Tag Archives: Denver Broncos

College Football HoF, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL, Pro Football HoF

Dorsett, Tony ‘TD’

udldg97 dorsettCard: Upper Deck Legends 1997
Acquired: IP, 11/22/14 Star Power Signing, Dallas,Tx

So Josh and I went to Dallas to nab Tony Dorsett. We thought that by leaving a few hours early, it’d get us a decent place in line. We got lucky. Encountering 2 hour delay due to an overturned semi on I-35, we arrived with only an hour and 15 minutes before the event. Still we hopped in line and took our place 3 quarters of the way around the building.

Two observations about the actual event:

I have never been to a ‘Star Power’ location. I probably would never go there again. Glitz, glamour, and a lot of the usage of the word ‘affluent’ to put off anybody who would ask, “How much is this?” It screamed of excess and the place flat out embraced it. To them, most of us who showed up were just a working class sideshow at the event.

In my time collecting, I have never been as incensed by the amount of flagrant double-dipping going on. There is no need for you to get your children to go and get the same item signed. 3 Tony Dorsett helmets, with one for each kid who didn’t care about football or who they were meeting.  It was just so obvious that there was a lot of people getting paid for this and that there was going to be an Ebay flood of items later that day.

Tony Dorsett was a one man dynamo for Pitt from 1973-1976, leading the school to a National Championship, Heisman accolades, and was the all-time leading rusher in college history with 6,082 yards.  A first round choice of the Cowboys (#2 overall) in 1977, he won NFL Rookie of the Year Honors  with 1,007 yards and 12 TDs. Over the course of his 11 year career in Dallas, Dorsett was named All Pro 4 times and won a Super Bowl title. He also holds the NFL record for longest TD run with a 99 yard gallop against the Minnesota Vikings in 1983. As injuries began to take their toll on the venerable back and the arrival of fresh legs in the form of Herschel Walker in 1987, Dorsett was traded to the Denver Broncos in 1988 playing one season before he retired.  At the time of his retirement, Dorsett was the second All-Time leading rusher in NFL history, and of a less distinguished note, was top 5 in fumbles with 90. He is the only player in NFL history to win the Heisman, and then win the Super Bowl and NFL Rookie of the Year the following season. To top it all off, Tony was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994, and had his number retired at Pitt.

Dorsett is one of the major names that has come out in regards to concussion litigation against the NFL. Tony in particular has suffered so many concussions he lost track. He suffers from memory loss, depression, and dementia due to CTE.  He was not in in great shape when I saw him, but Tony very graciously stayed over his appointed time to get everybody knocked out who was in line. He signed this one card for me, and tried to interact with every fan he met.

G/Gs 173/152      Rush 2936     Yds  12,739   Avg  4.3    Td 77     Lg 99t
Rec  398      Yds 3,554    Avg 8.9     Td 13    Lg 91

NFL

Bernstine, Rod

ap92 bernstineCard: Action Packed 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 7/1 Received: 7/17 (16 days)

I had been looking to get Rod Bernstine for some time. One of the ‘big backs’ of the late 1980s and early 90s, Rod certainly punished would be tacklers with his aggressive running style. Drafted by the San Diego Chargers out of Texas A&M in 1987, Rod battled fellow bang back Marion Butts for the starting role throughout much of his time in San Diego. An accomplished receiver as well, the Chargers couldn’t really settle on Rod’s role early in his career there, as he went back and forth from runningback to tight end officially on the roster. The classification of ‘H-back’ makes sense, but Rod ran with the ball too much to be considered one. Eventually by 1990 the team had settled on him at runningback, and Bernstine responded with 589 yards and 4 touchdowns in 124 carries. Starting 8 games in 1991, Rod had 766 yards and 8 touchdowns for the Chargers. He’d play one more season with the team, before leaping over to Denver for the 1993 season.

Rod started 14 games that year, en route to rushing for 816 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’d also record a career high 44 receptions for 372 yards. He’d retire after the 1995 campaign after two back to back brutally injured seasons. I loved playing Rod on Tecmo. I dominated with him and won a comeback Hail Mary game against Josh by just utilizing Rod as a one man offense for Denver 17-10. Rod does not sign often, but signed one of two cards for me via the mail.

G/Gs 84/45 Rush 670 Yds 2990 Avg 4.5 Td 22 Lg 63 |
Rec 149 Yds 1384 Avg 9.3 Td 2 Lg 59

NFL, WLAF

Elway Sr., John “Jack” (1931-2001)

pset91 jackelwaypsetwlaf91 jackelway

Card: ProSet 1991, ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: 2014, EBay

Jack had been just about everywhere and had been a coach at every position and level, before the Frankfurt Galaxy called on him to coach the team for the 1991 and 1992 seasons.

He had been coaching since 1953 when he took his first job at Port Angeles High School in Washington. Jack then moved to the college ranks in 1960 with Grays Harbor CC, and Montana in 1967. He’d return to Washington in 1972 and be an assistant with the Washington State Huskies through 1975, before taking over as head coach at Cal State Northridge in 1976. In 1979 Elway became head coach at San Jose State and guided the ’79 and ’81 teams respectively to Pacific Coast Athletic Association titles and top 20 recognition. His efforts culminated in a stint as Stanford’s head coach from 1984-1988.  Jack took his first stab at international football in the Italian league as head coach of the Milan team, and then returned to the United States to work for the New York Jets as a scout in 1990.

Elway was paired with GM Oliver Luck in Frankfurt and put together a strong team in 1991, fielding a 7-3 record and narrowly missing the playoffs. The team finished 3rd in offense and first in defense that season. 1992 saw a disappointing reversal of fortune for the Galaxy, plagued by injuries on offense and drained of talent to other leagues on defense, – Frankfurt plunged to a 3-7 record. The WLAF reorganized after the season, so Jack returned stateside joining the Denver Broncos in their scouting department, retiring after the 1999 season.

In 2001 he’d pass away of a heart attack in Palm Springs, California at the age of 70. Beyond his stints in college and the pro ranks, Elway is also known as father of All Pro Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.

WLAF    W 10    L  10     T 0        Pct .500