Tag Archives: British Columbia Lions

CFL, NFL, usfl

Verdin, Clarence

Card: ProSet LL 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, Colts Blitz

Clarence Verdin was a refugee from the Houston Gamblers of the USFL. With deceptive speed and great cutting ability, Verdin would light up the scoreboard in 1984 and 1985 under the Run N Shoot offense, before heading over in 1986 to play for the… -Washington Redskins where he would win a Superbowl playing for the team. Clarence would spend two seasons there, before the Colts picked Verdin up where he’d really be known as the team’s primary return man and as a spot wide receiver. He would see the endzone on occasion and treat fans to his touchdown celebration in something he called ‘the Verdance’. Clarence would go to the ProBowl in 1990 and 1992 for his return skills, leading the team in touchdowns in 1992 with 2, and returns (50) and yards (1050) in 1993. After the 1993 season, he would sign with Falcons, before an abbrieviated 6 game stint in the CFL in 1996, for the British Columbia Lions.

At last glance in 2003 Clarence was living in the New Orleans area, owned a series of barber shops and worked for an oil corporation. Below is a video of one of his returns from his days playing days in the USFL.

G/Gs 118/25  Kr 237   Yds 8076  Avg 20.8   Td 1  Lg 88T |
Pr 178   Yds 1650  Avg 9.3   Td 4   Lg 84t

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds15aLbmMgI

CFL

Johnson, Alondra

Card: Jogo 1992
Acquired: TTM 1992 C/o The CFL

When I sent cards to the CFL as part of a blitz package, the league was kind enough to send me more cards with autographs on them from the Jogo 1992 set. Most NFL fans probably don’t have a clue who Alondra Johnson is but that’s okay because he blazed his own trail North of the Border terrorizing offenses for 16 seasons in the CFL. A 2009 CFL HoF inductee, Johnson (from West Texas A&M) played in 6 Grey Cup Championships winning three (1992,1998, and 2001) with the Stampeders. Originally signed as a free agent by the British Columbia Lions in 1989, Johnson would play for them for three seasons before he signed with Calgary in 1991 playing for head coach Wally Buono. 1998 would be punctuated by Alondra getting the CFL’s most valuable defensive player award and in his career he’d be named a 6 time Western All Star and 3 time CFL All Star. He’d suit up for the Stamps an additional 12 seasons and a final one in 2004 with Saskatchewan. In 2007, Johnson signed a one day contract to retire as a Stampeder. At the time of his retirement, Alondra’s 1095 career tackles ranked second all time in CFL history. In 2005 he was inducted into the West Texas A&M Hall of Champions, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Stampeders Wall of Honor. Johnson once described his playing methodology as, “Speed-times-force-times-mass equals serious punishment.” At last glance Alondra is living in Los Angeles, planning his next move.

G 248       Tac  1095       Sac  45        Fum 16     Int 17      Yds n/a     Avg -.-    Td 1    Lg N/a

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