Tag Archives: British Columbia Lions

CFL, NFL

Rodgers, Jordan

sage12 jrodgersCard: Leaf Rookies 2012, Sage Hit 2012.
Acquired: 2013, 2014 Box Breaker

The first thing you’re going to say is, “Wait a minute…” when you see the all too famous last name. Yes, Jordan is the younger brother of Green Pay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and much like Aaron, Jordan is trying to forge his own path in the face of a lot of adversity. Following a similar path as Aaron, Jordan split time at JuCo for 2 years before heading off to Vanderbilt. (In fact he’d go to the same JC (Butte) and shatter his brother’s passing records.) The SEC has always been a real difficult conference for the Commodores to excel in, but he was a winner for the team, and led Vandy to two surprising consecutive bowl appearances- the first in the history of the college. In his senior season he threw for a respectable 2,500+ yards and 15 touchdowns, putting together one of the best seasons since Jay Culter played there. As he quietly crept into the back of some sleeper experts’ draft boards, Rodgers pulled a groin muscle before the combine. Jordan was able to throw it at a pro day that Vanderbilt and Tennessee State hosted together.

leaf12 jrodgersHis good showing helped put him back on the map for many teams that attended.  After the 2012 draft Jordan was signed as a camp arm by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was out on the street by July.  Chicago next kicked the tires on Jordan, but did not sign him. In the end, the Buccaneers looking for a new scout quarterback signed Jordan in October, after releasing Josh Freeman from their active roster. With head coach Greg Schiano bounced by ownership after the 2013 season, a new coaching staff was put in place led by Lovie Smith and Jeff Tedford. Although Tedford was Aaron Rodgers offensive coordinator in college at Cal, in February of 2014, the Bucs cut Jordan.

He went North to the CFL and landed with the British Columbia Lions.  Placed on their practice roster, he decided to go ahead and retire in 2015.

 

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Brown, Marlon ‘Spacedog’

psetwlaf91 mbrownCards: ProSet WLAF 1991, ProSet WLAF 1991 World Bowl, Ultimate WLAF 1992.
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 5/15    Received: 6/8  (24 days)

Marlon Brown is a member of the deep 1989 NFL class. He was a 12th round pick of the Cleveland Browns after setting the Memphis school record with 19 sacks. His career highlights include a 4 sack performance against Louisville, which garnered him Associated Press Defensive Player of the Week Honors in 1987.   Brown joined the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 1990 as a defensive end, recording 3 sacks and 7 tackles.

pset91 mbrown WBWith the unveiling of the WLAF in 1991, the London Monarchs selected Brown with the 4th overall pick among linebackers in the inaugural positional draft.  A key component to the Monarchs’ WLAF title run in 1991 and top rated defense, Marlon Brown finished on the All-World League Second Team.  Spacedog had 42 tackles and 7.5 sacks. His 5.5 sacks in a 22-7 win over North American rival New York-New Jersey stand as a single game league record, and he was named player of the week.  In World Bowl I, Marlon also contributed a sack in the Monarchs 21-0 shutout of the Dragons.

Marlon was traded after the season concluded. His fortunes basically went from first to worst, as he’d join the Ohio Glory. He finished his career in the WLAF as a member of the New York-New Jersey Knights.

ultwlaf92 mbrownFrom time to time I network with other collectors about the hobby. I’ve always admired Mark’s Signing Bonus. As a respected collector, I think he is a wonderful resource who cares about TTM and autographs as much as I do. I finally worked around to asking him about a few player successes he had, chief among them- Marlon. (I had emailed a lead  before, but it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.)  Mark kindly helped me out and before I knew it, Spacedog had responded and included a nice note asking for a copy of his WLAF Ultimate 1992 card.

Marlon barely has even noticed that almost 25 years have passed. He’s still in pretty good physical shape and runs his own trucking business out of Memphis that keeps him on the road a good portion of his time.

CFL   G  5     Tac  7      Sac   3.0    Fum N/a
Int  0     Yds 0     Avg -.-      Td 0     Lg -.-

WLAF         Tac  42     Sac 7.5      Fum  N/a
Int  0      Yds 0    Avg -.-       Td 0      Lg -.-

 

CFL, College Football HoF, NFL, NFLE

Ware, Andre ‘Air Ware’ (2)

pset90 wareCards: Pro Set 1990, Upper Deck College Legends 2011
Acquired: 4/30/15, Houston Texans Draft Party
See Also: Andre Ware ‘Air Ware’

Lance and I arrived at the 2015 Houston Texans Draft Party with high hopes, but were ultimately disappointed when we didn’t have cards of the Ambassadors who showed up, and the players I did have a card of were only taking photo ops. Queue the Astrodome air raid siren, because Andre Ware came to the rescue.

As Lance and I made our way towards the photo op booth, I heard a familiar voice on TV. Andre Ware was being interviewed on Fox Spots Southwest. Recognizing that the broadcast was taking place in the stadium, I walked over to one of the people working at the stadium and asked them where Andre was. The stadium employees identified it as being at radio row where only the VIP fans were allowed. We got as close as the elevator, and after borrowing a pen and waiting for about 15 minutes, Lance and I decided to locate the ground floor exit of the VIP area to get a better vantage point.  We walked for about 5 minutes, and emerging out of the crowd from the other direction, wasudlgd11 ware Andre Ware. Kudos to Andre for cheerfully signing 2 cards for me and Lance, even though he had his hands full with two kids by his side and all their stuff.

I can’t encourage collectors enough to build out a compact and expanded box of cards that covers the full gamut of players, former players, and sports personalities. With Andre covering the Texans on the radio as a color commentator and also being  a local legend, it made sense to have a few extras on the off chance he did make an appearance.  Otherwise  these are great cards of Ware, and leaves me with only a handful of extras that I would love to have autographed for my collection.