Tag Archives: chicago bears

NFL, University of Texas

Shearer, Brad

Cards: UT Upper Deck 2011, UT Upper Deck 2011 All-Time Alumni
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home
Sent: 9/17     Received:  10/26  (39 days)

Brad Shearer played college football at the University of Texas from 1974 to 1977. His best year came as a Senior in 1977 when he averaged over 10 tackles a game and won the Outland Trophy as the best defensive lineman in the country. He was later named to the SWC All-1970s team as well. Brad’s 11 career forced fumbles at the time ranked 3rd all-time at the school. He was selected in the 3rd round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.  Brad suited up for 34 games over the next 4 seasons, starting 2. Injuries derailed his promising career, primarily 1979 to which he lost the entire season to. 

He lives quietly now in Austin. I was able to get him on these two cards of his and he wrote a really nice note. A Westlake HS graduate, Brad went there before they put the astroturf in the stadium, and players still went both ways.

I am glad I had him sign these cards. The certified sticker is very small and here you can see how a large autograph really done right, compliments the canvas. 

G/GSTACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
34/2N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A-.-N/AN/A

NFL

Davis, Wendell (WR)

Cards: ProSet 1990, ProSet 1992, GameDay 1992, Topps Stadium Club 1992
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home
Sent: 3/15     Received: 4/16  (30 days)

Wendell Davis was one of the top receivers in the 1988 NFL Draft. He played 3 years collegiately for LSU, racking up 183 receptions for 2708 yards and 19 touchdowns. His best year came in 1986 when the sure handed receiver caught 80 passes for 1244 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’d be the final pick of Round 1 by the Chicago Bears.

The Bears receiving corps was aging, and the team which was a run first smash mouth franchise, never really put much thought into it. With deep threat man Willie Gault departing for greener pastures with the then Los Angeles Raiders, this selection made total sense by the Bears front office.  Davis was not allowed to claim a starting position right off the bat. He’d have to fight up a roster that included Ron Morris, Dennis Gentry, and Dennis McKinnon, who were not only good receivers, but fine run blockers as well.  He didn’t start a game his rookie year, but Wendell had 15 catches for 220 yards. His numbers slowly increased over the next few seasons partially due in fact to the team’s maturation at quarterback under young Jim Harbaugh. Wendell had his best season in 1991 when he posted 61 receptions for 945 yards and 6 touchdowns. To put these numbers in perspective- Davis’ receiving numbers were the best by a Chicago Bears’ receiver since Dick Gordon in 1970!  While Wendell’s numbers slipped in 1992, all signs still pointed towards a solid 1993 campaign.

It was during a game in 1993 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis was going up to make what would be considered an ‘ordinary’ NFL catch, but as he laid back, his feet got caught on the exposed astroturf and he tore both of his patella tendons completely off, causing his kneecaps to go up into his thighs. Davis’ career was over.
Still, if there was a silver lining to what happened, Davis’ injury paved the way for the modernization and safety improvement/ removal of turf all over the league.  In 1995 Davis attempted a comeback with the Indianapolis Colts, but did not appear in any games.

He’s made his way into coaching with the 49ers, and at both the high school and college level since then. Currently he lives in Chicago.

I feel like the Topps Stadium Club, Pro Set 1992, and GameDay cards are all part of the same photographic sequence. It focuses on what Davis did best over his career: Hauling in the long bomb from whatever quarterback was currently under center for the Chicago Bears.  Overall, these are some very nice action shots, with the GameDay again being my favorite. Davis really nailed the autograph on this one however, and of the batch that I have received back in 2018, his certainly matches the excitement of his cards the best.

G/GS  81/54   REC 207    YDS 3000    AVG 14.5   TD 14    LG 75t

NFL

Cook, Marv (2)


Cards: Score 1993, GameDay 1992, Action Packed 1991, Action Packed 1992
Acquired: 2012, Akron Acquisition. 2017, TTM C/o Home
Sent: 9/28   Received: 10/07  (9 days)
See Also: Marv Cook

After his NFL career concluded in 1996, Marv has become a well respected coach at the high school level in Iowa City, IA winning numerous state titles. He has some great cards and after getting the Score 1993 in 2012 C/o the Akron Acquisition, I thought I’d go ahead and get a few more since he’s a great signer through the mail.

The Score 1993 card is a really conservative design, anchored well on the left and bottom- but among the pantheon of card designs this was a pretty boring look. A few nitpicks- They typeface used is too narrow making the team and position difficult to read. Maybe it’s just because of the color scheme, but this looks like it belongs on a Domino’s Pizza box.

Marv’s Action Packed entries are typical of this set. Good sports photography supported by the embossed gimmick. The minimal works here, because of the punchy mid-range photography, although in the 1992 entry the nameplate is lost in the photo.  On the 1992 entries it was a nice touch with the red stripe used for AFC teams while the blue stripe used for NFC.

I always had a weak spot for the GameDay cards. GameDay was interesting because it was the only Long Tom set on the market. I loved this set specifically for that look alone which not only separated itself from the competition on the market, but resembled a ticket, standing out from the crowd at an event. This card of Marv, I think the photo was from the game in which he caught a TD in an epic upset over the Houston Oilers at Foxboro Stadium.