Card: Wild Card World League 1992 Acquired: TTM 2020, C/o Home Sent: 9/4 Received: 9/15 (11 days)
A true ironman at East Carolina, Stefon Adams displayed athletic ability playing runningback, wide receiver, and defensive back over his time for the Pirates, from 1981 to 1984. He concluded his career at ECU with 47 receptions for 676 yards, 31 rushes for 123 yards and 3 TDs, and an interception for 20 yards.
Stefon was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders in the 3rd round of the 1985 draft. Stefon played in 53 games for the Silver and Black. He was used primarily as a return man, with 30 punt returns for 240 yards and 60 kickoffs for 1,191 yards. Adams also recorded 2 interceptions for 40 yards and 6 fumble recoveries. He’d spend the 1990 season with the Browns and Dolphins.
In 1992, he played in the World League with the Sacramento Surge– winning World Bowl II with the team. He caught a giant pass from David Archer to sustain a drive on 3rd down, deep in their own territory against the San Antonio Riders in the Win or Go Home contest. Stefon went on to play in the Arena football league in 1994 and 1995 for the Charlotte Rage and then the Connecticut Coyotes, catching 26 passes for 391 yards and 6 TDs on offense, and 22 total tackles, 2 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles on defense. Adams concluded 1995 by playing for the Hamilton Tiger-cats in the CFL.
Cards: ProLine 1992 Portraits, ProLine 1992, ProSet 1990 , Topps XFL 2020 Acquired: TTM 2020, C/o Home Sent: 5/19 Received: 5/29 (10 days) See Also: Jerry Glanville
After the final death rattle of the UFL, Jerry slipped into semi-retirement for a few years there. I mean don’t let him hear me say that. He probably kept himself busy doing all sorts of things. Jerry returned to coaching in 2018 alongside his former coaching buddy June Jones, who was now head coach of the CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Jerry took the reins at defensive coordinator, but after a season he resigned due to personal reasons.
It didn’t take Jerry long to return to the sport again, this time with the XFL. He’d sign up to be defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Vipers under head coach Mark Trestman.
I was intrigued by the signing but had hoped that Jerry would be signed as Houston’s defensive coordinator. When I went to the Houston Roughnecks/ Tampa Bay Vipers joint scrimmage, I grabbed the three 90s cards I had of Jerry and went to the event. I camped out the Vipers side of field. Jerry was in his element, and his Man in Black personality always bring the crowd. I decided to not go for Jerry’s autograph at the event for a couple of reasons. First, Jerry’s name was listed in the checklist for the Topps XFL set that wasn’t out yet. Second, if I went for Jerry, I’d probably miss out on quite a few players. Third and finally, I was already aware of Jerry’s stellar TTM reputation. -He didn’t disappoint.
I was not a fan of the ProLine series but the portrait set card of Jerry was pretty unique. I really liked the design style, as the sharp edges matched Jerry’s style. He was kind enough to take the time to sign this one in silver so it picked up nicely. His other ProLine card I had, I liked it because it was a shot of him when he coached the Oilers. His final Pro Set card of the Falcons Back in Black was a set filler for me. (On a side note, I’ve never been fond of the black, and after a few years its become very stale. I wish they’d go back to those reds.) Jerry’s final card, from Topps XFL 2020 seems to capture all the usual of his ambiance and Man in Black persona.
Card: ProSet 1989 Acquired: IP 2020, Houston Roughnecks/ Tampa Bay Vipers Joint Practice
After graduating from Drake University, Dennis McKnight signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1981, but didn’t make the squad. The following year, he signed with the Chargers. A gem in the rough, McKnight possessed versatility that allowed him to see action at every position on the offensive line (except at left tackle) over his time in San Diego. A gym rat, Dennis also was the team’s long snapper, and was a Pro Bowl alternate in 1988. He joined the Lions and played for them in 1990 and 1992, with a short stint in Philadephia in between during ’91. Over his football career he played in 141 contests, starting 100.
Dennis enjoys the sport so much that he went into coaching in 1999. As a positional coach he’s seen stops in college at Hawaii, Grossmont CC, San Diego State, SMU, and Lamar University. McKnight has also coached in the CFL for the Esks, and Ti-Cats. In 2020 he joined June Jones’ coaching staff for the Houston Roughnecks as Offensive Assistant/ Special Teams coach.
I completely missed Dennis on my inventory of Roughnecks players and coaches. Thankfully Lance was going with me to the joint practice, and brought an extra card for me. Dennis still posesses a strong and powerful build. When he speaks, its excited and loud, like a professional wrestler.
We watched him work with the kids after practice. I was very impressed by how he was handling them, and at one point exclaimed, “The whole point of this is to have fun!” As he was exiting, we stopped him and asked him for his autograph, where we talked about the current state of things. He thanked us for coming and how much it meant to the players. We also talked briefly about how the NFL is out of touch with fans and that they are missing out on the game of football.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
