NFL

Patrick, Allen

bow05 apatrickCard: Bowman Sterling 2008
Acquired: 2013, Box Breaker

Allen Patrick joined the Sooners in 2005 and quietly was converted into a runningback by Oklahoma. In 2006 Allen found himself in the national spotlight after incumbent runningback Adrian Peterson went down with a season ending shoulder injury. Patrick made the best of his opportunity, running for 766 yards and 4 touchdowns on 170 carries that year. After Peterson departed, Patrick took over the starting job for the Sooners, where he put up a very respectable 1009 yards on 173 carries splitting time with DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown.  At 6’0″, 190 Allen was considered a bit small by many of the draft pundits, and the 2008 draft was stocked with many, many quality RBs. Singled out for his excellent Special Teams play and considered an interesting change of pace back, Patrick was taken in the 7th round by the Baltimore Ravens. He’d spend his rookie season on the Browns practice squad though, before heading on to be a camp back for the Giants (2009), Jaguars (2009-2010), Colts (2010), and Rams (2010).

NFL, WLAF

Carter, Jon

psetwlaf91 jcarterpset91 jcarter
Cards: ProSet 1991, Pro Set WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o home
Sent: 1/27  Received: 3/17  (49 days)

The Skyhawks made Jon Carter their first selection (8th overall) among the defensive linemen in the innaugural 1991 WLAF draft.  He’d anchor down Raleigh-Durham’s 3-4 defense, finishing with 45 tackles, 3 sacks and a forced fumble. The Skyhawks finished a distant 0-10 in the standings though and were disbanded after the season, due to poor attendance. The remaining players from the team were placed back in the draft pool for the 1992 season. Thanks to Jon’s experience in the 3-4 defensive alignment, he easily fit well into the Franfurt Galaxy‘s defensive rotation.

Originally a 5th round pick of the New York Giants in the 1988 draft, he spent the whole year on IR with a back injury but was waived right before the beginning of the 1989 season. The Cowboys then signed him to their developmental roster, and he ended up contributing in 13 games that year.  At Pitt, Carter was a 4 year starter and co-captain his Senior year.

With 2 cards in the WLAF sets, it was a mighty struggle to locate Jon Carter due to the commonality of his name. It took a few years, but he resurfaced, and I took a stab in the dark at a resume I found online. I was surprised to say the least to get a response in under 2 months time.

Tac N/a       Sac 4.0       Fum 1       Int 0      Yds -.-    Avg -.-      Td 0      Lg -.-

NFL, University of Texas

Shipley, Jordan (2)

mem shipleyAcquired: 2013, GMC NFL Texas Tour
See Also:  Jordan Shipley

I was not able to stay at the GMC event late on Saturday when Shipley was there, but because the sponsors of the show recognized me from the previous day, they asked me if I’d like an autograph. At first they offered me an additional Priest Holmes, but since I already had one they offered me any of the other players that were available that I’d like, so I took the Shipley as my prize. A great photo of Jordan here, it would do any receiver justice and make them proud. Just an absolutely exquisite action pose. For the GMC event, I was surprised that they spared no expense on these really nice Kodak photos. Remarkably they also are free of any logos or GMC promotional information on them.

Jordan was resigned, but did not make the roster of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012. I think he’d still make a nice slot fit for the Texans offense, but it looks like Shipley is getting little to no nibbles on the wire outside of a tryout with the New England Patriots. He lives in Central Texas and is an avid hunter.

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