Tag Archives: action packed 1992

NFL

Harlow, Pat

Cards: Action Packed 1992, Action Packed Rookies 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, 1993 Patriots Blitz

In a world where snail mail was king and the internet was still in its infancy, I used to camp by the mailbox waiting to see what came. An autograph kept the mail interesting, and was like receiving a present every day of the year- or whenever I got one. Case in point, I sent off bulk to the Patriots in 1992 and after a few months wait got a stack of autographs back from the team. (I’d send another bulk load later that they’d go ahead and kindly fulfill the next season as well.)

Originally the fourth best defensive lineman on the USC Trojans squad, Pat Harlow would make the switch to offensive tackle and make an immediate impact. At 6″7′, 295, Pat Harlow was drafted from USC by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1991 draft (which at first was a highly maligned draft, but in retrospect was obviously not on talent with the 1989 draft, rather it was ‘respectable’.)

The pick was originally part of the blockbuster Herschel Walker trade. With the first two tackles off the board in Charles McRae and Antone Davis, Pat Harlow would be the third Tackle taken in the first round by New England. Offensive line however would not be where the depth was in this draft as only one lineman, (Erik Williams– Dallas, Rd.3) from this draft would ever to make the ProBowl.

An aggressive offensive lineman with the desire to finish off the block downfield, the knock on Pat was his relative lack of playing experience at the position. This was viewed by Patriots’ management actually as an advantage as his full potential hadn’t been completely tapped. Harlow went on to play respectably from 1991-1995, starting 64 games.

Pat was traded to the Raiders for a second round pick in 1996, and moved to left tackle, (uncomfortably) where he ended his career prematurely in 1998 due to back injuries at the age of 29.

College Football HoF, NFL, Pro Football HoF, usfl

White, Reggie ‘Minister of Defense’ (1961-2004)

Cards: Action Packed 1991, Action Packed 1992.
Acquired: TTM c/o The Green Bay Packers, 1994.

Reggie White is arguably one of the greatest defensive ends, and one of the best players to be imported to the NFL after the failure of the fledgling USFL.

After setting multiple records at Tennessee, White was drafted by the Memphis Showboats of the USFL in 1984. Playing in two seasons for the league he’d rack up almost 25 sacks and 200 tackles, before being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, who held his draft rights. White grabbed defensive rookie of the year in 1985. As a cornerstone to the Eagles, Reggie sacked quarterbacks a mind-numbing 124 times with the Eagles, averaging more than a sack a game from his left defensive end position. In 1987 alone he’d rack up 21 sacks.  White was nicknamed ‘The Minister of Defense’ by his teammates, because of his ability to disrupt team’s offenses, and the fact that he was an ordained minister since the age of 17.

White was an important high profile name in a landmark lawsuit against the NFL, that would eventually allow for what is now known in the league as free agency. This allowed for a general rise in salaries and also inadvertently contributed to the concept of a salary cap.  In 1993, Reggie would become the first big name to switch teams from the Eagles to the Packers creating an immense amount of buzz. With Reggie also switching to the Pack this also shattered the notion that small market cities would not be able to compete with larger cities for marquee talent. The Packers played in two Super Bowls during his tenure there, and he notched 3 sacks in Super Bowl XXXI which still stands as a record today. Reggie retired briefly in 1998 but came back to play one final season in 2000 for the Carolina Panthers.

White’s career numbers and accolades are astounding: 198 sacks (2nd all time) , 1st team AP 10 times, All Decade Team of the 80’s and 90’s, and the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team.  He’d only have 3 seasons during his 15 year career where he’d have under 10 sacks, and finished with over 1000 tackles. Tragically Reggie White would pass away December 26th, 2004 of a cardiac arrhythmia in his sleep at the age of 43. Posthumously he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006 and his jersey was retired by the Packers, Eagles, and Volunteers.

It is said that near the end of his life, Reggie strayed away from Christianity and towards more Judaic religious beliefs, but this is not so. White was extremely interested and respectful of religious ideals, and remained a devout Christian, (and an outspoken, controversial one at that) to the day of his passing. He’d also lend a helping hand to many churches during the spate of Southern Black church burnings during the 1990s.

I seem to remember being surprised to get this autograph back from the Packers -and in under a month or two to boot. I like it when players inscribe the cards with a bible verse. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the most religious person, but it tells me a bit about their personality and who they are. Reggie signed his cards with Matt 3:3-16. Now This isn’t 3:3,16. It’s 3:3 through 16. That’s a hefty amount of scripture so I’ll just leave it at 3:3

“For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Games 232         Tac 1048       Sac  198       FF 33
Int  3     Yds 79       Avg  29.3      Td  0

NFL

Hurst, Maurice

Cards: Proset 1991, Action Packed 1992.
Acquired: TTM Patriots Blitz 1992, C/o New England Patriots

Maurice Hurst was my ‘nickel back’ in Tecmo Super Bowl Special Edition III or whatever it was back on Super Nintendo. He was an easy pickup and a solid starter for me whenever he had to be put in the lineup in a pinch and would usually get around 3 interceptions a season.  I’d send off for his autograph in a bulk mailing to the Patriots, during their disastrous late 80s and early 90s.

Maurice played for historically black college Southern University and was drafted in the 4th round of the amazingly deep 1989 draft by the New England Patriots.  A fine rookie campaign netted him 5 interceptions and a touchdown, and he provided otherwise good coverage in an aged and beleaguered secondary doing a little bit of everything including kick and punt returning. He’d go on to average 3-4 picks roughly over the next few seasons.

Hurst was a  gambling corner, and would have a career high 7 picks and two sacks in 1994, but the fact he played in New England during the darker days of the franchise overshadowed an otherwise ProBowl campaign. Burned twice in week 10 of 1995, Hurst was ignominiously cut and subsequently retired.  In 2009 he was nominated to the Patriots 50th anniversary team and is currently ranked third on the team’s all time interception list.

As of 2010, he is president of Olympic Commerical and Residential Construction LLC assisting the city of New Orleans in its rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina, and working in the residential and private sectors.

Games 105    Tac 365      Sac  3         FF  4
Int 27         Yds  263      Avg  9.7       Td 1