Tag Archives: fleer 1990

CFL, College Football HoF, NFL, NFLE

Ware, Andre (3)

Card: Fleer 1990, Action Packed 1991, GameDay 1992
Acquired: TTM 2020, C/o Home
Sent: 3/17 Received: 4/5 (18 days)
See Also: Andre Ware, Air Ware

Andre sure got in a lot of great cards in his short amount of time on the starting stage in the NFL. Even after this third stab at a few more autographs, there are a few more cards I could probably nab him on.

I loved Action Packed and GameDay’s sets. Action Packed 1991 was a pretty well designed set, with that simple swoosh that goes through the left side of the image- it maximized the canvas area to focus on the player image. I also really liked the flat helmet image at the end. It’s a really underrated set, and despite the slight smudging is great to get autographed. Most of the images are indeed- action packed. This Gameday image is really nice, however one of the set’s design flaws comes forward a bit when the silver blends against the gray, the image looks a bit more flat. The Fleer 90 card was one of 4 (technically) that had a college photo of Andre in it. (The others being Topps, ProSet, and Score.) We always laughed at the fact that Fleer didn’t find a shot of Andre actually throwing the ball- but instead chose to get a shot of him pitching the ball out. All of these cards were distant set needs for me in my never ending autograph quest.

About the time that Coronavirus broke loose and some stay at home notices were put into place, Andre started signing his TTM mail after a 5-6 year absence from the game. He was initially playing catchup and then started signing some newer requests. I always liked Andre, and I hadn’t TTMed him since 2012, I decided he was ripe for the picking.

As of 2020, Ware remains the steady voice as the color commentator for the Houston Texans game day radio show.

NFLE

Dyal, Mike

Cards: Score 1990, ProSet 1990, Fleer 1990
Acquired: TTM 2020, C/o Home
Sent: 9/30 Received: 10/5 (5 days)

Mike Dyal played collegially for Texas A&I University. Initially recruited as a QB, Mike just kept getting bigger and bigger, and moved from QB to WR, eventually settling at TE. Despite having soft hands, decent speed, and good blocking skills, Mike was not drafted in the 1988 NFL Draft. A lot of it had to do with small school stigma- but Mike was on the radar of many team’s priority free agent list. His agent convinced him his best shot was joining the Raiders, where an aging Todd Christensen was the starter, and the long snapper was his backup. He made an impression in camp, and then took a dive so he could make the squad and become the heir to Christensen at the TE position for the Raiders the following season.

In 1989, Mike had his best season as a pro, starting all 16 games for LA. He caught 27 passes for 499 yards- a whopping 18.5 yards per reception and 2 TDs- including a career long 67 yarder. 1990 and 1991 were largely a wash for Mike due to injury, but by the time he returned to the lineup, the position was in different hands under Ethan Horton. He spent 3 games with the Chiefs in in 92, and then split time between the Chiefs and Chargers in 1993 before retiring.

I had no clue that Mike was a living locally in Central Texas. Once I found that out, I wrote him pretty soon afterwards. He responded very quickly on these 3 cards. While Mike’s career was modestly brief as a starter, he made the most of it, appearing on many of the popular brands of the day. These three cards were my favorite of his, with the Fleer sticking out the most to me with a dynamic frontal shot of him with his helmet breaking the plane of the image design.

G/GsRECYDSAVGTDLG
32/183864016.8267
NFL

George, Jeff (2)

Cards: Topps 1990, Score 1990, Fleer 1990, Gameday 1992, Skybox 1993-94 Colors
Acquired: TTM 2019, C/o Home
Sent: 3/23 Received: 11/5 (227 days)
See Also: Jeff George

Ah Jeff George- One of the most reliable TTM respondents in the business. I had originally gotten him way back in 2011 on 3 cards- but over the years had stocked up on some absolutely beautifully designed canvases I wanted to see his autograph grace. Usually a very quick signer, I was surprised to wait some 220+ days for his autographs on these cards, however true to his ways, I just had to be patient and they showed up.

Probably my favorite among them is this Skybox 1993-94 card. I only discovered these cards right at the intersection of my dead cat bounce in collecting- and right as the industry really started going off the rails. At the time, something as over produced as this with the duotone background was still novel. Photoshop and current design standards we take for granted today were barely getting off the ground. I only got a few of these from packs at a Hollywood Video, but I’ve kicked the tires a few times about buying a box wholesale now.

Jeff’s 1992 Gameday card is solid. It’s obvious that I was at the bottom of his mailbag- as he dispensed with the formality of personalizing the cards, and his signature looks a bit rushed on these cards. The framing itself is a great example of when Gameday’s design decisions really paid off as this canvas is exciting and it looks as though he is launching off of it.

I did feel guilty asking for 5 but, I reasoned that I had held off sending back to him for 8 years or so- so that made me feel a bit better about breaking my own rule.

Of these three other college uniform cards, I didn’t have the Fleer one, and it was considered rare back in the day. I got a box of Fleer 90 a few months ago, and I had forgotten how simple and elegant these cards were- despite the floating helmet. I remember Josh laughing at the Score 90 card because George wasn’t even throwing in the shot. He was even less generous about the Topps 90 one, but myself I do appreciate it as you rarely see a well composed shot of a QB under center next to his hogs.

In 2019 Jeff was spotted taking his son Jayden- an accomplished pro-style quarterback on recruiting visits around the country. Although his response took a while, Jeff did take the time to read my letter and in response to my suggestion that he consider coaching in the XFL- he wrote on the letter, “Perhaps in the future.”