Card: Upper Deck College Legends 2011
Acquired: Box Breaker, 2019

I bought a box of Upper Deck College Legends at the beginning of 2019 with the Christmas money I had gotten. Inside was this gem of a pull. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d get Cam’s autograph so this came as quite a happy surprise and a shot in the arm to start off the year.

After seeing little playing time at Florida, Cam Newton transferred to Blinn Junior College for a year where he won the equivalent of the JC National Championship in 2009. The following year in 2010, he joined the Auburn Tigers and led them to a National Championship. He also won the Heisman Trophy as a dual threat quarterback, passing for 2854 yards on 185 of 280 throws, along with 30 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. On the ground, Cam rushed for 1473 yards and 20 touchdowns on 264 carries.

He’d cap off his monumental year by being selected #1 overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft- who immediately turned over the reins of the franchise to their new starting quarterback. Critics were quickly silenced when he threw for over 400 yards in his first game, and shattered rookie quarterback records, en route to Offensive Rookie of the Year Honors.

Arguably his best season came in 2015 when he won the NFL Offensive MVP award, and led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50. During the regular season he threw for 3837 yards and 35 touchdowns and a career low 10 interceptions, while rushing for 637 yards and 10 TDs.

Since that point, Cam’s career has gone sideways as inconsistency and injuries have forcibly taken their toll over his career. In 2019 he started a career low 2 games, and although he is still considered one of the most underrated offensive threats in the league, Cam has faced withering criticism from fans who feel that his wardrobe is more important than his game. He was allowed to enter free agency in 2020, and after a longer than usual wait, Cam signed with the New England Patriots where he currently is their starting quarterback.