Well 2 out of 4 isn’t bad as it’s apparent that Albert is a big collector of his own cards. He kept his Score 1989 and Action Packed 1991 that I sent him, but I still got these two nice autographs back on his Fleer 1990 Update and his Skybox 1992.
He also refuses to sign his Gameday 1992- claiming that it isn’t him. -And I mean with good reason, as he was cut by the Colts before he even played that season and later on joined the Steelers. Now I can confirm that Gameday, like other card makers was engaged in the quiet, slick practice of using old player photos for current cards because they just looked good, so it’s entirely possible that they did get a good shot of him from a few years prior so that they could include him in the set with the Colts uniform on.
Just a lovely card with a simple, yet dynamic design and great photography. Quinn was one of the more recognizable names from this acquisition I made from a friend of mine- CFLFanInPhilly.
I was really touched by his willingness to part with these cards at an affordable price. He also told me that he’d been approached by college team set autograph collectors who offered to buy the cards out separately from their favorite teams, but he wanted them to go to someone who’d actually value all of them based on their appreciation of Spring Football.
CARDS: Pro Set 1989, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed Rookies & Stars 1990 ACQUIRED: 2022, Private Signing
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Andre Rison was a dominant receiver who played at Michigan State.
He established career record marks for receptions (146), and yards (2992).
Also was a great basketball and track man for the Spartans.
Selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft.
Was second among all rookie receivers in 1989 with 820 yards, and was the first Colts receiver in almost 10 years to catch over 50 passes in their rookie season (52).
He and Bill Brooks were an effective 1-2 punch, pairing for the most 100 yard games since ’68.
Well in 1990, the Colts were desperate for a QB, so they packaged up Andre, T Chris Hinton, and draft picks to get the #1 pick from the Falcons to select Jeff George.
While the Colts were imploding over the next few years, Rison was reaching new heights in the Falcons Red Gun offense.
He also adopted a bad boy persona and became known as ‘Bad Moon’ Rison.
He had a career high 93 receptions in ’92, 1,242 yards , and a league leading 15 TDs in 1994.
Andre started 73 games over his time in Atlanta, catching 423 passes for 5633 yards and 56 TDs over 5 seasons.
In 1995, Andre signed with the Browns playing one seasons with the team.
After a disappointing season in Cleveland, where he feuded with fans, Rison played in 1996 for the Jags, and then was picked up by the Pack who needed help at receiver.
He’d earn a Super Bowl ring that season catching passes from Brett Favre.
Rison cashed in after the season, proving that perhaps he just needed a change of scenery from his hiccup two previous seasons ago in Cleveland.
Andre had a minor resurgence after he signed with the Chiefs in 1997.
He’d catch 72 passes for 1092 yards and 7 TDs, earning the nickname Spider-man.
Rison at this point of his career was attempting to rehabilitate his image as a diva, and Spider-man seemed like a positive role model.
After a total of 3 seasons in KC, Rison played one final year in the NFL with the Raiders in Oakland.
Despite not starting that year, he put up 41 catches for 606 yards and 6 TDs.
Rison took some time away from the sport, but returned in 2004 to play for the Toronto Argonauts.
He played just long enough to help the team win the Grey Cup, and retired after the 2005 campaign.
After his playing days ended, Andre has gone into coaching.
Pro Set 1989, #497Action Packed 1990, #107
ACCOLADES:
Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
All-Rookie Team 1989
AP 1990
2nd Team AP 1991-’93
Pro Bowl 1990-’93, 1997
NOTES:
Boasting an extremely low signing percentage and an ancient last return date there was no way I was going to get Andre through the mail. I knew the best chance I’d have is to probably go through a private signing. I follow a couple of private signers and Facebook pages that promote them, and finally after missing out on one already- I was able to get him affordably on these three cards. The problem is with Andre, as he was an early darling of every set that came onto the scene in those early days of the big card boom, so I literally have probably five or six more set needs. Andre was an excellent receiver on the Atlanta Falcons in Tecmo Super Bowl and Super Tecmo Bowl.
Andre has a pretty solid resume, but maybe due to his bad image early in his career that caused him to be perceived as a diva, and then just as a bad guy in general, he’s gotten little traction from voters for the HoF, even though he’s gone to great lengths to dispel his reputation. Despite possessing a 10k resume, and impressive TD numbers, Rison is now caught in the logger jam at WR building from more modern candidates that have inflated numbers due to a game geared more towards the passing game. Andre is also one of a unique club of players who has won both a Grey Cup and a Super Bowl.
NFL
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
743
10205
13.7
84
80t
CFL
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
15
178
11.9
1
35
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
