Briefly here Robert was the longest wait for 2022, but was quickly superseded within two weeks. He’s a great signer- but makes fans wait upwards of a year to get things back TTM. I got him once at training camp. After that I always wanted to add him on at least his 89 Pro Set.
I mean- technically, Robert is German since he was born in Landstuhl, West Germany, however by the time he was in high school he was living in California.
Well after two failures early on in my collecting return- ten years later I finally square away Stump Mitchell. Stump holds a special place in my heart due to his association with the San Antonio Riders and the WLAF.
Finished second all-time in total all purpose yards (3,834) and rushing (3232) in Georgia history, behind only Herschel Walker.
Set SEC records for points, TDs, rushing TDs, and per carry average.
Cardinals traded Johnny Johnson and their first round pick to the Jets, moving up to select Hearst with the 3rd overall pick of the 1993 NFL Draft.
Ran for 257 yards and a TD, but a knee injury sidelined him for a majority of the season.
Had a 57 yard carry- the longest by a Cardinal since Stump Mitchell in 1985.
Another knee injury marred Hearst’s season early in 1994, as he finished strong rushing for 169 yards over the final 4 contests.
Topped the 100 yard barrier for first time in career in 1995, rushing for 121 yards against the Saints.
Broke the 1k barrier that year rushing for 1070 yards, and catching 29 passes, the best by a Card since 1982.
Released by the Cardinals and signed with Bengals in 1996.
Played one season with Bengals, initially as a backup, but pounded the rock for 847 yards.
Signed with 49ers in 1997 and rejuvenated SF’s rushing game.
Ran for 1019 yards on 236 carries (4 TDs) in ’97.
Had an even better ’98, running for a career high 1570 yards.
In Week 1 against the New York Jets in OT, had one of the greatest runs in NFL history, rushing for a 96 yard TD.
Broke his ankle during the 1998 playoffs- an injury that would keep him out of the league for two seasons.
Amazingly returned to form again in 2001, despite facing a career threatening injury, rushing for over 1,200 yards.
Played for the ‘9ers an additional two seasons, before playing a final year in 2004 with the Broncos.
ACCOALADES:
Doak Walker Award 1992
Second Team AP 1998
Pro Bowl 1998, ’01
NFL Comeback Player of the Year 2001
Florida-Georgia HoF
College Football Hall of Fame 2023
NOTES:
During this time of my life I was still going to training camps, but I started ratcheting down my card purchases. Whether it was cost, an over saturated market, or just discovering girls- this card came from one of those last packs I bought before I went into a long hibernation. When I came back to the hobby and went through all those boxes this card immediately went into the ‘priority box’. And 12 years later from that, I finally got Garrison’s autograph. Strange how accomplished it feels.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
