Tag Archives: detroit lions

NFL

Swanson, Travis

sa14 swansonCard: Sage 2014
Acquired: 2015, Box Break

Travis Swanson played for the Arkansas Razorbacks.  He moved to Center (from Tackle) and took over as the starter at the position for the program in 2010.  He’d anchor the Hogs line as it set school offensive season team records as he started the next 50 games.
Swanson really fit the mold of a zone blocking lineman going into the pros, and as there were not that many highly touted centers coming out of the draft so this made Swanson an excellent value find.

The Detroit Lions selected him with the 12th pick of the 3rd round of the 2014 NFL Draft.  He fit in well with their scheme, and started 5 games in his rookie year. In 2015 Travis was given the starter’s nod, and after 14 starts, ended his season on IR due to a shoulder injury.  Since then Swanson has demonstrated versatility in the Lions offense to play both guard and center, and has started 23 contests over the last two seasons.

NFL

Stewart, James

Cards: Atomic 2001, Upper Deck 2000
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Home
Sent: 8/29     Received: 9/30  (32 days)

Tecmo Super Bowl on the Super Nintendo expanded upon the previous entries most notably updating the rosters and adding the Jaguars and the Panthers. I played the game, but not with the same fervor as I did the previous entries- as the Houston Oilers had been gutted due to the salary cap and Bud Adams meddling. The Jags showcased James Stewart as their main back. He was more of a powerback with high hitting power and low speed and provided somewhat of a challenge when he was in excellent condition.

James was selected in the first round of the 1995 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars (19th overall). This draft had a pretty solid lineup of runningback talent headlined by the cursed Ki-Jana Carter. Other notables included Tyrone Wheatley, Napoleon Kaufman, Rashaan Salaam, Sherman Williams, Curtis Martin, and Terrell Davis. Stewart plodded away behind the Jaguars line for 5 seasons. His best year came in 1999 when he put up 931 yards on 249 carries, while rushing for 13 TDs.

In 2000, he was allowed to sign as a free agent with the Detroit Lions. The Lions had been looking for a replacement for Barry Sanders since his sudden retirement in 1999. While James was up to the task, it would’ve been impossible to replace the future Hall of Famer. Still, Stewart put together 1184 yards and 10 TDs in 2000, and 1021 yards and 4 TDs in 2002.  During the 2003 preseason, James’ shoulder was shattered. Unable to fully recover from the injury he retired at the conclusion of the season.

G/GS 101/69        Rush 1478       Yds  5841        Avg 4.0      TD 48     Lg 56
Rec 220       Yds 1715      Avg 7.8        TD 9        Lg 56

NFL, WLAF

Painter, Carl


Cards: ProSet WLAF 1991, ProSet WLAF 1991 League Leader
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Home
Sent: 11/4     Received: 11/13  (9 days)
Failure: 2011, 2017, C/o Home

The Orlando Thunder had a stacked offense. At runningback they featured a variety of styles of runners including former Detroit Lion track man Carl Painter. Carl earned his keep primarily on kick off return duties, averaging a league leading 24.9 yards on 24 returns. He set a league single game record when he had 6 kickoff returns for 178 yards against the Knights. Carl sprained his shoulder in a week 8 contest against Sacramento, and finished the season with 15 carries for 47 yards to go along with 13 receptions for 157 yards.

Painter played two seasons for the Detroit Lions, after being selected by them during the 6th round of the 1988 draft. Over two seasons, he had 106 yards on 32 carries and 4 catches for 42 yards. He also chipped in 18 kick returns for 361 yards and a 20.1 yard average.

A sensational runningback at Hampton, Carl rushed for 3,223 yards from 1983 to 1987, and led the team in scoring in both 1985 and 1987, netting him all-conference honors with the Pirates. In 2009, he was inducted into Hampton University’s inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame.

Being that Carl had 2 cards in the vaunted ProSet WLAF 1991 set, I had tried multiple times to get Carl but had lucked out. I have been collaborating with Mark of Mark’s Signing Bonus for some time on tracking down players from the league. Luckily he got a nice hit on Carl, so I sent out to him immediately the next day. Carl wrote me a really nice note, thanking me for remembering him along with the two autographs. As of 2017 he works in management for a city Parks and Recreation department in Virginia.

NFL   27/0         RUSH 32       YDS 106       AVG 3.3        TD 0        LG 13
REC  3                  YDS 42          AVG 10.5         TD 0             LG 27

WLAF   RUSH 15      YDS   47      AVG  3.1           TD 0         LG 18
REC    13                    YDS 157        AVG 12.1          TD 0         LG 26

KR    24       YDS    597          AVG 24.9          TD 0             LG 48