An undersized LB with a great motor, Tom Jackson played college football at Louisville from 1970-72.
He’d be a 4th round pick of the Denver Broncos in 1973 and form a key element of the team’s famed Orange Crush Defense.
Extremely durable, Tom played from 1973-1986 for the Broncos, appearing in two Super Bowls for the team, and 191 games.
In 1976, he had an incredible 7 interceptions, 4 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles from his OLB spot.
After his playing days ended, Jackson seamlessly transitioned to the studio where he worked alongside Chris Berman for ESPN- a role he held for 29 years.
ACCOLADES:
Pro Bowl 1977-79
Louisville Cardinals Ring of Honor
Second Team All-Pro 1978-79
All Pro 1977
Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team
Pro Football Hall of Fame 2016
NOTES:
Tom Jackson was not really known as a prolific signer so when he popped I made my move instead of paying inflated prices in the secondary EBay market. Tom Jackson was such a great LB, I thought he was a S. I loved watching him on ESPN Primetime and Countdown. He didn’t really give any love to the Oilers outside of Ernest Givins– “From Louiville!” – Tom’s signature line in the studio.
A few set needs popped up of the Albino Rhino and I figured I’d shoot these out after last getting his autograph a bit over 10 years ago. I remember fondly riding in the car away from Capital Plaza in North Austin, with my Karl Mecklenburg Starting Lineup figurine. Side note- for some reason ‘Albino Rhino’ triggered a massive traffic spike on this website a few years ago.
Card: Action Packed 1990 Acquired: TTM 2019, C/o The Denver Broncos Sent: 10/21 Received: 11/4 (14 days) See Also: Steve Atwater
Steve over the last few years has become an insider and ambassador with the Denver Broncos organization. He has continued to be a good signer TTM, although since I originally got him back in 2011, he’s stopped signing as quickly and now only signs one item per person. For a few people he even short signed his initials. Atwater like many players has probably gotten frustrated with collectors and resellers abusing his generosity and going back to the well too soon and too often. I felt that since it had been… almost 10 years, it was fair of me to shoot out this classic Action Packed card of his.
Atwater was elected as part of the mega NFL 100th Anniversary class to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in early 2020.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
