NFL

Scott, Todd

Card: Action Packed Rookies 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The Minnesota Vikings

Todd Scott was a Galveston, Tx native who wasn’t recruited locally- so he went out of the state to Louisiana-Lafayette where he’d make an impact playing football in that tiny community. He’d rank first in career punt return yardage with 553 (10th nationally all time) and played in the Blue-Gray game in 1990.

The Vikings, needing to train a protege to veteran Joey Browner took a flyer on the young player in the 6th round of the 1991 draft. Scott started just one game in 1991 and made 33 tackles, but in 1992 he’d start all 16 games after Browner left via free agency, making 5 interceptions and 73 tackles. (These marks would be career highs.) Todd was also named to the Pro Bowl that season as well. In 1994 Scott earned All-Madden team honors, but found himself on the  street in 1995, playing for both the New York Jets for 10 games and Tampa Bay for 1 contest. He’d continue to play in Tampa Bay briefly in 1996 and then Kansas City in 1997 where he retired after a few injury plagued years.

A really intelligent player in coverage Scott is most well known by Minnesota fans for a pick 6 he made against the Bears in 1992. Scott backed off runningback Neal Anderson to give quarterback Jim Harbaugh the impression that he was going to allow for a big reception out of the backfield. Harbaugh bit, audibled, and Scott returned the interception for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Most recently in 2010, Scott was inducted into the Lousiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajun’s Hall of Fame.

G/Gs 84/55      Tac 265     Sac 1   Fum 2
Int 7     Yds 105      Avg 15.0     Td  1   Lg 35T

CFL, NFL

Austin, Kent “Five”

Card: All World 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The CFL

Kent Austin won the CFL Grey Cup MVP honor in 1989 and also the CFL Coach of the Year Award in 2007 but before this his career started way back in 1986 as the third string quarterback of the  St. Louis Cardinals.

He’d head north after the season where Kent would play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1987-1993 experiencing tremendous success. Afterwards he’d play one season a piece for the British Columbia Lions (winning his second Grey Cup), Toronto Argonauts, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers retiring after the ’96 season.

Kent Austin decided to pursue coaching and has had stops in the CFL as both coordinator for the Argonauts and Roughriders and is the first coach to win a championship as both head coach and player of the same team. He headed back to the college ranks to coach at Mississippi and most recently took the head coaching job at Cornell in 2010. Listed below are his CFL statistics.

Att 4700    Comp 2709     Yds 36030   Pct 57.6%
Td  198  Int 191   Rat  79.1

NFL, Pro Football HoF

Taylor, Jim (1935-2018)

Card: Topps 1965
Acquired: In Person 1993, (Signing fee)

One of the best rushing fullbacks in the NFL’s history before the AFL merger, Jim Taylor was drafted in 1958 by the Green Bay Packers after winning the MVP honors of the NCAA Senior Bowl. Jim would be overshadowed by teammates Bart Starr and Jim Hornug, and NFL rushing champion Jim Brown, but Taylor would win the rushing record in 1962 -the only season Jim Brown failed to. Taylor was a winner of the NFL championship in 1961 and 1962.  He’d later score the first rushing touchdown in SuperBowl I enroute to the team’s victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. A 6 time All Pro selection and 5 time Pro Bowl selection, Jim was a member of the 1960s All Decade team. Taylor was also a durable, brutal hitter, who was quite effective out of the backfield on swing passes (and made 1,000 yard seasons on a 14 game schedule regularly).In his final season in the league in 1967 he’d be traded to the expansion New Orleans Saints – retiring at season’s end.  Jim was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 and his most outstanding memory of playing was being named the league MVP in 1962. Taylor has also been inducted into the Wisconsin and Packers HoF. Recently Jim was named the best player in NFL history to wear the #31. Josh and I drove downtown to the Austin Convention Center where there was a card show where Taylor was at. We were two of the first people there and Jim gave me a big handshake where he almost crushed my fingers. Taylor was selected by the Green Bay Packers to announce their 2nd round draft choice in 2011.

G 132   Att 1941    Yds 8597    Avg 4.4   Td 83   lg 84    |   Rec 225   Yds 1756    Avg 7.8   Td 10   lg 41

UPDATE: 10/13/18- Jim Taylor passed away early on Saturday morning at the age of 83.

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