Tag Archives: fleer 1995

CFL, NFL

Ismail, Raghib ‘Rocket’ (2)

Cards: Fleer 1996, All World Promo 1991, Classic 1991, Atomic 2001
Acquired: TTM, 2018
Sent: 1/2       Received: 1/8   (6 days)
See Also: Rocket Ismail

Shortly after attending one of the Dallas Cowboys Rally Days where I met Rocket and got his autograph on a handful of cards, he started signing TTM again. I thought initially, “Oh well,” but knew I needed to double back to him to get a few more cards signed. So rolling over to 2018, what better way to kick it off by getting Rocket again as my first autograph of the year?

These cards really offer a cross section of his career starting at Notre Dame on this Classic 1991 promo card. Hand it to Classic trying to be edgy out of the gate, but the name line feels right aligned because the weight is tied to WR. I also wasn’t too big a fan of the brushed granite look, but it beats the cheetah pattern they later used. Overall, it’s a great photo of Rocket and there were quite a few of them to choose from.

From there we move on to the terrible All World CFL series, which tries to emulate the ProSet 1989 design by just angling the lines. There’s also the terrible color choices as the red and blue just feel like they clash a bit too much. It does not help that the Argonaut helmet just sort of -sits there arbitrarily on the canvas. As a promo however it sells what it is: The first set to have Ismail in his professional debut threads.

After his time in the CFL, Rocket jumped back to the NFL courtesy of the Los Angeles Raiders. It seemed to make sense. I mean the only other place with as bright stars and marketing would be Dallas, right? I liked this card. Fleer 1995 was all.. over.. the.. place.. design wise from team to team. It embodied everything I liked and hated in the 1990s sets as the companies started really embracing Photoshop. This one for example has a very unnecessary grain. I like the fearlessness of the design on the front, but it is a bit too much.

After his time with the Raiders, a stop in Dallas was next. It took me a while to come around to the sets of the early 2000s as I didn’t collect any while I was on my football hiatus. Among them I liked the die cut Atomic. I have a soft spot for gimmicky cards, and these certainly look better once you see one.

NFL

Woodson, Darren (2)


Cards: Topps Finest Hitmen 1996, Fleer 1995, GameDay 1992
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Home
Sent: 6/16     Received: 6/27   (11 days)
Failure: 2015, C/o Home
See Also: Darren Woodson

I had gotten Darren Woodson just once at training camp way back at St Edwards in 1992. It was the last year I’d enjoy going to training camps full time during the summer as school, girls, and work took more of priority after High School. Looking back, it was just perfect timing for me to go to camp during those years in the early 90s, as not only was I in that transitional point moving into being a young adult, but also the Cowboys were building their dynasty, multiple great cards were appearing on the market, and players were still relatively eager to sign for free.

I always wanted to get Darren’s GameDay 1992 entry signed. The one I had made it back to camp the following years, but it never made it into his hands. It’s a great rookie card technically- one of the first to picture him in his Cowboys uniform.  The other two here, are really just filler from sets that I liked after the fact. Although I liked the gaudyness of the Topps Hitmen cards, I think the luster of Darren’s uniform is lost in all the gloss and metal sheen.  The Fleer 1995 was audacious as ProSet 1992 in its design, and as such it was just as disastrous in my mind. The chaotic design which varies per team, really can be a negative on the presentation on the card itself. This one for example breaks multiple design rules. The most annoying among them being Darren’s position listed quarter circling the star. I don’t know what is up with the fingerprint effect either. (It also didn’t help that the Cowboys joined in the ugly trend during the mid-90s of plastering the team logo on the shoulder of the uniform.) Still for many of the rest of the teams in this set outside of the Cowboys and a few outliers, the design is clever and daring with the player information displayed on the front.

I had failed previously to get Darren’s autograph back in 2015. I fired out another attempt in 2016 when he started popping up on the scene around Dallas events. I was really surprised to see this back in 11 days flat.

NFL

Haynes, Michael ‘Mike’ (WR)

gday92 mhaynesCards: GameDay 1992, Gameday 1993, Fleer 1995
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 12/28    Received:  2/8  (42 days)

Michael Haynes grew up in New Orleans as a Saints fan, so imagine his surprise when he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 7th round of the 1988 draft. A track man out of Northern Arizona with a powerful second gear, Haynes still ranks in the top 3 on the school charts for the 55 meter dash and the 200 meter dash.  Of his 13 catches in his rookie season, 4 went for touchdowns. The Falcons were mired at the bottom of the NFC West- a frequent whipping boy of the 49ers, Rams, and even the Saints during that period.

flr95 mhaynesIt was in 1990 that things would change under new head coach Jerry Glanville. Glanville brought his fiery brand of football from Houston including the Red Gun offense (a Run ‘N Shoot variant). The Falcons went high octane.  Mike had his best season as a pro in 1991, catching passes from Chris Miller and Billy Joe Tolliver. Among them was a Hail Mary from Tolliver to Haynes to stun the 49ers and kick the door open on the race for the NFC West.

He’d also bedevil his hometown Saints, catching a 50 yard TD during the regular season against them, and a 20 yarder in the playoffs. Haynes finished with a gaudy league leading 22.4 yards per reception, 1122 yards, and 11 touchdowns on just 50 passes.  In 1992 and 1993, Haynes led the NFL in longest reception with 89 and 98 respectively.  Haynes joined the Saints in 1994 and recorded a career high 77 receptions.   Over his 3 seasons in his hometown, Michael had 162 receptions for 2368 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He returned to the Falcons for a swan song in 1997 catching just 12 passes and not starting any contests.

Haynes is a reliable TTM signer and lives in Georgia.

G/GS 147/113     REC428    YDS 6588     AVG 15.4     TD 47    LG 98T

gday93 mhaynes