Tag Archives: classic 1992

NFL

Smith, Rod (DB) (2)


Cards: Classic 1992, Action Packed Rookies 1992, ProSet 1992
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Home
Sent: 4/7       Received:  5/26   (49 days)
See Also: Rod Smith

I reached into the open mailbox right before the 2016 Memorial Weekend Flood III, and found a soaked self addressed stamped envelope.  I had to medically remove the three cards that had
slid slightly out of plastic sleeve, from the envelope.  Some moisture was on the cards, but after dabbing them off, they were in surprisingly good condition, and the autographs were not harmed.

pset92 rsmithThe 1992 Action Packed Rookies & Stars was among my favorites during that early heyday of collecting. I had already gotten Rod Smith in a Patriots blitz I did in 1992 before the set came out. (Back then you could send a stack of cards to a bad NFL team and they’d typically respond by signing most of your stuff.) A great action shot here, I had been wanting to come back and get this one for a while. The ProSet and Classic cards were gravy on top. ProSet still had some nice action photos, sans the bad design and company logo.

 

NFL

Jones, Robert (2)

flr95 rjones cla92 rjones pset92 rjones  stpics92 rjones gday93 rjonesgday92 rjones phomem15 rjones
Cards: Star Pics 1992, Gameday 1992, Gameday 1993, ProSet 1992, Fleer 1995, Classic 1992, Photo Memorabilia.
Acquired: In Person, Bud Light Signing San Antonio
See Also: Robert Jones

I braved a monsoonal torrent down I-35 in traffic for a hour to HEB only to discover after an hour of milling around that store that Gameday Sports Tours had moved the event to another location without notifying anybody.  It was literally the perfect storm, as Gameday had become fed up with behavior of other members on a message board and just decided not to update things anymore. While I understand why they did it, overall it strikes me as unprofessional and immature to check out like that. Left in the lurch, the manager at the HEB was able to eventually direct me via the phone to the correct location approximately 5 miles away for the event. With Robert running slightly late (- maybe due to the weather or the driver who also took him to the wrong location,) he expressed a need to leave early due to wanting to watch his son’s football game; However, he heartily signed anything and everything fans had.  Robert also is on Twitter and is very vocal about his Alma Mater’s current state of affairs in college football.

Some great cards here of Robert, it was difficult to choose which ones to get autographed. Luckily he hit all these cards for me and penned this garish photo of himself. I had always wanted to get his college cards autographed. Both Star Pics and Classic have fallen by the wayside in the garbage of dead companies over the years but I enjoyed their issues very much at the time. The Gameday and ProSet were all exceptional photoshots of Robert, while the Fleer was just a set grab. There’s probably just one or two more of Jones I’d like to get signed at this point, but otherwise, the event and the haul turned out to balance out a poorly set up event.

NFL

Brown, Derek

aprks92 debrowncla92 debrown B

Cards: Classic 1992, Classic 1992 Blister Pack, Action Packed Rookies 1992, GameDay 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  11/10   Received: 11/17  (7 days)

Derek Brown (at least through 2014) has been a very generous signer TTM. A first round pick of the New York Giants in 1992 and a member of the Notre Dame National Championship Team in 1988, Brown was an accomplished blocker with good career receiving statistics. His best year came in 1991 when he caught 22 receptions for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Golden Domers. Over his time for the Fighting Irish, Brown compiled 62 receptions for 899 yards and 8 touchdowns in 34 games.

cla92 debrownThe Giants were transitioning from the Bill Parcells era into the Ray Hadley ‘zone’. Hadley – the offensive mastermind behind the Giants Super Bowl XXV season, opted to make an upgrade at tight end. With Mark Bavaro walking after the 1991 season, the Giants were eager to upgrade at one of their most valued positions. Brown seemed like the perfect replacement for Bavaro and a no brainer at pick #17. The problem was the team was also going through a transition at quarterback as well. Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler battled it out at quarterback, with the ‘heir to the franchise’ Dave Brown even taking snaps. Unable to unseat Howard Cross at the position, Brown was relegated to 7 starts, as a second tight end and extra blocker in 1992, and none in 1993 or 1994.

gday92 debrownIn 1995 the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers joined the NFL as expansion franchises. Derek was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 47th pick. It made sense for Derek to go to the Jaguars as they were coached by Bill Parcells disciple Tom Coughlin. A near fatal hit in a preseason game sent Derek to the hospital for 10 days causing him to miss the entire season. He returned in 1996, recording a career high 17 receptions for 141 yards as the Jaguars made the AFC Championship Game. Derek returned in 1997 to the Jaguars, recording his first and only career TD reception in a game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Derek joined Oakland in 1998, starting 4 games and making 7 catches in his one season there. He’d then play for the Arizona Cardinals through the 2000 season before ending his career.  He currently lives in New York with his wife and children.

G/Gs 105/33   Rec 43   Yds 401   Avg 9.3    Td 1     Lg 27