Tag Archives: ESPN greatest draft busts

NFL

McGwire, Dan (2)

aprks92 mcgwirepset91 mcgwireflr93ult mcgwireflrult91 mcgwire
Cards: Fleer Ultra 1993, Fleer Ultra 1991, Action Packed Rookies 1992, ProSet 1991.
Acquired: Canton Acquisition 2012, TTM 2014, C/o Home.
Sent: 6/2       Received:  6/14   (12 days)
See Also: Dan McGwire

Dan McGwire was rumored to be the top pick of the Patriots in the 1991 NFL draft, with ProSet even going so far as to making a test card of him. Instead he slid all the way to the Seahawks at 17, who were trying to end the Dave Krieg era in Seattle. He’d be the first of many quarterbacks that the team employed behind the depleted offensive line over a very short period.

I sent out 4 cards to Dan, but he only signed his Seahawk cards, skipping out on his Upper Deck 1991 Star Rookie issue and his 1991 Star Pics. Both were of him in his Aztecs uniform, but still I was happy to get him on his Action Packed card that I had wanted to get autographed since it was issued.

These others here came to me care of a collector who was exiting the market for a while. I really like the Topps Stadium Club entry. It’s a very nice action shot from the line of sight of a receiver. The others- particularly the Fleer Ultras were absolute throwaways both in photo and in set.

NFL

McGwire, Dan

Cards: SkyBox 1992, Action Packed Rookies 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The Seattle Seahawks
See Also: Dan McGwire (2)

Dan McGwire. Now that is a blast from the past. A giant, towering specimen of a quarterback at 6 feet 7 inches with good bloodlines (Mark McGwire’s brother)- Dan, played collegiately at Iowa and then transferred to San Diego State for his final two seasons.  It was at San Diego State McGwire would pile up the yards and really earn his stripes in the WAC with a 146.8 quarterback rating his senior season. The Seahawks would go so far as to make him their #1 pick in the 1991 draft and the franchise’s first quarterback ever drafted in the first round as the team’s quarterback of the future to replace the never aging Dave Krieg- (AKA the Steve DeBerg of Seattle). McGwire would only start one game in limited playing time in 1991 and 1992 making little or no impact. The Seahawks would alarmingly respond by drafting their second quarterback ever drafted in the first round- Rick Mirer in 1993. In limited playing time Dan would throw for his first career touchdown that year backing him up. Things began to look up for the former first rounder when in 1994 McGwire saw the most playing time of his career playing in 7 games and starting 3 finishing with a 60.3 qb rating. In 1995 Dan would head over to Miami playing in one game and would retire after the season.

Without really thinking about it- McGwire does go down as an NFL draft bust, in a draft that overall had great collegiate statistical and credential talent on paper and hideous results in the pros. There is only one quarterback that rose from the ashes of the whole draft- and that would be All World Brett Favre. Otherwise nearly every quarterback from the 1991 draft was out of the NFL by 1995.

In the end, McGwire would finish with two touchdowns and six interceptions, and only 13 games under his belt. Since football Dan has become president for a vitamin enhanced H2o drink company and lives in Reno, NV.

G/Gs 13/5   Att 148   Comp 74    Yds 148    Pct 50%    Td 2   Int 6   Rat 52.3

Arena, CFL, NFL

Marinovich, Todd

Cards: Action Packed 1992, Score Supplemental 1992
Acquired: In Person, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp 1991, 1992

Todd Marinovich is a tragic story of a person who could not live up to the expectations and accolades that were heaped upon him. I remember the first time I had heard about Todd. It was the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine with him in his USC uniform proclaiming him as “Robovich”, that I became perplexed by this young athlete. I read the article and how he was born and bred to become a superstar at the next level, and even I myself after reading this magazine thought that Marinovich was destined to be the next Dan Marino. What I didn’t understand like many others was the complexity of problems that were being created for Todd because of his lifestyle. It is no fault of his parents. They wanted the best for him and went of their way to provide the best for him. A divorce however didn’t help things, and Marinovich had begun to experiment in drugs such as marijuana, alcohol and cocaine. Regardless after a relatively impressive college career at USC, the Los Angeles Raiders would elect to select Todd with their first round choice in 1991. Despite a few games in which Marinovich would flash talent, his drug use escalated as he began using other drugs such as LSD. His 1992 season, while again improving statistically resulted in him striking out of the NFL’s drug rehabilitation program before the 1993 season.  Marinovich would shift over to the CFL in 1995 to revive his career playing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers but this time injury would end his career there before he ever begun. He’d take more time off and receive serious intrest from the NFL in 1999, but would end up with the British Columbia Lions. In 2000, Todd would join the Los Angeles Avengers in the Arena league, where he’d have the best moments of his football career leading the Avengers and being named to various rookie teams, but with his drug use never being curtailed, Marinovich spiraled back out of control and out of football for good by the end of 2001. (He’d finish his career in the Arena leagues with 472 attempts, 249 completions, 3214 yards, 62 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, and an 88.5 qb rating.) Truly a tragic sports name, Marinovich has been named as one of the NFL’s greatest draft busts of all time.  Marinovich has continued to be in and out of drug treatment and in trouble with the law. He sometimes could be found at some points down on the beaches near LA skateboarding or clearing barnacles from boats. I’d get Todd’s autograph on his Action Packed Rookies card in training camp in 1991 but by his second year his autograph had radically changed to just ‘Todd’.

G/Gs  8/8    Att 205    Comp 104     Yds 1345  Pct 50.7%    Td 8   Int 9   Rat 66.4