Ontiwaun Carter played RB at Arizona from 1991-94.
In each year he saw his rushing yards increase, to a career high 1,163 as a senior.
At the time his 3,501 total rushing yards ranked 2nd, and his 805 carries ranked first in school history.
Signed as a FA with the Miami Dolphins in ’95 but was among the final cuts.
Joined the NFLE in 1996 playing for the Rhein Fire, rushing 22 times for 110 yards.
He returned to the league in 1997, and as the defacto #1 back for the Fire, ran for 587 yards on 120 carries and 2 TDs to lead the WLAF.
Key cog in the franchise appearing in World Bowl ’97.
Started working with troubled youths back in the states.
Returned for one last season with the Rhein Fire in 2000.
Went into ministry after playing days were over and is the founder of Restorer of the Breach Ministries in Las Vegas.
NOTES:
Pastor Carter was kind enough to write me a nice note, thanking me for bringing a smile to his face. -These are the responses that make what I do feel rewarding.
Mark Higgs played RB from 1984-’87 for the Kentucky Wildcats.
In his senior season he ran for 1,278 yards on 193 carries.
He finished his career at Owensboro with 2,892 rushing yards- good for second all-time on the school’s rushing list.
Originally a 8th round choice of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1988 NFL Draft.
Buried on the depth chart and relegated to special teams his first 3 years in the NFL playing for the Cowboys (’88), Eagles (’89), and Dolphins (’90).
His first TD was a blocked punt he returned 19 yards for a TD against the Patriots in 1990.
He’d finally get his shot starting at RB in 1991, in place of Sammie Smith, running for 146 yards in the season opener.
The following week Higgs ran for 111 yards, marking the first back to back 100 yard performance by a Dolphins RB since ’82.
He finished the season with 231 carries for 905 yards and 4 TDs- the highest season total by a Dolphin since… 1978.
Mark topped those numbers in 1992, running for 915 yards and 7 rushing TDs.
Starting in 8 contests in 1993, Mark ran for 693 yards and 3 TDs primarily in a backup role behind Terry Kirby.
During the 1994 season he’d be cut and sign with the Arizona Cardinals.
After spending the majority of the 1995 season on IR due to a back injury, Mark opted to retire.
ACCOLADES:
University of Kentucky Hall of Fame 2006
NOTES:
Mark missed out on Pro Set 1989, but he sure did make up for it with a bevvy of set needs in Skybox, Gameday, and Action Packed sets. He provided a nice shot in the arm along with the rejuvenation of the Dolphins offensive line to buy Dan Marino a few more injury free years.
I finally got Mark back in 2020, and then realized I didn’t ask him for his autograph on his Skybox card. Time flew by really quickly after that and I lost track of sending out to him again for it. In the meantime the premium set from the year afterwards became more interesting to me, so it made a lot of sense to send both of them out together.
CARDS: Panini Contenders Draft Picks 2018, Panini Prestige 2018 ACQUIRED: IP 2023, San Antonio Brahmas v St Louis Battlehawks
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Kalen Ballage was a RB at Arizona State who ran for 1984 yards and 27 TDs (450 carries) playing for the school from 2014-’17.
A 4th round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2018.
Had a breakout game his rookie year rushing for 123 yards on 12 carries against the Minnesota Vikings- scoring a TD.
2019 was disappointing, and by 2020, the Dolphins were searching for trade partners.
Waived with an injury settlement, Ballage spent about a month on the roster of the New York Jets that year.
Ultimately proved to be effective playing for the Chargers that year, contributing 91 carries for 303 yards and 3 TDs.
Also showed a nice touch out of the backfield, catching 29 passes.
Played for the Steelers in ’21 and spent the season on special teams.
Selected in the 6th round of the 2023 XFL Draft by the San Antonio Brahmas.
Was the primary back in the ground and pound offense, but was ultimately supplanted in the lineup by Jacques Patrick, and then an Achilles injury ended his season after 5 games.
Finished season with 55 carries for 149 yards and 11 receptions for 82 yards.
Expected to fight a crowded backfield for 1st team reps in 2024 with the Brahmas retooled offense, but with a crowded backfield was an early cut during preseason.
NOTES:
I was very excited to see the Brahmas drafted Kalen. He has a lot of cards and I hoped that I’d get more of them signed. Of subsets, I always look forward to the Gameday subsets from Panini.
I was able to get these two signed as he walked off the field in the first game near the home side entrance at the Alamodome.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
