Tag Archives: philadelphia eagles

Arena, NFL, WLAF

Shaw, Ricky


Cards: Ultimate WLAF 1992, WildCard WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Sent:  10/6  Received: 10/17 (11 days)

A 4th round pick out of Oklahoma State in 1988 by the New York Giants, Ricky Shaw recovered a fumble playing primarily on special teams his rookie year. Cut midway through the 1989 season, the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles would sign Shaw where he’d spend the rest of the season and 1990. Originally meant as a replacement for Paul McGowan, the Birmingham Fire of the WLAF would draft Shaw to play in their 3-4 defense alongside John Brantley and Maurice Oliver, at linebacker in 1992, but the London Monarchs had different plans and traded to get Ricky from the Fire.

The London Monarchs, fresh off of their World Bowl I victory, had their work cut out for them – reassembling the team from coaches to players as much of their staff had been picked clean for NFL and CFL rosters. They’d make the move and Shaw would provide valuable depth to a depleted Monarchs team notching .5 sacks during the season. After the season the WLAF would reorganize and Ricky would return stateside.

He’d play in the Arena Football League for the Orlando Predators, then in 1995 sign with the San Jose Sabrecats and play alongside WLAF veteran Pat McGuirk through 1996, recording 5 receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown, to go along with 7 tackles and a sack. In 1997, Ricky played one final season for the Miluaukee Mustangs and retired.

Post retirement, I stumbled Ricky through Sotl.com, and found that he was working as a school teacher. He was more than happy to sign a few cards for me and signed these 2 cards in 11 days. I also included a few duplicates for him to keep and pass out to his students.

NFL, NFLE, WLAF

Titley, Michael

Card: Wild Card WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home.
Sent: 7/26  Received: 8/8  (13 days)

After transferring from JC to Iowa in 1989, Michael Titley would provide stability at the tight end position for the Hawkeyes with his size (6’3″, 235) and hands (tied for team lead with 29 receptions) in 1990, replacing Marv Cook at the position. He’d post at least a reception in each game his senior season. Don Shula‘s Miami Dolphins would pull the trigger on Titley drafting him in the 10th round of that year’s NFL draft.

In 1992, Michael would sign with the WLAF’s Orlando Thunder. As a speedy, pass catching tight end, Titley would fit in well with the Thunder’s hybrid spread offense, under Galen Hall’s direction. He’d post a respectable 22 receptions for 215 yards catching passes from quarterback Scott Mitchell. After the Thunder lost to the Surge in World Bowl II, Michael would have to put his football playing days on hold with the reorganization of the WLAF. In the meantime, he’d return to Iowa and complete out his degree.

With the reemergence of the WLAF as NFLE in 1995, Titley would return to play in the league, this time as a member of the London Monarchs. He’d post his best season as a pro, making 45 receptions for 457 yards and 3 touchdowns. Michael would play for the Monarchs an additional two seasons hauling in almost 30 receptions and just over 300 yards in both seasons. He’d retire after the 1997 season, but not before having experienced professional experience on the rosters of the Eagles, Colts, Vikings, Bills, and Broncos over his career.

He currently lives in Houston, Texas where I tracked him down via Spokeo. For some reason I was able to get a bunch of addresses via the paid social crawl tracking service for free and Michael was on my list. He responded in a brief 13 days and thanked me for writing him and told me that he’d be more than happy to keep in touch. At some point, I’ll probably write him at a later date to get feedback on his WLAF/NFLE experience.

Below are his WLAF/NFLE statistics.

Rec 124    Yds 1281       Avg  10.3      Td 8      Lg 45

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Garrett, Judd

 wcardwlaf92 garrettultwlaf1992 garrett llpsetwlaf91 garrettpset91wl ju garrettpsetwlaf91 garrett wbpsetwlaf91 garrett ll

 Cards: ProSet WLAF 1991, Ultimate WLAF 1992, ProSet WLAF 1991 LL, ProSet WLAF 1991 WB, Ultimate WLAF 1992 LL, Wild Card WLAF 1992
Acquired: In Person 1993, TTM 2011, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp, C/o The Dallas Cowboys
Sent: 8/13  Received: 8/20  (7 days)
Failure: 2010, C/o The Dallas Cowboys

The Garrett family has a long lineage of players who have made it to the professional level. Father Jim, and brothers Jason and John have all played or coached in the NFL or WLAF.

Judd Garrett was drafted in the 12th round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He’d be released, but quickly placed on Dallas’ IR list. The WLAF London Monarchs would draft Judd to play runningback for the team in 1991.  While Garrett would spend very little of his time rushing the ball, he’d be an exceptional receiver out of the backfield, making a league high 71 receptions in 1991. In World Bowl I, he’d set a World League record with 13 receptions during the game. He’d return to the Monarchs in 1992, and while the team sunk, Judd would still amass 55 more receptions, finishing his brief career as the WLAF’s leading receiver with 126 catches.  He’s also notable as being the first points scored in the WLAF as he was stuffed in the endzone by the Frankfurt Galaxy for a safety.

ult92 jugarrettAfter playing for the WLAF he’d sign with the Cowboys again. I’d get his autograph at camp but he’d not make the squad. Garrett would play in the CFL for two seasons after that with the Las Vegas Posse (1994) and the San Antonio Texans (1995) before his playing career ended.

Judd went into coaching where he’s served with the Saints (1997-1999), Dolphins (2000-2005), Rams (2006-2007) and is currently serving in the front office of the Cowboys along with his brothers Jason and John.  I attempted to get the autographs of all 3 earlier this year, but met with no success.  I sent again just to Judd in early August and was happy to get a seven day turn around plus a very nice thank-you letter for being a fan and for following him and the league.

G/Gs N/a     Rush  28         Yds    78         Avg  2.8     Td 0    Lg 15   |
Rec  126     Yds  1129    Avg 9.0   Td 2    Lg 47