CFL, NFL

Wright, Felix

Cards: ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990 LL, Upper Deck 1991
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o home  (7 days)
Sent: 10/15  Received: 10/22

My first memory of Felix Wright? -A dominant defensive back in Tecmo Bowl and compliment to fellow safety Frank Minnefield. Beyond that, it should be noted that Felix is a tireless and patient TTM signer who has a quick response rate. I had dug through the boxes and found the ProSet cards of him with that  gold league leader card I had always admired. ProSet was the dominant name back then in football cards, but they quickly wore out their welcome and were out of business by 1995. It’s a shame because their sets were always quite thorough and at least through 1991 designed nicely. Upper Deck on the other hand had been a force in the baseball arena for sometime and was a new player to the burgening market in 1991, but I don’t think they really understood that fans want action shots of football players, and instead UD took the ‘Topps’ route on occasion. Take for example this hideous card of Felix getting his hamstring stretched.

Felix Wright went undrafted coming out of Drake college in 1982. He’d try out for the Oilers, but not make the team, instead opting out and heading North to the CFL playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, being named an All Star in 1984. Wright would then sign as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns- cementing his name as one of the team’s best free agent pickups. A solid DB with a great hands and good speed, Felix was one of the most feared players in the secondary during the late 1980s racking up over 100 interception yards in two straight seasons. His solid defensive play allowed him to lead the league in interceptions in 1990. In 1991, he’d sign Plan B with the Minnesota Vikings where Felix would play for two seasons, before retiring in 1993 with the Kansas City Chiefs.

G/Gs  121/84   Tac  N/a   Sac N/a    Fum 6      Int 29      Yds 492        Avg 16.9     Td 2     Lg 68

NFL

Klingler, David

Cards: Action Packed Rookies 1992, Classic 1992, SkyBox 1992
Acquired: TTM 1993, C/o The Cincinnatti Bengals. In Person 1996, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp.

David Klingler was another in a line of Houston Cougar record-setting quarterbacks (Andre Ware) under the Run and Shoot offense. He’d set a then record with 11 touchdown passes and 716 yards in a game against Eastern Washington in 1990, winning the Sammy Baugh award after that season. David would also break Ware’s career passing records and set the NCAA record for touchdowns in a season (since broken) with 54. In 1992, Klingler would be the #1 pick of the floundering Cincinnati Bengals franchise with the 6th pick overall (right after Terrell Buckley).(Thinking in terms of quarterbacks that were from the 1992 draft, the only members of this draft to make the Pro Bowl ever in their careers were Brad Johnson and Jeff Blake.) The Bengals had a fresh new coach in Dave Shula, and he wanted a fresh, new face at quarterback along with him. This meant Klingler also had the very unenvious position of replacing extremely popular player Boomer Esiason at quarterback. Klingler in his rookie season would start 4 games under center for the Bengals posting 3 touchdowns to 2 picks, and throwing for an anemic 5.4 yards per throw. He’d also be sacked 18 times in 1992- a rate of a bit over 4 a game. In 1993, Klingler was dubbed starting quarterback, where I’d send off through the mail to get his autograph. In 13 games, the Bengals allowed Klingler to get sacked 40 times, but he’d try to make up for it with his rushing ‘prowess’, running for 282 yards and a 6.9 yard average. He would only throw for 6 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. David would almost duplicate those numbers in 1994, starting in only 7 games and being sacked 24 times. In 1995, he had a forgettable season with the Bengals and was released. Considered one of the many busts of the early nineties, Klingler never really stood a chance behind a patchwork line and in his first career game he was sacked 7 times by the Steelers. The Raiders would take a flyer on Klingler, where he played 2 more seasons and I got his autograph in 1996 at Dallas Cowboys training camp. After his 1996 season with the Raiders, he’d be signed by the Packers looking for competition behind Brett Favre, but he’d lose out in training camp and retire soon thereafter.

Klingler since leaving the NFL has graduated with a Doctorate in Old Testament Studies from the Dallas Theological Seminary. He remains an avid football fan and backer of the University of Houston.

G/Gs   33/20    Att 389    Comp 718     Yds 3994     Pct        Td 16     Int 22   Rat 65.1

NFL

McMurtry, Greg

Card: Action Packed Rookies 1990, Score 1990
Acquired: TTM 1992, 1993, Patriots Blitz

2 sport start Greg McMurtry was taken in the baseball amateur draft in 1986 by the Boston Red Sox, but decided to remain in school, attending Michigan at Ann Arbor. It was a huge coup for Michigan because McMurtry was offered a huge signing bonus to join the Red Sox. He’d go on to be an excellent player at wide receiver for the Wolverines, playing in the Rose Bowl and snagging All-American Honors. McMurtry would even be allowed to wear the hallowed #1 jersey for the team. He was selected in the 3rd round of the 1990 draft by the woeful New England Patriots, who were desperate to find a compliment to Irving Fryar.

In 1991 the Houston Oilers visited the New England Patriots and I had given a friend an immense spread to take the Patriots. The Patriots ended up winning the game with McMurtry catching the game winning toss from Hugh Millen 24-20. It was one of those really humbling moments being an Oiler fan. Greg’s 1991 season would be his best, with 614 yards and a 15 yard average. He’d play through 1993 for the Patriots, and then finish out his career with the Bears in 1994.

G/Gs  67/44   Rec 128   Yds  1631   Avg   12.7   Lg  65T   Td 5

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