Tag Archives: florida tuskers

NFL, ufl

Rhodes, Dominic (2)

sco09 rhodesCards: Score 2009, TNT UFL 2011
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  4/11        Received: 4/17   (6 days)
Failure: TTM 2013, C/o Home
See Also: Dominic Rhodes

Dominic had signed previously TTM for me, and asked for a copy of the UFL customs I had done. It took me a while to get around to printing them out and I sent to Rhodes back in June of last year. The problem was Dominic had moved and the UFL had gone on indefinite ‘hiatus’. I tried contacting him both through Twitter and his foundation, but had no luck. It finally took me getting a new Meiselman list to track down Dom’s latest address in North Texas. Since I was having to go a bit out of my way to find him, I enclosed an extra or two to get signed. He responded in about a week personalizing the cards and wishing that the cards found me well, and quoted Bible scripture to me:

Phil 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

tntufl10 rhodesPretty cool, I just wish that the inscrpition was underneath his autograph. -Instead he wrote it on the card sleeve. While not the most pious or religious person, I do like it when players put scripture on their autograph. It tells me a bit about what they are thinking or what is going on in their lives.

Dominic returned to the UFL for the league’s swan song in 2012.
With the league imploading after 4 games, Dominic finished as the unquestioned career leading rusher of the UFL. He completed the season with 63 carries for 219 yards and a TD. Rhodes has been working out agressively and staying in shape, hoping for another shot with another team, but the odds of him getting the chance, at the age of 35 are now are slim.  It’s a shame because there is little wear and tear on the former Super Bowl Champion’s legs at all.

Unfortunately the UFL didn’t do a good job of tracking the numbers of their 2011 and 2012 seasons, however here are both Dominic’s NFL and UFL statistics I was able to cobble together:

NFL:  G/Gs 99/33   Rush 814     Yds 3286    Avg 4.0    Td 26    Lg 77   |
Rec 147    Yds 1027   Avg 7.0    Td  4   Lg  29
Kr 147     Yds 3374   Avg 23.0  Td 2    Lg  88t
UFL:  G/Gs 18/18    Rush 269     Yds 1180    Avg 4.4    Td  16 Lg  65t
Rec 12          Yds  115           Avg 9.6         Td  1      Lg 22
Kr 12            Yds  260         Avg 21.6        Td 0      Lg N/a

 

 

CFL, College Football HoF, NFL, ufl

Theismann, Joe

aw91 theismannCard: All World 1991
Acquired: 2013, trade

How things would have been different on the NFL landscape if Joe Theismann had signed his 4th round offer from the Miami Dolphins in 1971 instead of with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. He certainly wouldn’t have wound up with the Redskins that he infamously guided back to NFL glory and a Super Bowl Championship. Most fans don’t recall Theismann even playing in the CFL, helping the Argos to a CFL Grey Cup game, and himself to All-Star Honors in ’71 and 73.

The Redskins shrewdly obtained his rights in 1974, and he quickly joined the team. Unable to crack the starting lineup, he quickly lined up as the Redskins’….. punt returner. Theismann took some time to assert himself as the team’s lead quarterback, as Billy Kilmer and Sonny Jorgenson both finished out their careers. George Allen was notorious with sticking with his seasoned vets, but eventually Joe found himself running the show. He’d lead the Redskins to a victory against the Dolphins ironically in Super Bowl XVII and a return appearance the next season against the Raiders. Joe would win the NFL Offensive MVP award after the 1983 season. The Redskins played in the NFC Central with the Eagles, Giants, Cowboys, and Cardinals. During Theismann’s tenure in Washington, every team in the division took their turn going to the Super Bowl (with the exception of the Cardinals), which illustrates the dominance of the division in the league during this period. It appeared that the Redskins were on their way back to glory again under head coach Joe Gibbs, but Theismann’s career took a detour.

On a Monday Night Football contest in 1985, Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor blindside sacked Theismann, snapping both his tibia and fibia. (In the annuls of NFL history, it is considered one of the most gruesome hits ever sustained by a player.) Joe’s playing career was over, after 71 consecutive starts, but this didn’t take his focus off of football. Theismann has become a color commentator since then, spending time primarily on ESPN. Love him or hate him, Joe gives it his all whatever he does. He spends an immense amount of his time giving to charity, including the donations he gets from autographs, that he gives to St. Jude. Joe was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 for his playing time at the University of Notre Dame. While playing for the Golden Domers, he set various school records for passing in a season, and threw for an incredible 526 yards in one game in 1970.  He also still holds many of the Redskins passing records- some 25+ years later.

He bought a stake in the UFL Florida Tuskers in 2010, but the team and the league did not use his high profile personality to promote the team or the league. The Tuskers moved later that year to Virginia and became the Destroyers, and the league itself folded in 2012. You can visit his website at www.joetheismann.com .

CFL   Att 679    Comp 382    Yds 6093   Pct           Td  40    Int  47      Rat N/a
NFL 167/124    Att 3602     Comp 2044    Yds  25206    Pct 56.7%    Td 160    Int 138    Lg 84t
Rush 355    Yds  1815       Avg 5.1    Td  17     Lg 37

NFL, ufl

Gray, Keith

tnt11-grayCard: TNT UFL 2011
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 6/22    Received: 6/27   (5 days)

A physical offensive lineman who played collegiality at Connecticut from 2005-2008, Keith Gray was a free agent signee of the Carolina Panthers in 2009, and on the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts in 2010. He joined the Florida Tuskers of the UFL in 2010, and was then traded to the Hartford Colonials (formerly the New York Sentinels) in exchange for defensive tackle Bryan Save in the league’s first ever trade that year.  With the flexibility to play both guard and center, Gray was a valued contributor to the Colonials offense helping pave the way for the offense led by quarterback Josh McNown, and bruising runningbacks Lorenzo Booker and Andre Dixon. All in all Hartford rolled up 2593 yards in 2010, with 903 of it coming on the ground and an additional 1690 through the air, and a lot of credit up front with their prolific offense should go to the guys in the trenches, like Keith. Things were definitely moving in a positive direction for the team, but the organization as a whole- that being the UFL- was not. Bills had not been paid, and the rent was sky high at the Colonials facility. Head coach Chris Palmer, broke ranks with the league as soon as he could and landed a job back in the NFL as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. In the meantime, Jerry Glanville was brought in to replace Palmer under much fanfare, but the Colonials, -under the most financial duress, -folded, and Keith was a free agent.

Keith moved to Texas and focused on family life. In the meantime I had tracked him down through Facebook and offered him a card, but I honestly had a lot of things that went off the rails for me personally, along with a player who had agreed to respond to me after I sent him my customs, that never did.  It made me really gun shy about the project. A few weeks ago though I finally buckled down and got back to the UFL and AFL cards that I had done, and with a few extra dollars in my pocket, went ahead and printed a few for my portfolio. I also remembered Keith and my promise and sent him some to keep. In a short 5 days he responded, writing me a touching note discussing about how he was a trading card collector as a kid, thanking me for the cards, how they are a great keepsake, and how they’ve sparked a fire in him to keep going.

For all the Peyton Manning’s and Brett Favre’s I get TTM, it’s these types of responses in the end, that mean more than anything I could ever wish for.