CARDS: Score 1990, Fleer 1990 Update, Pro Set 1990 ACQUIRED: TTM 2023, C/o Home SENT: 3/23 RECEIVED: 4/5 (13 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Big LB Fred Strickland played 3 years at Purdue where he had a motor for the ball, leading the team in tackles for 3 straight years (1985-’87).
A second round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1988.
It took him a season but by ’89, Strickland was a starter for the team at Middle Linebacker.
Loving his skillset and versatility, the Rams created a new defensive hybrid position for Strickland that was a combination between nosetackle and middle linebacker.
Injuries quickly caught up with Fred, and that combined with a coaching change in ’92 and being passed up by Larry Kelm on the depth chart, led to his departure in 1993.
Fred’s career was rejuvenated with the Minnesota Vikings, where at weakside LB he posted 137 tackles and 4 fumble recoveries.
Taking advantage of his bargaining position, and the Packers need at LB, Fred joined Green Bay that season.
He spent the 1994 and 1995 season with the team providing solid play.
A force in the middle, Fred posted 103 combined tackles in ’96, 95 in ’97, and 81 in 1998.
Strickland entered the twilight of his career in 1999 playing for the Redskins.
He’d be a backup for the team that season, and retire before the start of the 2000 season.
NOTES:
Fred had a somewhat rocky start, but after leaving the Rams and finding his sea legs, he really showed the versatility that defensive coaches prized. In addition his ability to come in and start in a pinch and then pull down 90 plus tackles on stacked defenses really can not be understated. His Fleer 1990 card you can really see his showcased size that allowed him to hybridize out from linebacker to nose.
CARDS: Topps 1992, Topps 1991, Topps Stadium Club 1992 ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home SENT: 8/22 RECEIVED: 8/27 (5 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Roger Ruzek played K at tiny Weber State (’79-’82), where he set NCAA Division I-AA records for field goal accuracy (84.2), and school career records in FG (46), FG in a game (4), and consecutive XP (30).
Unable to beat out Matt Bahr in Cleveland as an UDFA in 1983, Ruzek joined the New Jersey Generals in 1984.
He played 2 seasons for the franchise before the league folded.
In ’86 he got a tryout with the Cowboys but didn’t latch onto the team until the following season after a few bumps.
Ruzek ended up posting 22 of 25 on FGs, scoring 92 points.
Tied NFL record with 4 FG in 1 quarter against the New York Giants that year.
Set franchise mark with 5 FGs made against the Rams that year.
In ’88 had a contract holdout, but had a rough year- and was eventually cut during the ’89 season in favor of Luis Zendejas.
Quickly found a home with the rival Eagles that year, and returned to solid form.
The Eagles opted to keep Ruzek and he’d kick with the team through 1993.
During the ’93 season, the Eagles signed Matt Bahr after Ruzek strained a hamstring.
Ruzek again replaced Bahr, later in that season, and then again was released in ’94 as the Eagles opted to go with Eddie Murray.
With a cup of coffee out of the way with the ‘9ers in ’94, Ruzek played Arena ball with the San Jose Sabrecats in 1995.
He then hopped over to London to play in his final season for the Monarchs of the World League in 1996- making 8 of 11 FGs.
NOTES:
Back when I was a kid, I played a lot of soccer. When I started watching football I was all about the kicker. I was surprised, the guy who scored the most points, who had the most pressure on them to win games, didn’t get more love. On the Cowboys, (since that’s all we got here,) I really liked Ruzek, and was surprised the team didn’t stick by him longer during his later struggles with the team. He also made an appearance on the original Tecmo Bowl as a member of the Dallas ‘Wings’.
I had no clue that Ruzek had played for the World League. If I had known that I would have written him sooner. It’s just too bad all he had to sign with was a ball point pen. Regardless he was the shortest wait of 2022 coming in at a breakneck 5 days.
Anthony Miller doesn’t sign TTM, so after not seeing anything for him since I got his autograph at a paid signing way back in…. 2015- I jumped at the chance to get him for a very affordable price on all my set needs that developed over the last few years. There might be one or two more in the late future but for right now I consider myself quite sated.
Most of the usual suspects are all here. The Fleer 1990 is very nice, and the ink was absorbed on the canvas quite nicely.
I think the 1989 Pro Set card was a featured photo on the Pro Set 1989 box somewhere. It was one of the lesser known error cards because eventually it was corrected. On the back of his card the stat line incorrectly states 14.8 as his TDs for 1988.
The Action Packed 1990 card also has an error that was uncorrected. In the blurb on the back of the card, Miller’s bio reads that he had 76 catches when he had 75.
I think it’s interesting that Miller’s Gameday card has an empty bleacher very close to him in the background. I suspect that this photo was taken at a training camp.
Fleer 1990, #311
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
