Card: SaGe Hit Low 12
Acquired: 4/27/11, Box Breaker.
At 6″6′, 238, the freakishly sized Ladarius Green was a late riser to the 2012 Draft, after playing at Louisiana- Lafayette. In 2010, Ladarius had 44 receptions for 794 yards, an 18 yard average and 7 touchdowns. On the biggest stage of his young career in 2011, Ladarius made 5 catches for 121 yards and a TD against San Diego State during the New Orleans Bowl in 2011. Green was a very productive pass-catching tight end and has displayed the type of athleticism that makes him a mismatch at the next level and the type of player a team could fall in love with. He’s a big tight end who understands how to get open and use his frame to be a good option for the quarterback in the short passing game and has good foot quickness, which he uses along with his frame to work against zone coverage and box out smaller defenders to secure the easy first-down catch. Green also possesses the body control that allows him to leap, torque and reach both high and low for poorly thrown balls, making him the type of red-zone option who can have his quarterback throw jump balls. His career numbers are 149 receptions for 2201 yards, 14.8 YPR, and 22 touchdowns.
The San Diego Chargers grabbed Ladarius with their 4th round selection of the 2012 draft. Apparently they feel he will make a nice compliment to Antonio Gates.
Card: UT UD 2011
Acquired: C/o Home, 2012
Sent: Received: 7/14 (days)
See also: Steve McMichael “Mongo”
Steve McMichael and Ray Childress were my favorite defensive linemen when I was a kid, so to meet both of them during my younger years was quite a treat to me. I had already gotten back around to Ray, and had been looking for a good excuse to write Steve again, so when the University of Texas Upper Deck 2011 set came out, I thought I had the best justification to do so, and put 3 cards in the mail. Well, I’m guessing Steve didn’t have his UT Upper Deck All American card or his All Time Alumni card as he kept those. Still the fact that he signed his base set card, was what I really wanted most, so to just get only one back from him was fine by me.
McMichael gained notoriety while playing with the Bears for having a penchant to come up with big plays when they mattered. He also started 101 straight games at defensive tackle. Mike Ditka called McMichael the toughest player he ever coached. Now let me stress that again… Mike Ditka called him that. He’d later go on to enjoy a strong wrestling career in the WWF and WCW as Mongo. I even saw him live at the Erwin Center in Austin where fans who remembered were happy to see him. Steve was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He currently does radio for the pregame show of the Bears outside of Chicago and is head coach of the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League.
Card: Ultimate 2012
Acquired: In Person, 6/10/2012 Houston 610 Fan Fest III
See Also: Fozzy Whittaker (2)
Fozzy Whittaker is an electric halfback that played for the University of Texas. With deceptive speed and shifty hips he is a do-it-all back that can take the ball to the house anytime he touches it. A tad undersized at 5-10, 198, Fozzy, carried the ball 263 times for 1233 yards and 12 touchdowns, and returned 10 kicks for (-and this is not a typo,) 424 yards and 2 touchdowns in his college career at UT. He’s a great receiver out of the backfield too. Whittaker was not drafted in the 2012 draft because he was still rehabbing from an injury that he incurred during his Senior season. It was a shame as his stock was skyrocketing after his 2 touchdown performance against the Sooners. Scouts however remained interested in him and invited him to the combine where he performed the only test he could at the time- the
benchpress.
When I met Fozzy at the 610 Fan Fest, his line wasn’t too busy but he was one of the first ones open and was so kind taking photos with fans and signing autographs. I had to order this card online to get it in time since I lost out on getting his Upper Deck Rookies card that I wanted. Fozzy smiled and told me he remains committed to his rehabilitation and looks forward to getting a shot with a team this season. Really a cool guy and I wish him all the best for the future.
UPDATE: Fozzy was signed at the beginning of 2013 by the San Diego Chargers to a free agent contract, after sitting out 2012 partially due to rehabilitation from his injuries.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
Card: SaGe Hit Low 12
