Card: Action Packed Whizzer White 1991
Acquired: TTM 2021, C/o Home
Sent: 2/22 Received: 3/6 (12 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
See Also: Jim Hart
NOTES:
I had gotten Jim’s autograph previously and thought I’d closed the book on him, but realized after the fact that Action Packed had produced the Whizzer White Award set which had him in it. Like most from this set, it was a spectacular action shot of Jim that his autograph looks great on.
Cards: ProSet 1989, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed Whizzer White Award 1991, ProSet 1991 WLAF Inserts
Acquired: TTM 2020, C/o Home
Sent: 10/5 Received: 10/17 (12 days)
Reggie Williams played college football at Dartmouth, and was a 3 time All-Ivy League selection from 1973-1975. Reggie was so dominant that he caught the attention of pro scouts, parlaying his efforts to become a 3rd round selection of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1976.
Over the next 14 seasons, Reggie went on to become one of the Bengals best draft picks. He played in an unheard of 206 games (one short of Ken Riley for the franchise record), and virtually owned the entire Bengals record books at linebacker for every statistical category including: career tackles, sacks, interceptions, and fumbles. He also earned the Whizzer White Award in 1985, the NFL Man of the Year Award in 1986, and SI’s Sportsperson of the Year in 1987.
Reggie made waves next as he went on to work in the front office of the World League of American Football‘s New York-New Jersey Knights franchise in 1991, becoming one of the first African American General Managers in any pro capacity.
He’s been at the frontlines of visionary ideas leading sport and NFL initiatives and then working with Disney overseeing their recreational and sports divisions since then. In the final years of his time with the Bengals he also served as a city councilman, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Still despite all this, and being virtually an icon with Cincinnati, Reggie has been largely unheralded by his former franchise. A true warrior, he’s had over 25 knee surgeries since his career concluded, and it has taken its toll on his leg. He’s written a book about his life, ‘Resilient by Nature’, where he gives a great wealth of insight into his life, and shares his dedication and willingness to overcome whatever obstacles he faces.
I had wanted to get Reggie’s autograph for sometime. He is the epitome of who I like to get an autograph from and for whom I like to write about. He has had an interesting journey both in and out of the sport- and I feel that he is someone who doesn’t get enough accolades for all he’s done. I wrote him an email through Facebook and he was kind enough to respond to me. We talked briefly about his foray into the World League- where he told me, “He loved the travel.” I sent him some old photos of magazine clippings from Gametime magazines as well that he enjoyed very much. He was doing a book signing in the area, so I sent him a stack of extra cards for his personal collection and to hand out to fans. A man of his word, Reggie signed these cards in no time flat for me.
| G/GS | TAC | SAC | FUM |
| 206/196 | N/A | 62.5 | 23 |
| INT | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| 16 | 194 | 12.1 | 1 | 54T |
Card: Action Packed Whizzer White Award 1991
Acquired: TTM 2019, C/o Home
Sent: 7/3 Received: 7/22 (19 days)
Andy Russell played 14 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers at linebacker from 1963-1976. A 7 time Pro Bowler, he was a member of the Steelers first two Super Bowl Championships.
Originally a home grown product out of Missouri, Andy chose to play for the Tigers, There he was known more for his rushing prowess than his ability to tackle players in the backfield. He ran for 662 yards on 172 carries and scored 3 TDs over three years from 1960-1962. At the time Russell was a two way player and also played linebacker, and most notably recording an interception for a TD in a 10-0 victory over the Sooners in ’61.
Andy was drafted by the Steelers to play linebacker in 1963. He’d garner all-rookie honors for his first season. He’d join the military in 1964 and serve through 1965 before returning to the team and playing through some truly terrible years with the franchise. Russell though persevered, and eventually head coach Chuck Noll built a nucleus of players around Andy, which eventually became known as ‘The Steel Curtain’. He’d be a stalwart bulwark for the Steelers, playing for the team the next 11 seasons.
Andy was unusually durable and reliable for a player of that era and never missed a game in 168 regular season contests. Andy is also the only player in NFL history to be named to 6 consecutive Pro Bowls (1970-1975). He earned the Whizzer White Award in 1973, was a team captain for 10 consecutive seasons, was named team MVP 3 times, won two Super Bowls, and has earned numerous awards and nominations from Missouri and is a member of the Steelers All-Time Team.
| G/GS | TAC | SAC | FUM |
| 168/162 | N/a | N/a | 10 |
| INT | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| 18 | 238 | 13.2 | 1 | 45 |