lot of things really fell into place. I watched the ’30 for 30′ presentation on him, simply titled ‘Brian and the Boz’.  The show was an honest documentary on Bosworth’s life, but what really surprised me was that it all took place around the city I live in.  It lastly took me seeing a post on a message board I frequent, discussing a recent success that somebody had contacting him through email. I found the email and gave it a shot. I was given a very specific pricelist (very) and instructions on how to pay through paypal.  I went ahead and gave it a shot. A few days later, I got all 4 of these great cards back signed. Personalization doesn’t bother me since I keep them. I didn’t ask for ‘the Boz’ on the cards. -I just didn’t feel it was appropriate after watching the 30 for 30 documentary.

udou11 bosworth NC85Brian also answered my short questionaire. He told me that if he was a tree, he’d be a Palm tree, and that of the other teams he really wanted to play for, he was interested in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Dallas.

Brian Bosworth was one of the greatest linebackers ever to don pads. The only two time Butkus Award winner in history (annually given to the greatest linebacker in college football,) in 1985 and 1986, Bosworth also earned Consensus All-American Honors both years, as the Sooners powered their way to the National Championship in 1985. It’d be in 1987 that Bosworth garnered the attention of the NCAA and was suspended for the Orange Bowl. He declared for the NFL Supplemental Draft of 1987. Brian finished his career at OU with 395 tackles in only 3 years.

pset89 bosworthNow Boz had a very thorough determination process for who he’d play for. He sent letters to all 28 teams, telling them if he’d like to play for them or not. Simply stated if he was drafted by a team he didn’t want to play for, he was just going to sit out until the next draft. Boz really wanted to play for the Raiders, but instead got selected by: The Seahawks…  After initially rebuffing the Seahawks offers, Boz finally came to the table and signed an (at the time) incredible contract: 10 years, $11 million dollars. He came into the Seahawk lineup and helped bolster the defensive roster, giving the team a much needed ‘bad boy persona’ shooting his mouth off at the media, players, and fans. Boz played for the Seahawks for 2 and a half seasons, before a shoulder injury finally caught up with him.  Boz flunked his physical -ending his football career.

Brian had been dabbling in the media long enough that he had become a recognizable face. It didn’t take long for him to show up on Entertainment Tonight, appearing in his first movie ‘Stone Cold’.  Since then he’s appeared in films, TV shows, commercials, and media. Bosworth was also a member of the Sunday Night XFL commentary crew in 2001.

In 2015, Bosworth was finally inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Passed over numerous times by the selection committee – most of those involved felt that it was finally time.  It was an honor to me that I felt was long overdue to Brian Bosworth.