So James wanted a copy of his Upper Deck cards from me at the 2012 Ribfest, but I only had one of them. I could see how sad he was so I volunteered to send him a couple of them there at the Titans practice facility. Seeing that the 610 Fan Fest was coming up and that he had volunteered to man a table, I detoured from the original plan to send them to him, and just decided to give them to him at Fan Fest in person.
I ran into other like minded fans at the event, but I was not being as aggressive as they were catching the players who were naive enough to wander around the event unescorted past the throngs waiting in line. With their help I was able to find Kirkendoll and Studdard before they even got to the floor, saving me precious time waiting for them later.
I introduced myself again to JT and gave him 4 or 5 copies of the cards. He was very thankful and told me he hadn’t found them anywhere. I told him he should check his facebook more often and he chuckled and said he’d friend me, but really to me it was nothing since he was considered an Austinnite to me. He nicely signed two photos of himself that I had pulled from the web.
Card: UT UD 2011
Acquired: In Person 2012, Rudy’s RibFest
I pretty much set my mind on going to the Rudy’s in Round Rock after hearing Kirkendoll’s name was among those confirmed to attend along with Jeremy Kerley who was an added bonus. Easily identifiable by his dreads, James really liked the card and piece of memorabilia I asked him to sign. In fact he took a photo and was extremely excited to see his card since it was the first time he’d seen it. He asked me if I had a copy, so I agreed to send him an extra to the Titans facility for him to keep. I was touched when he told me he was going to put it up in his locker. In the meantime he looked me in the eye and wished me luck and gleefully signed the card and the photo memorabilia that I provided.
James Kirkendoll is a wide receiver that played for the Longhorns from 2007-2010 after going locally to Round Rock High School. where he earned the nickname “JT Kirk”. As a Senior for the Longhorns in 2010, he led the team in receptions with 52 catches for 707 yards and 2 TDs. At the end of his career James ranked 9th all-time at UT with 121 receptions. A burner, Kirkendoll ran track, recording 100 meters in 10.8 seconds. He’d be signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Tennessee Titans after the 2011 NFL draft, and has managed to find a roster spot as a developmental player on the squad.
It should be noted that this is the first time that I have been able to get an autograph to stick well to one of these Upper Deck UT Cards. While I was at my local card store, (Card Traders of Austin,) one of the owners advised me that the best way to get the autographs to stick is by using talcum/baby powder on the surface of the card to prep it. Rubbing the powder gently into the surface and then scraping away all the residue, will do the trick, and that it did as the card absorbed the autograph with little fade.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
