Tag Archives: buffalo bills

NFL

Barnett, Oliver

aprks90 barnettCard: Action Packed Rookies 1990
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 8/6        Received: 8/15   (9 days)

Jerry Glanville drafted Barnett in the third round of the 1990 draft. The defensive lineman had experience playing across the line but it looked like Glanville penciled him in at defensive end.  A physical specimen and gym rat, Barnett set the Kentucky Wildcats combined weightlifting record (850 squatting) with 1,685 lbs. He finished his career at Kentucky with 212 solo tackles, 1 fumble recovery, and a school record 26 sacks- which was not bested until 2015.

Glanville was hot out of Houston, and after orchestrating the Jeff George trade that netted him Chris Hinton and Andre Rison, and a few first round choices, the Falcons developed in a hurry.  Barnett was a depth play by the team, as you could never have enough fresh bodies playing on the line in a 3-4 set up.  Barnett was an enigma to scouts because they felt that he never completely played up to his potential.

Oliver had a serviceable and respectable career in the NFL.  His best season arguably came in 1991, when he recorded 47 tackles, 1 sack, and recovered a fumble that he returned for 75 yards for a TD.  In 1992 he started a career high 7 games recording 54 tackles. In 1993, Barnett signed with the Bills, playing 2 seasons for Buffalo, before finishing out his career in 1996 with the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2013, Barnett was inducted into the Kentucky Wildcat Hall of Fame.

G/Gs  85/18     Tac 177    Sac 5.0      Fum  1
Int   0    Yds 0     Avg -.-    Td 0

NFL

Williams, James ‘JD’ (1990 DB)

pset90 jdwilliamsCards: ProSet 1990, Score 1990, Action Packed Rookies 1990
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Work
Sent:  8/10    Received: 8/21   (11 days)

sco90 jdwilliamsFormer walk-on James ‘JD’ Williams was a standout defensive back from Fresno State, who boasted great measurables due in part to his track numbers. He ran the 100 meters in 10.58 seconds (4.29 40), had a triple jump of over 53 feet, and a vertical leap of 39 inches. JD also had some accolades and stats to go with it, earning First team All-Big West Conference selections as both a Junior and a Senior- his only two years as a starter.  He had 9 pass deflections, 58 tackles, and 4 sacks in 1989. Williams was also a dangerous special teams contributor, blocking 6 punts in 1988 (NCAA Division I-AA Record). With a smooth backpedal, solid tackling, and a natural bump and run defender, Williams shot up the draft charts that year.
aprks90 jwilliamsThe Buffalo Bills picked JD with the 16th selection of the 1990 Draft. He’d be the second defender off the board and the first cornerback overall. (Outside of safety Mark Carrier, this proved to be a poor draft overall for the secondary with only safety LeRoy Butler and corner Eric Davis even making ProBowl appearances.) Williams admittedly was not prepared for the rigors and competition at the NFL level.  JD was allowed to wear the hallowed #31 jersey that the Bills had retired to: ‘memorialize the spirit of the fan’… or something corny like that.  (Williams wore 31 in college.) He joined the Bills at the right time, providing much needed depth for the team to reach 4 consecutive Super Bowls.
aprks90 jwilliams BIn 1995 JD signed with the Arizona Cardinals, but in a twist of fate, he broke both of his ankles. It was his best season as a pro. He was never the same. Williams spent one season after that in San Francisco, and retired after the 1996 season.

From there Williams decided to finish his degree, and somewhere along the way got back into coaching. He’s been working at the college level for sometime now as a defensive backs coach with stops at Cal Poly, San Jose State, Fresno State, California, Washington and currently (as of 2015) at UNLV.

G/Gs 70/35      Tac 133        Sac 0        Fum 1
Int 11       Yds 74         Avg 6.7      Td  0        Lg  29

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Gelbaugh, Stan (2)

Card: Ultimate WLAF 1992 Promo
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 5/23    Received: 6/14    (22 days)
See Also: Stan Gelbaugh ‘Blueprint’

“Well he was one of the real good players over there with the London Monarchs there. He’s played a lot of football in his life and I know that he counts that time with London as one of the highlights- and to be the World Bowl champ in year number one and to be a part of that team, I know he has great memories.”

– Former SA Riders QB and Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett on Stan Gelbaugh

So I had this one last card of Stan Gelbaugh,- part of a promo pack given to fans upon entry during a 1992 WLAF game. I think I got them all, but I only had a few of them or a rare single here and there. There are two differences when you look at the promo cards: First, the front has a different color stripe than the default team. Second, with some rarety, the photo of the player can be different. Finally the back touts the Ultimate brand and their million dollar promotion they were doing that year if you spelled out the word WORLD. Some of the promotions were in different languages as well. I am not sure how many made it into circulation- little less what players are officially covered in this mini set. The demand is low so they probably aren’t worth much, but for a collector like me, it holds value. This is an otherwise great card of Stan, and I actually prefer the promo with the alternate stripe in yellow and black over the base card set.