Tag Archives: Denver Broncos

NFL, ufl

Washington, Lionel

pset91 lwashingtonCards: ProSet 1991, Fleer 1990
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Work
Sent:  8/10    Received: 8/20    (10 days)

A fourth round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983, during the darker days of the franchise- Lionel Washington went on to have sterling career for the Cards, Raiders, and Broncos over 15 seasons. A solid DB for the Tulane Green Wave, and a four-year letterman for the Wave from 1979-82, Washington helped Tulane to 26 wins and appearances in the Liberty Bowl (1979) and Hall of Fame Bowl (1980) during his career.

flr90 lwashingtonWashington spent the next 4 seasons in St. Louis. His rookie season was impressive, as he recorded 8 interceptions, 67 tackles, and a fumble, in only 8 games, but perhaps playing in the shadow of St. Louis’ mediocrity and lack of national exposure, didn’t win him the defensive rookie of the year award.  After the 1986 season, Washington was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. There he’d go on to endear himself to fans in one of the most formidable secondaries alongside guys like Eddie Anderson, Stacey Toran, Vann McElroy, Mike Haynes, and Terry McDaniel. He’d be enshrined in Tecmo Super Bowl lore in 1991 with one of the most feared defensive backfields. It was not uncommon to intercept 2-3 passes a game or return one for a long TD with that secondary. In 1989 Washington had 3 picks and a 3 fumble recoveries for 2 TDs. Thanks to the advent of true free agency in 1993, the Raiders ran out and signed Kansas City rival CB Albert Lewis.  Washington lost his starting job to him and signed with the Denver Broncos in 1995. After a two season stint, Washington returned to the Raiders for one final season before retirement.

A venerable coach, Lionel has coached extensively at the professional level with the Packers (1999-2008), Raiders (2009-2010), and Virginia Destroyers (UFL 2011).  As of 2015, he’s returned home to Tulane where he’s not only the defensive backs coach, but the co-defensive coordinator.

Lionel Washington’s 1991 ProSet card (and the 1992 ProSet Platinum) are some of the reasons why I really appreciated ProSet’s choice of photography. The above shot is just perfect, and it illustrates why the landscape card made its reappearance in 1991. To top it off, Washington has an elegant autograph, that perfectly encompasses his number into a swoosh that curves back upon the W.

G/Gs  204/164      Tac  N/a       Sac 1.0       Fum 7
Int  37     Yds 418       Avg  11.3      TD 4     Lg 48t

NFL

Huff, Michael (2)

pp06 mhuffCards: Press Pass Big Numbers 2006
Acquired: IP, Aaron Williams Lone Star Showcase 2015
See Also: Michael Huff

I attended the Aaron Williams Lone Star Showcase in 2015, and was really happy to knock out Michael Huff in person- as opposed to the box breaker. He signed this really nice Big Numbers card for me from Press Pass. Although Press Pass had some uneven releases, sometimes I really appreciated their audacity, especially with simple die cuts like this one.

Huff looks like he’s starting to settle into the retired life. He lives in Austin and is a regular visitor to UT sporting events. For all that Vince Young meant to the Longhorns offense, Michael Huff was all that for the defense, pacing the team with 12 tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery in UT’s victory over USC. In 2015, he was inducted into the Texas Longhorn Athletics Hall of Honor.

College Football HoF, NFL, usfl, XFL

Millard, Keith

sco89 millardCards: ProSet 1990, ProSet 1990 Defensive Player of the Year, Score 1989.
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 7/7   Received: 7/18   (11 days)
Failure: TTM 2011, C/o The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Considered one of the top defensive talents from the Pac-10 when he arrived on the pro scene in 1984 from Washington State, Keith Millard was drafted by the Vikings in the first round, but opted to sign with the USFL Jacksonville Bulls instead for the 1985 season. There in his only season he recorded 12 sacks to lead the team and its improved defense.  Later that year, Keith joined the Vikings.

pset90 millard dpotyHe was listed as a nose tackle, but kicked out to defensive tackle frequently, starting 5 games, and nabbing 11 sacks alongside equally formidable defensive end Chris Doleman. In 1986, he recorded his first interception, and again hit double digits with 10.5 sacks. After the strike shortened 1987 season, Keith returned to form for Minnesota with his first All-Pro season in 1988. 1989 was a year for the ages, as he recorded a record 18 sacks from the defensive tackle position. In addition, he had a 48 yard interception, and a fumble recovery that he rumbled, bumbled, and stumbled 31 yards with for a TD. The gargantuan year netted him NFL Defensive Player of the Year Honors for 1989. During the 4th game of the year in 1990, Keith jumped over a cut block, but tore his ACL- ending his season. The injury wore on Millard. He would not return to the field until 1992 for the Packers and Seahawks. After a brief rennaissance in 1993, playing for the Eagles, Keith decided to hang up his cleats for good.

Keith is quite the accomplished veteran positional coach.  He got his start with the Los Angeles Dragons of the shortlived SFL, then joined the San Fransisco Demons of the XFL in 2001. This was followed by  three year stints on the Denver Broncos (2001-2004) and  Oakland Raiders (2005-2008).  After a brief return to the college level, Millard coached with Tampa Bay in 2011 and Tennessee in 2012.

pset90 millardWell decorated, Millard is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame,  the NFL All-1980s team, a member of the All-Time USFL Second Team, and in 2010 was named one of the Top 50 Minnesota Vikings of all time.

I had been after Keith Millard for quite sometime, and it finally paid off. Millard is a solid signer actually. I just didn’t have the right luck with him. I though that I had already failed with him on two previous occasions but the records only showed one. He was kind enough to write me back on Titans stationery, thanking me for the letter, apologizing for the previous trip-ups, and enclosing an additional card. I really appreciate players who take TTM very seriously, and those who take it seriously enough that they need to ensure that their reputation remains solid with their fans. Class act!

USFL   Tac N/a   Sac 12.0   Fum N/a
Int N/a   Yds N/a    Avg   N/a    Td N/a   Lg -.-

NFL  93/69    Tac  N/a     Sac 58       Fum  10
Int 2     Yds 65     Avg 32.5      Td  0      Lg 48