CARDS: Gameday 1992, Skybox 1992, Action Packed 1991
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 4/21 RECEIVED: 5/6 (15 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
- Gene Atkins played defensive back at Florida A&M.
- He was a 7th round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 1987.
- A big hitter with tremendous speed, Gene also handled kick returning duties averaging 21.2 yards per return (71 returns) over his career with the Saints.
- Played Strong Safety and was a solid find for NO, posting 3 interceptions his rookie season and 4 in 1988.
- Converted to Free Safety in 1990, replacing Dave Waymer in the lineup, posting 5 forced fumbles.
- Best season arguably came in 1991 when Gene recorded 5 interceptions for a league leading 198 yards, along with 4 forced fumbles, and 75 tackles.
- Signed with the Dolphins in 1994, finishing his career there after 1997.
ACCOLADES:
- All Rookie Team 1987
NOTES:
Gene’s son, Geno played DT most notably for the Bengals. It is said that Gene suffers from early onset dementia due to concussions sustained from playing football. A fairly rare signer, I felt very fortunate to get Gene’s autograph.
I felt like Gene should’ve gotten a Pro Bowl nod for his titanic 1991 season, but with a logger jam of great safeties out there, he didn’t get in. He had some great cards over the years and also makes an appearance in Tecmo Super Bowl.
| TAC | SAC | FUM | INT | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 614 | 8.0 | 15 | 25 | 348 | 13.9 | 0 | 79 |