A first team All-Big 10 selection in 2001 and 2003 for Wisconsin at WR, had 75 receptions for 1545 yards (20.6 YPR) in 2001.
An injury sidelined all of 2002, but reemerged in 2003 and scored 13 TDs on 64 receptions (1213 yards).
A first round selection of the Buffalo Bills in 2004 who had 9 TDs his rookie year (club record for rookies).
With the departure of Eric Moulds, became the #1 receiver on the Bills roster in 2006, posting a career high 1292 yards on 82 receptions.
Injuries derailed later in career in Buffalo.
Finished career in Buffalo with 381 receptions for 6008 yards and 43 TDs.
Traded to Baltimore in 2011 for a 4th round pick, and later retired after being released by the Jaguars in 2012.
Panini Rookies & Stars 2010, #15
NOTES: Evans came to my attention when he burnt the Houston Texans secondary for two 83 yard touchdowns, and over 200 yards in a contest during 2006. Lee is not a TTM signer and has some beautiful cards, so I had to do a paid signing. I was a big fan of these two sets, so I didn’t hesitate to send them at a very affordable value.
A big back clocking in at 6″0′, 220, Ronnie Harmon played 12 seasons in the NFL where he acquired a reputation as a solid pass catching threat out of the backfield, and a bruising back to take down.
He began his NFL career as a 1st round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1986. Harmon played there through 1989 catching 144 passes for 1452 yards and 10 TDs, while rushing 244 times for 968 yards and 3 TDs. By this point Ronnie had fit snugly into the 3rd down back role for the Bills, but with Thurman Thomas coming on strong in his second season as the bell cow back, the Bills felt they could let Ronnie go.
Ronnie took a big change of scenery when he signed with the San Diego Chargers in 1990, where he’d continue to be one of the most outstanding 3rd down backs in the NFL. A pass catching machine- Ronnie garnered 378 catches for 3939 yards, and 12 TDs over the next 6 seasons. In 1992 he caught a career high 79 passes and earned his only Pro Bowl honor, leading all runningbacks. He also never missed a game while playing for the Chargers.
In 1996, Ronnie entered the twilight of his career, playing for the Houston Oilers during their final year in Houston, and joining the franchise during their transition to Memphis the following year. During that 1997 season he’d be cut and sign with the Bears, before retiring, but not before tacking on another 60 receptions.
Ronnie holds the interesting record as the only player in NFL history to averaged 4.5 yards per carry on a minimum of 600 rushing attempts, while also averaging 10 yards per catch on at least 550 receptions.
Ronnie Harmon has a proven track record of not signing through the mail, and with a long and extensive NFL history, that criss-crossed the league, he has always been a player that I wanted to get the autograph of.
2020 was not a great year primarily because of COVID, but because of it, there were a lot more random private signings that popped up. Luckily I spotted a Bills signing with Ronnie and Lee Evans for a very affordable price, so I dropped these two cards in the mail.
I was more of a fan of Ronnie’s exploits playing for the San Diego Chargers than the Buffalo Bills, so I reached into the box and pulled out these two set needs. I really loved his Skybox card. It’s a great shot of him dashing for daylight and frames his size dynamically on the canvas.
Bill Polian has a long and storied career as a football executive that spans across 4 leagues: The NFL, CFL, USFL, and the AAF.
After graduating from NYU in 1964, Polian began his careeer as a scout for the Chiefs in 1978. He also spent time with the Blue Bombers and Alouettes in the CFL as well working his way up to Personnel Director. A one year stint in the USFL Chicago Blitz in 1984, led Polian back to the NFL. He’d then begin a long and storied career with the Buffalo Bills later that year as the Pro Personnel Director. He’d help transform the Bills into an NFL powerhouse laying the foundation for the franchise to appear in 3 consecutive Super Bowls. He was released by the team after they lost their 3rd Super Bowl in 92.
A 3 year hiatus saw Polian return to the NFL with a vengeance as GM of the expansion Carolina Panthers. He was able to assemble enough talent that the franchise posted a expansion record 7 wins in 1995, and an even more impressive 12 wins in 1996. After a down year in 97, Bill joined the Indianapolis Colts as General Manager.
His first move was a no brainer: Selecting Peyton Manning with the first overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft. Later he’d hire Tony Dungy to coach the franchise, and the rest is history. After the reorganization of the divisions in 2002, the Colts would dominate the South- winning 7 divisional titles under his watch. Indianapolis appeared in two Superbowls winning XLI. He’d not be retained after the 2011 season.
In the meantime he began to roll in the accolades, being inducted into the Buffalo Wall of Fame in 2012, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015, and the Colts Ring of Honor in 2017.
Bill felt the siren’s lure and resurfaced again in 2018, where he signed up to be Head of Football of the upstart Alliance of American Football, co founding it alongside Charlie Ebersol. The league was able to pull off 8 weeks of football before it collapsed due to financial strain. Bill Polian was greatly disappointed in the failure of the AAF and in chief financial cow Tom Dundon who pulled the plug.
I wrote to Bill after creating a dead on custom of the Topps AAF certified card. Thanks to COVID I had to find a new custom printer. The card quality was outstanding, but I didn’t prep the high gloss card, so the autograph didn’t stick properly to the card. He also signed this Panini HOF card for me as well.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
