CARDS: Pro Set 1992, Skybox Premium 1993-94 ACQUIRED: TTM 2024, C/o Home SENT: 9/10/24 RECEIVED: 1/14/26 (491 days) FAILURE: TTM 2021, C/o Home
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Sanjay Beach played WR from 1985-’87 at Colorado State.
He caught 85 passes for 1074 yards and 3 TDs, and returned 68 kicks for 1557 yards and a TD.
Undrafted in ’88, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys- but was cut in the preseason due to injury.
Signed with the Jets in 89 and was elevated off the practice squad for a game.
Joined the 49ers as a free agent in ’90, again spending the season on the practice squad.
Cracked the team in 1991 at the bottom of the WR depth chart.
Caught 4 passes, and did some work on special teams that year.
In 1992, signed as a Plan B Free Agent with the Packers.
Caught his first professional TD, and the first pass (not to himself) from Brett Favre.
Finished the season with 17 receptions for 122 yards.
Returned to the ‘9ers during the 93 campaign, and again saw seldom playing time catching 5 passes.
Released in 1994, Sanjay signed with the Amsterdam Admirals of the World League in 1995.
He caught a career high 27 passes for 383 yards and a TD.
Signed with ‘9ers a 3rd time in 1995 but did not make the squad.
Had one final hurrah with the Broncos in ’96 but was released before the regular season.
Currently works in the financial sector.
NOTES:
I mean I noticed all my friends had gotten back an autograph from Sanjay so I wondered what happened to mine. I went ahead and sent a new request out almost 3 years later and waited another year or so, and here it is… in ball point pen.. Ah well.
Sanjay is the first person of Indian descent to play professional gridiron football in the NFL.
Scott Fulhage punted for Kansas State from 1981-’84.
He punted 254 times for 10,284 yards.
Signed as a free agent by the Bills (1985) and the Redskins the following season (’86) , but did not make the opening day roster.
Signed by the Bengals in ’87, then the Packers, and then back to the Bengals that year.
He averaged 41.7 yards per punt (2,168 yards) on 52 attempts.
Joined the Falcons in 1989, where he pinned opponents 24 times inside their own 20- leading the NFC (on 84 punts).
After bouncing around between 5 teams from ’85-’89, Fulhage found consistency with the Falcons, whom he punted for through the 1992 season.
In 1991, punted 81 times for 3,470 yards and dropped 21 inside the 20.
He’d see career highs in net yards (2,963), Average (42.8), and net average (36.6) that season.
After a shaky start with 3 blocked punts in under three seasons, Scott punted successfully 192 times until the 1992 season.
At the time of his retirement, Scott was ranked second all time on the Falcons all-time list with a 41.8 yard average per punt.
NOTES:
I knew I’d be in for a wait for Scott. Consistent, yet slow, I wasn’t worried about these getting back to me. He was of special interest to me as he appears in 1991’s Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES with the Falcons. Scott also appears on two set needs so it was a no brainer to get these cards out the door to him.
Funny note, on many of his cards, it’s noted that Scott farms and harvests wheat when it’s not the football season. Makes sense since he’s from Beloit, KS.
Akili Smith was a two year starter for the Oregon Ducks from 1997-’98.
In 1998, He completed 191 of 325 passes for 3,307 yards and 30 TDs.
That season he led the PAC-10 in completion percentage (58.8), yards, TDs, Yards per attempt (10.2), yards per game (300.2) and Rating (170.4).
He’d declare for the 1999 draft and be the 3rd quarterback taken off the board with the 3rd overall pick, (behind Tim Couch and Donovan McNabb), by the Cincinnati Bengals.
He played four seasons for the Bengals from 1999-’02.
During his rookie season, he led the Bengals to an 18-17 win over the Browns, completing 25 of 42 passes for 221 yards and 2 TDs.
Dealing with a nagging toe injury, the Bengals opted to shut him down after week 8.
Akili returned for the 2000 campaign but struggled to find his footing as the starter and eventually was benched.
On the season, Smith finished 118 of 267 for 1253 yards and 3 TDs to 6 picks in 12 contests.
He saw action in two contests in 2001, but popped his hamstring in week 14 and didn’t return to action.
Released in 2003, he signed with the Packers but was unable to latch on with the team after camp.
After a more than a year off, Akili was allocated to the NFLE where he played for the Frankfurt Galaxy in 2005.
Smith completed 53 of 84 passes for 589 yards and 2 TDs to 2 interceptions, and ran for another TD as well.
Earned an audition with the Buccaneers but would be released before the preseason.
Joined the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL in 2006 but didn’t make the roster.
At last glance in 2025 was a high school football coach in California.
NOTES:
So WHY did the Bengals draft Akili knowing what they knew about his poor Wonderlic stats? Why did the Bengals draft Akili with Mike Ditka and the Saints attempting to trade everything in their draft to move up to 3 to select Ricky Williams? Why when both Tim Couch and Donovan McNabb just went off the board did the Bengals still bank on Akili?
Well, in 1998 Peyton Manning had just been drafted by the Colts out of Tennessee. Smith had an incredible breakout season by any regards for a quarterback in the 90s. He had an electric comeback against the Bruins where he just put the team on his shoulders and won the game, and his 1998 season was superior (dare I say) to Manning’s statistically, AND Smith could make teams pay with his running ability.
The Bengals franchise was obviously NOT the place he should’ve gone, and one wonders what would’ve happened if Culpepper or McNabb ended up at Riverfront and Smith somewhere else how that would’ve played out.
That being said not only did Smith hold out to start things off, he had a penchant for relying on his athleticism and not studying his playbook. We’ve seen this movie before, and it only ends in disaster.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
