Arena

Lopez, Joe

tnttal14 jlopezCard: TNT Talons 2014
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent:   8/16    Received: 8/25 (9 days)

The Talons were ravaged with injuries during their final campaign and their wide receiver and defensive back corps turned into turnstiles at one point.  Joe Lopez had a brief stay on the Talons. There were no acceptable photos that I could find to work with, so I had to doctor an existing shot, like in the Brett Reece card, and I was not disappointed in the results.  After a bit of digging I was able to track Joe down through Twitter where he quickly responded to my request.

Joe Lopez saw his first action in the AFL with the Utah Blaze back in 2011, where he tallied 7 tackles and 1 pass break up. He was assigned to the Gladiators in 2012, and joined the Talons in 2014. A nasty special teams gunner, Joe has the speed and the size to lay a lick on opposing kick returners, recording 9 tackles and 2 assists for the San Antonio. Over his college career at SUNY-Cortland Joe had an interception in 6 straight games, which stands as a school record.

NFL, ufl

Washington, Lionel

pset91 lwashingtonCards: ProSet 1991, Fleer 1990
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Work
Sent:  8/10    Received: 8/20    (10 days)

A fourth round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983, during the darker days of the franchise- Lionel Washington went on to have sterling career for the Cards, Raiders, and Broncos over 15 seasons. A solid DB for the Tulane Green Wave, and a four-year letterman for the Wave from 1979-82, Washington helped Tulane to 26 wins and appearances in the Liberty Bowl (1979) and Hall of Fame Bowl (1980) during his career.

flr90 lwashingtonWashington spent the next 4 seasons in St. Louis. His rookie season was impressive, as he recorded 8 interceptions, 67 tackles, and a fumble, in only 8 games, but perhaps playing in the shadow of St. Louis’ mediocrity and lack of national exposure, didn’t win him the defensive rookie of the year award.  After the 1986 season, Washington was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. There he’d go on to endear himself to fans in one of the most formidable secondaries alongside guys like Eddie Anderson, Stacey Toran, Vann McElroy, Mike Haynes, and Terry McDaniel. He’d be enshrined in Tecmo Super Bowl lore in 1991 with one of the most feared defensive backfields. It was not uncommon to intercept 2-3 passes a game or return one for a long TD with that secondary. In 1989 Washington had 3 picks and a 3 fumble recoveries for 2 TDs. Thanks to the advent of true free agency in 1993, the Raiders ran out and signed Kansas City rival CB Albert Lewis.  Washington lost his starting job to him and signed with the Denver Broncos in 1995. After a two season stint, Washington returned to the Raiders for one final season before retirement.

A venerable coach, Lionel has coached extensively at the professional level with the Packers (1999-2008), Raiders (2009-2010), and Virginia Destroyers (UFL 2011).  As of 2015, he’s returned home to Tulane where he’s not only the defensive backs coach, but the co-defensive coordinator.

Lionel Washington’s 1991 ProSet card (and the 1992 ProSet Platinum) are some of the reasons why I really appreciated ProSet’s choice of photography. The above shot is just perfect, and it illustrates why the landscape card made its reappearance in 1991. To top it off, Washington has an elegant autograph, that perfectly encompasses his number into a swoosh that curves back upon the W.

G/Gs  204/164      Tac  N/a       Sac 1.0       Fum 7
Int  37     Yds 418       Avg  11.3      TD 4     Lg 48t

NFL

Glenn, Terry (1974-2017)

pp96 tglennCard: Playoff 1996
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o The Texas Revolution
Sent: 6/4     Received: 10/9    (126 days)

Really the credit for this success should go to Brett Reece Jr, who played for the Revolution in 2015. He brokered a deal with me for a few more custom cards of his, and in return he offered help in acquiring his offensive coordinator, Terry Glenn.

Terry Glenn is a Bill Parcells guy. The highest rated receiver taken off the board at the #7 spot by the New England Patriots. He immediately paid dividends catching passes from Drew Bledsoe and racking up a then rookie record 90 receptions, for 1,132 yards and 6TDs. Although the team reached Super Bowl XXXI, they lost to Brett Favre and the Packers 35-21. After the season, Parcells departed for greener pastures as Bill Belichick took the helm. Although Terry was still counted on to be the team’s primary receiver, his numbers became erratic. Still he recorded a career high 1,147 yards in 1999. During that period he’d also catch young Tom Brady’s first TD pass. After an injury riddled 2001 campaign, Terry was traded to the Packers for the small price of 2 4th round picks. Although he put up a respectable 817 yards receiving, Glenn found himself traded again, the the Dallas Cowboys in 2003.

Dallas at the time was a team in search of an identity. The 90’s dynasty was dead and the team was going through a transition with a familiar face in head coach Bill Parcells.   Familiar faces in the wide receiver corps were Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway, while Tony Romo was barely scraping by as a 3rd stringer behind guys like Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, and Drew Henson. Terry played for the Cowboys over the next six seasons, recording in both 2005 and 2006 1,000+ yards receiving. Injury concerns surfaced in 2007, and his knee kept him sidelined for the whole year. He’d be cut in 2008 due to medical concerns, and retired shortly thereafter.

G/GS 137/127    Rec 593    Yds 8823      Avg 14.9     Td 44   Lg 86t

UPDATE 11/20/17– Terry Glenn died of a car crash early Monday morning in Irving, Tx. Details of the crash were not released. He was only 43 years old.

Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.