Tag Archives: los angeles rams

AFL, NFL, Pro Football HoF, Super Bowl MVP

Namath, Joe “Broadway Joe”

Card: ProSet 1990 SB
Acquired: In Person 1993, CGA Youth Golf Tournament

Okay, the CGA Youth Golf Tournament had the hugest names- and there were few bigger than Joe Namath there, well unless you include Maury Povich who people were mistaking him for. Joe was a really cool guy, but reminded me of my grandpa. He got off the golf cart and the only thing I could look at were his knees. It was obvious that the frequent surgeries had taken their toll on him, especially when he was going uphill. He told us he was unable to sign any Upper Deck cards, since he had a contract with those, and any others he could only sign if they were personalized and would only sign one per person- but he’d sign one for everybody. I was ecstatic with that deal. He signed mine “Lee, Good meeting ya’, Joe Namath”. I laughed because he ran out of room on the card and used an insert carat to write “ya'”. The ProSet 1990 SuperBowl card was a perfect card though, and the illustration was well worth the man who made the greatest guarantee in sports history.

One of the biggest names of the upstart AFL against the NFL, Joe Namath was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the AFL’s 1965 draft out of Alabama. (Bear Bryant would state later that signing Namath at Alabama would be one of the best decisions he ever made.) While the St. Louis Cardinals would also draft Namath, but with a huge salary at the time on the line, would elect to go to the Jets and at season’s end would be named rookie of the year. Namath over the next few seasons would transform the struggling Jets team into a contender, culminating in SuperBowl III where he brashly proclaimed before the game to reporters that the Jets would win over the heavily favored NFL Baltimore Colts. He’d come through on that bet, and the team would help usher the AFL into the NFL merger on a high note and a fair amount of respect and garner MVP honors for the game. Joe would earn the nickname “Broadway Joe” for his engaging personality, great smile and the media circus that would inevitably follow. He would have a few notable run ins with the commissioner as well, but by 1970 Namath’s knee injuries had caught up to him. His next few seasons would be injury plagued, and in 1975 he was waived. Joe Namath would finish his career playing his final season with the Los Angeles Rams. Namath has a lasting legacy in the annuls of NFL history, as the first 4,000 yard passer and the winner of the first overtime game in NFL history. On a side note he also played in the first Monday Night Football game. Joe Namath after retirement went right into acting, where he’s had a steady stream of guest appearances in TV, film and ironically- Broadway. He has also spent a great deal of time handling color commentary, finished college and is a speaker for the March of Dimes. Namath also remains an active non-official spokesperson for the New York Jets and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

G/Gs 140/130     Att 3762   Comp 1886   Yds 27663  Pct 50.1%    Td 173   Int 220   Rat 65.5    Lg 91

AFL, CFL, NFL, wfl, WLAF

Stephenson, Kay

Card: ProSet 1991, ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: In Person 1992, San Antonio Riders v. Sacramento Surge

Kay Stephenson would get his break playing backup quarterback in the AFL for the San Diego Chargers in 1967 and the Bills in 1968. Stephenson played in the WFL and was the starting quarterback in the first game of the league’s existence for the Jacksonville Sharks. In 1975 he’d be named player personnel director and offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Express. After the WFL  folded he’d be hired on by legendary coach Chuck Knox to be an assistant coach of the Los Angeles Rams where he’d follow Knox to the Buffalo Bills, becoming a member of Knox’s coaching tree.

Stephenson was named head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 1983, replacing Knox who was hired by the Seattle Seahawks. He is most notable in his stint as the man behind the Bills helmet color change from white to red. It is rumored that the reason behind this was a need to differentiate the Bills from the rest of their division to help the team cut down on interceptions. (At that time the Patriots, Dolphins and Colts all had white helmets.) After an ignominious debut with the Bills where the team posted a  10-26 record, Kay would be fired in 1986. He’d actually be selling real estate when the  WLAF approached him in 1990 to coach the Sacramento Surge. While the team had a rough inaugural season- Stephenson would guide the team in its second season to a World Bowl II with a dynamic offense led by former NFLer David Archer.  After their thrilling victory over the Riders– I got Kay’s autograph on his two cards as they were leaving the locker room. I remember quite distinctly that he smoked like a chain smoker.

After the WLAF folded, he’d hop over to the Sacramento Gold Miners of the CFL to coach there for the 1993 and 1994 season. Stephenson during his time with the Gold Miners would post a 16-19-1 record before the franchise relocated to San Antonio and renamed itself the Texans. With the Texans the team posted a  12-6 record and qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the semi-finals. With the disbanding of the other CFLUSA teams after the 1995 season, Kay would find himself in the assistants’ chair again until he was promoted to head coach for the Edmonton Eskimos for the 1998 season where he resigned after a 9-9 season. Interesting tidbit about Stephenson is that he has been involved with 5 teams that experienced major downturns, contractions, or all together folded (Surge, Goldminers, Texans, Express, and Sharks). Below are his WLAF coaching statistics:

G 20    W  11     L   9     T  0     Pct .555

NFL

Washington, James “Drive-By”

Card: GameDay 1992
Acquired: In Person 1993, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp

James McArthur Washington was originally a 5th round pick of the then Los Angeles Rams in 1988 out of UCLA.  He’d play two seasons for the team as a backup, suiting up in 25 games and making one pick. In 1990 Washington would sign Plan B with the Dallas Cowboys. I’d swear that he was the Dallas Cowboy who first wore the dew rag on the team- frequently sporting a black one across his head that made him look like a ninja samurai headhunting safety. Playing for the Cowboys he would enjoy his greatest success allowed to roam the secondary as a starter at strong safety and occasionally at free safety, pulling in a career high 113 tackles in 1991 and 5 interceptions in 1994. SuperBowl XXVIII (1993) would be his finest hour where he’d make an interception, recover a fumble for a touchdown and make a team high 11 tackles. Even though Washington was considered for the MVP honor, he eventually lost out to Emmitt Smith for the honor. In 1995 he’d sign as a free agent with the rival Redskins, where he’d start 12 games making 2 interceptions before he retired after 7 seasons.

James works for Fox Sports Radio and net, founded and works with Shelter 37, Inc., and was named in 2010 as the Assistant Director of Alumni Giving at UCLA.

G/Gs  114/70    Tac  458    Sac 0    Fum 7    Int   17   Yds   187   Td   0   Lg  38