Tag Archives: los angeles rams

NFL

McGee, Buford

flr90 mcgeeCards: Fleer 1990, Score 1991, Fleer 1991
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 4/13     Received: 4/22  (9 days)

Ah, Buford McGee. A great find from the grand old days of the 80’s and 90’s NFL Gridiron. A true team player, McGee was just happy to be there. Buford was one of these guys who was a hard nosed fullback.  A rare 5 year college player, he played for the Mississippi Rebels from 1979 to 1983.  During his Senior season, he rushed for 580 yards and 7 touchdowns on 141 carries. Buford ran for 1446 yards on 345 carries, and 13 TDs over his career at Mississippi.  He also displayed nice touch catching the ball out of the backfield 112 times for 856 yards and 4 more TDs.

flr91 mcgeeBuford snuck into the 1984 NFL draft as the 286th player taken in the 11th round, by the San Diego Chargers.  Buried on the depth chart behind Earnest Jackson, Lionel James, and Chuck Muncie- McGee displayed the willingness to do what others would not do, and developed a knack for being a powerful blocker.  He’d not only make the squad and contribute on special teams, he also ran for 226 yards and 4 TDs. The Chargers continued to get great value for McGee, especially during 1986 when he rushed for a career high 7 touchdowns.  With offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese leaving the Chargers for the LA Rams in 1987, Buford was not far behind. He’d be traded to them in exchange for two draft choices and runningback Barry Redden.

sco91 mcgeeAlthough injuries caught up with McGee derailing parts of his 85, 86, and 87 seasons, he continued to contribute to the Rams offense in whatever capacity he could. In 1990 he had a career high 234 yards on 44 carries, and caught 47 balls for 388 yards. The LA Rams named Buford their 1990 MVP.  After the 1991 season, head coach John Robinson was relieved of his duties, and going for a more ground oriented approach, new head coach Chuck Knox cut Buford in May of 1992. McGee made one final stop in Green Bay. He’d suit up for the Packers for that last season where he started 3 games.

Retired, he now lives in East Texas. I was really happy to get the former Ram on these cards. Buford was never really appreciated for his contributions to the pro game by the fan at large, but coaches far and wide appreciate what he did for all those teams he so unselfishly played for. McGee is also a member of the 1991 Los Angeles Rams Tecmo Super Bowl team.

G/Gs   107/50     Rush 289     Yds  1086    Avg 3.8     Td 17     Lg 44   |
Rec  155     Yds 1264      Avg  8.2     Lg 43    Td  13
KR 23    Yds  465    Avg  20.2     Lg 35    Td  0
Att  3     Comp  3     Yds 24      Td 1     Int 0      Rat 139.6

College Football HoF, NFL, University of Texas

Johnson, Johnnie

utud11 jojohnsonCards: UT Upper Deck 2011, UT Upper Deck All Time Alumni 2011, UT Upper Deck NCAA All-Americans
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  6/2    Received: 6/14   (12 days)

Johnnie Johnson is another member of the Texas’ DBU connection. He boasts an impressive resume that includes winning the 1978 Defensive Back of the Year Award (before the advent of the Jim Thorpe Award), and was a two time All-American. He was also an accomplished speedster and returner, finishing with 114 punt returns for 1004 yards and a TD.  During his time at UT he anchored a secondary that consistently ranked among the tops in the nation.

utud11 jojohnson ATAA first round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams in 1980, Johnnie was selected 20th overall. In his rookie year, he’d start all 16 games. Quickly Johnson asserted himself as a force in the secondary, returning an interception for a team record 99 yards for a TD against the Packers.  He’d also recover 5 fumbles that rookie season.

Johnnie continued to have a nose for the football, recovering 22 fumbles during his career that spanned 10 seasons in the NFL earning an All-Pro nomination in 1983. Johnnie also had a habit of finding the end zone recording 4 TDs. He played nearly his entire career for the Rams, eventually even seeing Longhorn Jerry Gray also join him in the secondary. In 1989, Johnnie signed with the Seattle Seahawks via Plan B as his age became a liability.  After 2 games, the Seahawks cut Johnson due to the pounding that he took on his knees from the Kingdome turf. Johnson retired and started signing real estate, but the Rams came calling, needing depth in the secondary- and Johnson couldn’t resist one last go round. He’d retire for good after the season.

utud11 jojohnson NCAAJohnnie was one of the more venerable and popular players on the LA Rams during his career. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Johnson is president of World Class Coaches- an organization committed to teaching basic fundamentals as part of its basic coaching instructional delivery process. He also is a member of the Moving Families Initiative, which helps kids adjust to the challenges that they face when moving to new schools and neighborhoods.

G/Gs 124/108     Tac N/a    Sac 2.0    Fum  2
Int 22   Yds 390   Avg 17.7    Td  4  Lg 99t

 

 

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Davis, Wayne

pset91 wdavis psetwlaf91 wdavis

Cards: ProSet 1991, ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 7/5      Received: 7/11  (6 days)
Failure: TTM 2014, C/o New Life Covenant Church, Gordo, AL

Wayne Davis was a linebacker for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  He posted a career high 125 tackles his Junior year, and 85 in his Senior year. A 9th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987, the season was sort of a mess because of the Players’ Strike. Davis saw playing time in all 12 nonstrike games that year, and also in all 16 games in 1988.  He’d sign as a Plan B free agent with the Los Angeles Rams in 1989, and then later with the 49ers, who let him go on the final cutdown. Wayne played for the Edmonton Eskimos in 1990, before giving the WLAF a shot. Davis impressed the league scouts enough, that Orlando saw fit to make him the first overall pick of linebackers in the 1991 positional draft.  Head Coach Don Matthews liked his overall speed and athleticism. He’d have a solid year, posting 33 tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries. Wayne also played on special teams, recording 8 tackles on kickoff coverage. His highlight of the year was a 9 tackle effort in Orlando’s 35-34 victory over the San Antonio Riders on opening day.  A man of God, Davis styled himself as being a new found ‘Minister of Defense’ ala Reggie White, bringing the Good Word to the masses, and had been quoted as stating, “God first. Football second.”  After starting off the 1991 season hot, the Thunder had a meltdown and finished 5-5. Matthews quit, and new coach Galen Hall decided to overhaul the franchise. With a plethora of new linebacker blood in camp, Hall had to make some difficult cuts- Davis among them. Wayne however, felt a calling to God greater than football, and was ordained in 1992. Reverend Davis later returned to school and earned to Masters in Education and in Pastoral Ministry and lives in Gordo, Alabama today where he preaches to his flock and congregation.

NFL 28/1   Tac   N/a   Sac  N/a    Fum N/a    Int  0   Yds 0   Avg -.-   Td 0   Lg -.-
WLAF    Tac 33   Sac 0   Fum 2    Int 0    Yds 0   Avg -.-  Td 0  Lg -.-