The previous card that I had gotten from Eddie was gifted to my from my friend Lance, so I thought I’d try him TTM. Long rumored to not sign any Rams cards due to the fallout he had with the franchise, I thought my best bet would be to ask him to sign some Chiefs cards. Well, he signed one of two, opting not to sign the Upper Deck MVP card- but that’s okay, I really like this red parallel that he was kind enough to sign for me.
Nate Lewis came a long way to get to the professional ranks, playing WR at 3 different colleges.
Began college career at Oklahoma A&M, before transferring to Georgia for his Sophomore and Junior Seasons.
After being dismissed from the football team for academic reasons, Lewis ended up at tiny Oregon Tech.
A leg injury caused Nate to miss a significant portion of the season, but he still managed 27 catches for 434 yards and 2 TDs.
Still there was enough tape to impress scouts, and with sub 4.5 speed, Nate was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 7th round of the 1990 NFL Draft.
Made the roster of the San Diego Chargers and saw 3 starts in his rookie season, moonlighting on kick and punt return units as well.
First career TD came on a 63 yard punt return against the Seahawks during his rookie year.
Played 4 seasons for the Chargers, posting 450+ yards from 1991-93.
Had a memorable 95 yard kick off return for a TD against the New Orleans Saints in the Chargers 24-21 win in 1991.
Finished out career playing 2 additional seasons for the Bears (94-95)
NOTES:
I really liked Nate’s Skybox Premium and his Gameday too. Unfortunately he switched out the Gameday for this Bowman. Ah well, at least he was nice enough to sign them and replace the other card too.
For a 7th round pick, Nate had some great cards over his career. Besides the ones mentioned above, he slid in on Action Packed (1992), Score, Proline, and Topps Stadium Club among others.
CARD: Upper Deck College Legends 2011 ACQUIRED: Box Breaker, 2019
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Prince Amukamara was a highly regarded athlete that played CB for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 2007-10.
With measured speed and leaping skills from his days in track and basketball, he emerged as a lockdown DB in his Junior and Senior years for Nebraska.
He’d be the second DB selected off the board in the 2011 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.
Unable to break into the starting lineup behind Aaron Ross and Corey Webster, Amukamara finished with 14 total tackles, a pick and 3 pass breakups.
He started 11 games in 2012, with 53 total tackles, a pick and 7 pass deflections.
2013 saw a career high 85 total tackles for Prince, 14 pass deflections, and another interception.
Prince had a career high 3 picks in 2014.
After the 2015 season, Amukamara signed a free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, earning nickleback duties.
From there he joined the Chicago Bears in 2017.
In 2018 Prince had his first career NFL TD, to go along with 3 picks on the season.
He played one final year in Chicago in 2019, but was cut in a cost cutting move.
He then spent 2020 on the practice squad of both the Raiders and Cardinals, and the 2021 offseason with the Saints.
Prince is currently considered a free agent.
NOTES:
A devout Christian, I am surprised that he didn’t put an inscription on all his cards. When Prince was drafted it came out pretty early that he was still a virgin. This briefly overshadowed his early playing career news. -He later married in 2014.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
