Tag Archives: action packed rookies 1990

NFL

Carter, Dexter

Score 1990, #657

CARDS: Action Packed 1990, Score 1990, Pro Set 1990
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 5/18 RECEIVED: 5/27 (9 Days)
FAILURE: TTM C/o Home 2018, 2019

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Possessing gamebreaking speed and great hands, Dexter Carter played from 1987-90 for the Florida State Seminoles.
  • Dexter rushed for 1839 yards and 17 TDs on 351 carries, splitting time for a majority of his career with Sammie Smith.
  • Selected by the San Fransisco 49ers near the bottom of round one in the 1990 NFL Draft.
  • Started at KR in rookie season, but was pressed into service early with injuries to Roger Craig.
  • Rushed for 460 yards and caught 25 passes, finishing with 1460 yards from scrimmage.
  • 124 yards rushing against Rams was highest total by a 49ers rookie since 1971.
  • 74 yard TD run against Rams was longest TD run of season in the league.
  • Saw similar role in 1991 in a platoon of runningbacks.
  • Ran for 379 yards and 2 TDs on 85 carries and caught 23 passes for 253 yards.
  • Had 37 kick returns for 839 yards, including a 98 yard TD to lead NFL.
  • After an injury riddled 1992, became 49ers resident return specialist for punts as well.
  • Had 34 returns for 411 yards and a TD in 1993.
  • In 1994, returned 48 kicks for 1105 yards (23.0 yards per return) and a 96 yard TD.
  • Signed with the Jets in 1995, but after only 10 games was cut, returning to ‘9ers to finish out season.
  • Had career long 78 yard punt return for a TD that year with SF.
  • Played one final year with 49ers in 1996 and retired.
  • Spent a few seasons as a positional coach at his Alma mater FSU.
Pro Set 1990, #693
Acton Packed Rookies 1990, #25

ACCOLADES:

  • San Fransisco 49ers 50th Anniversary Modern All-Time Team

NOTES:
After 2 failures, I finally was able to get Dexter Carter on his Action Packed card I wanted to have him sign all along. I had pretty much run out of cards, save for these last 3. His Score 1990 really stands out. It’s a beautiful, rare frontal shot of Dexter darting for daylight.

Dexter really didn’t get the credit he deserved as a returner outside of SF. One wonders that if he played 10-15 seasons like other accomplished returnmen if Dexter would’ve gotten the acclaim he deserved.

Dexter is notable as during his 1995 campaign between the Jets and the 49ers, he ended up playing in 17 games that year during a 16 game skid.

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NFL

McCants, Keith (1968-2021)

Action Packed Rookies 1990, #60

CARD: Action Packed Rookies 1990
ACQUIRED: Ebay, 2022
FAILURE: TTM C/o Home, 2018, 2020

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Alabama’s very own homegrown product played LB two years for the Crimson Tide in 88 and 89.
  • Highly regarded specimen coming out, finished with 156 solo tackles (216 total), 2 interceptions, 6 sacks, and a fumble recovery over college career.
  • Selected #4 overall in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  • Converted to DE in 1991, posting 54 tackles and 5 sacks that year.
  • Almost duplicated those numbers again in ’92, with 58 tackles and 5 sacks.
  • Converted back again to LB in ’93, but was cut and later signed by the Houston Oilers.
  • Used as a hybrid tweener DE/LB by Oilers.
  • After about a season and a half in Houston, signed with the Cardinals as a free agent during the ’94 campaign.
  • Recorded first career TD, intercepting a Steve Walsh (CHI) pass and returning it 46 yards.
  • Played one final season in Arizona, in 95, but not before recovering a fumble for a TD for second career defensive TD.
  • Loved scuba so much, that after playing career ended, broke barriers by becoming the first black marine conservation officer.
  • After that was extremely rough. Battled drug addictions, starting with painkillers in playing days, and advancing to more hard stuff after career had ended when those weren’t available.
  • Battled homelessness, financial destitution and attempted to commit suicide in jail.
  • Still managed to emerge from trauma, and by 2015 had written a book about his playing time and even started working as an afternoon sports radio personality in Tampa.

NOTES:

Perhaps the direst of set needs, when this autograph of his showed up on EBay alongside a host of other Bucs autos from the same vendor, I didn’t hesitate to pick it up.

Over the years, Keith had some amazing cards. He was there for the big boom, and had some great ones from 1989’s Pro Set entry to Game Day 1992.

Of small note, Keith was one of the more recognizable players on the Oilers, who got into the middle of and broke up the fight between Buddy Ryan and Kevin Gilbride.

One that just got away…

I mean, really what can I say about Keith? Don’t do drugs just somehow rings hollow- like both sarcastically and in a sense that it just doesn’t do enough justice to fix the problem…. You know like, “Thoughts and prayers.” -Especially when it comes to things like painkillers and prescription over the counter drugs.

I wrote to Keith and failed in 2018. Afterwards I was told he was on Facebook, so I reached out and started having conversations over the next few months with him supposedly on Facebook. I sent him an updated Facebook header and then he’d send me chain letter links and scriptures, but beyond that we didn’t get anywhere on autographs. Sometimes he’d initiate conversations. I unfortunately wondered even then if it was just a byproduct of a bender or something he was struggling with. Strangely it abruptly stopped right after I announced my father’s passing, however I wonder if that was just coincidental.

I was happy to know later that he was doing better, and had recently, with the help of a good samaritan, gotten his hip successfully replaced.

Unfortunately those demons of drug abuse again came to roost. Maybe he was a functioning addict. Who knows when or where it all started up again or if he was truly clean for the umpteenth time? All of that doesn’t matter.

All those dreams… All those memories…

He died of a drug overdose on September 2nd, 2021. -He was just 53.

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NFL

Smith, Anthony (DE)

1990 Action Packed Rookies Update, #45

CARD: Action Packed Rookies 1990
ACQUIRED: EBay, 2022

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Spent 3 years at Alabama before transferring out to Arizona for senior season.
  • Played all around the defensive line before settling down at DE.
  • All-Pac10 selection in 1989, had 71 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 5 sacks as a Senior.
  • 11th overall selection in the 1990 draft by the then Los Angeles Raiders.
  • Missed entire rookie season with knee injury during preseason.
  • Burst onto the scene in 1991 racking up 10.5 sacks- to rank second on the team.
  • Had an even more impressive 1992, with 13 sacks, 31 combined tackles and 6 forced fumbles as situational starter.
  • In 1993, had 12.5 sacks, 52 combined tackles, and 1 forced fumble.
  • Scored a 25 yard TD off a fumble recovery against the Dolphins in 1994.
  • Played 7 seasons with the Raiders from 1990 to 1997, spending final offseason with the Broncos in 1998.

NOTES:

Who knows what really happened to Anthony Smith?

“I’m a member of BMAP- the Black Male Achievement Program. I go to different schools to tell young people that if drugs are what they want to do, that if they want to destroy their lives, go on and do it. But stay away from the people that don’t want to do it.

Go ahead, kill yourself, but don’t kill other people. Don’t try to urge other people to accept what you bow to. I try to convince kids that there are a lot of things you can do to be productive with your life”

– Anthony Smith
1992 Pro Line Portraits #370

In 2016, Anthony was convicted of 3 counts of murder, with special circumstances of torture, kidnapping and multiple murders, for the 1999 torture killing of two brothers and the 2001 slaying of another man. He was sentenced to 3 consecutive life sentences- without parole.
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