Tag Archives: montreal alouettes

Arena, CFL, NFL, ufl

Johnson, Jerrod

tntufl11 jjohnsonCards: TNT UFL 2011
Acquired: IP, Aaron Williams Lone Star Showcase 2015

I was a big fan of the United Football League, before all the dirt came out about them not paying their players, and developed a set of cards for the league. As word got around of my work, a few players contacted me and asked for their cards, so I expanded the set from roughly 50 to 100 cards.  Included in the set were 12 or so rookies who were selected by the league during the first ever sports Twitter draft.

After Josh McCown had bolted back to the NFL as one of the UFL’s success stories, new Hartford Colonial’s coach Jerry Glanville assembled an impressive coaching staff and selected Jerrod Johnson with the first overall pick of the 2011 UFL Draft. Johnson planned to sign with the league, but with dark financial clouds brewing, Jerrod signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Soon thereafter, the Colonials owner assumed control of the Virginia Destroyers, and the league contracted Hartford.  Jerrod saw time on various rosters around the NFL (Eagles, Steelers) and Arena (Rattlers) leagues. He then returned to the UFL in 2012 suiting up for the Sacramento Mountain Lions. Johnson threw for 321 yards, completing 25 of 59 passes with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also ran for 12 yards in 6 attempts.  This led him back to the NFL, where he ws on the offseason and practice rosters of the Seahawks and Bears through the 2014 season. Later Jerrod signed with the Montreal Alouettes.

Jerrod liked the custom that I did of him, and when I said the #1 pick of the UFL in 2011, he remarked, “The man knows!” Jerrod was one of the many attendees at the Lone Star Showcase. Working with the kids at quarterback you could tell he got a lot of enjoyment out of giving back. Although it was a pretty hot day, the event was well run and players were kind and accomodating to fans of all ages.

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Smith, Irvin ‘Irv’

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Cards: Ultimate WLAF 1992, Wild Card WLAF 1992, JOGO 1994, JOGO 1995, JOGO 1997, JOGO 1999, JOGO 2000, JOGO 2001.
Acquired:  TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:    2/9       Received: 3/13   (31 days)

Irvin Smith played collegiality for Maryland from 1985 to 1988. Unable to make it on the roster of the Jets, Irvin joined the London Monarchs of the WLAF in 1991. There he made 2 picks for 8 yards as the team finished with a 9-1 record as a talented defense shut down the Dragons in jogo94 ismithWorld Bowl jogo95 ismithI 21-7.

After a short stint on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL, Smith returned to the Monarchs in 1992.  Although the team did not meet the same success from the previous season, Irv stepped up and recorded another 2 interceptions that season.
The league restructured after the season, so Irvin took his talents back to the CFL settling on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  In 1993 he returned to the NFL and was on the roster of both the Redskins and Vikings.

jogo97 ismithjogo99 ismithThe CFL had been eyeing the US market for a long time, so in 1994 they decided to expand
southward, selecting locations such as Las Vegas, Sacramento, Baltimore, and Shreveport. Irv signed with the Baltimore Colts (later CFLers/Stallions). He made an immediate impact in Don Matthews defense, pulling down 6 interceptions for 97 yards where the Stallions made their first appearance in the Grey Cup. Although the team lost to the BC Lions, Irvin and the Stallions won the Grey Cup the following season and Smith had established quite a reputation as a dangerous defender to pass against. As the CFL contracted due to jogo01 ismithjogo00 ismithfinancial issues and the NFL gave Baltimore the Ravens, the Stallions moved up to Montreal and became the Alouettes in 1996.

Irvin at first didn’t feel like making the move, but went ahead and joined the franchise in Montreal. It’d be a new chapter in Smith’s career, and a very productive one at that with 6 interceptions for 105 yards and a TD in ’96. He’d follow it up with two back to back 3 interception season in 1997 and 1998.  Smith had his finest season in 1999, hawking 7 interceptions for 51 yards and a touchdown. Irvin played for 2 additional years in Montreal, retiring after the 2001 season.

Smith returned to the Baltimore area where he lives today and is a firefighter. I had been trying to track Smith down for sometime finally locating his address through the White pages. After sending to the address I found in Maryland, I got an RTS with a forwarding address in Florida. I turned it around and sent it to the other address the next day. About a month later I got this stuffed envelope full of cards and a nice letter from Irvin. I had only sent Smith his 2 WLAF cards, but he stuffed it with all his JOGO cards and a nice letter.

 

WLAF    Tac N/a   Sac N/a   Fum N/a
Int 4     Yds 23     Avg 5.8     TD 0    Lg 15

CFL   Tac 329     Sac 1.0      Fum 10
Int 31    Yds 352     Avg 11.4      Td 2      Lg 54

CFL, College Football HoF

Frazier, Tommie

pp96 frazierCard: PressPass 1996
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  12/5    Received: 1/13   (39 days)

Tommie Frazier is easily the greatest college football player never to play in the NFL. A human highlight film during his time playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Frazier had the build, numbers, and athleticism, to take his game to the next level, but a life threatening condition- namely Chron’s Disease, stopped him in his tracks.

Tommie joined the Nebraska Cornhusker program in 1992.  He cemented himself as the starter quickly over that season and did not look back.  Frazier threw 10 TDs and 1 pick that Freshman season, while rushing for 399 and 67TDs on 86 carries. The following year he’d run for a career high 704 yards and 9 TDs on 126 attempts.  An injury plagued 1994, pretty much wrecked his year, before a solid Senior campaign with 17 TDs to 4 INT. Tommie also had 604 yards on the ground and a career high 14 TDs rushing.  For his efforts he was voted a consensus All-American and finished 2nd in Heisman voting.

Tommie finished his career at Nebraska with a 49-4 record. He won numerous honors and MVP awards over his time there. Frazier’s signature moment was the 1995 Fiesta Bowl, when the Huskers crushed Florida 62-24. I remember my flash bulb memory went off as I was standing in the middle of Target, watching the big game. I had the pleasure of watching him run for a 75 yard TD as he broke 5-6 tackles. It was one of the most amazing plays I had ever seen.

Tommie was not drafted to the NFL due to health concerns. He signed with the Montreal Alouettes, and saw action in one game in 1996.  He retired from professional football shortly thereafter.

Frazier remains close to the sport. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. He also has done some coaching, both as a positional coach (Baylor) and as a head coach at Doane College in Nebraska.  Tommie held numerous records at his departure from Nebraska, and won 2 National Championships. His number has also been retired by the college.

About a year or two ago a lively debate about the greatest player never to play pro ball came up. At the time I brought up Charlie Ward, who was visting in town. Later though I remembered Tommie Frazier’s heroics on the gridiron for Nebraska, and threw my weight behind that statement on Twitter. I was really surprised to see that Frazier liked and agreed with my comment. After a bit of searching, I was able to find an address for him and he signed this old card of mine in a bit over 30 days.