Tag Archives: pittsburgh steelers

College Football HoF, NFL, Pro Football HoF

Shell, Donnie

Upper Deck Legends 1997, #AL-24

CARD: Upper Deck Legends 1997
ACQUIRED: Ebay, 2022

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Donnie Shell played DB at South Carolina State.
  • He’d sign as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974.
  • A key member of the secondary during the heyday of the Steel Curtain, Shell became a fulltime starter in 1977.
  • Had 6 seasons in a row of 5 or more interceptions from 1979-’84.
  • Widely regarded as one of the greatest FS during the Dead Ball Era.
  • Played 14 seasons for the the Steelers retiring after the 1987 season and 201 games.
  • At the time of his retirement, Donnie was the all-time leader at FS in interceptions, with 51.
  • Jumped into the front office after retirement working with the Carolina Panthers as the Director of Pro Player Personnel from 1994-’09.

ACCOLADES:

  • Pro Football Hall of Fame 2020
  • PFRA 2013 Class of Very Good
  • College Football Hall of Fame
  • Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team
  • Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor
  • Pro Bowl 1978-’82
  • All Pro 1979, 1980, 1982

NOTES:

Donnie was long overdue for PFHOF recognition which only underscores how disrespected the position is held by voters.

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NFL

Williams, John L. (2)

Gameday 1992, #114
Action Packed 1990, #260
Action Packed 1991, #260
Action Packed 1992, #256

CARDS: Gameday 1992, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed 1991, Action Packed 1992
ACQUIRED: TTM 2023, C/o Home
SENT: 1/11/23 RECEIVED: 3/22/24 (436 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

Okay! I knew that John L Williams was a slow signer so I just put these out there and wasn’t completely surprised to see them back in a year. A few more of my friends had gotten theirs recently- even waiting so long as 3-4 years to get theirs, so mine seemed like only a smallish accomplishment.

So this is a great case study in design watching the evolution of the Action Packed set from 1990 to 1992. It’s interesting how it goes from a framed border, to a floating 3/4 border, to a border just on one side. The photos are great, but really showcased here is how by ’92, the photos were consistently about as close as you see here in this Action shot of John L. In a nice touch of subtleness, the red stripe indicates the AFC conference, while the blue indicates the NFC.

NFL

Rienstra, John ‘Rhino’

Score Supplemental 1991, #35T
Fleer 1990, #149

CARDS: Fleer 1990, Score Supplemental 1991
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 7/24 RECEIVED: 8/12 (19 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • In 1986, John Rienstra (OL) was a first round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Temple.
  • With exceptional mobility and strength, he was well suited for the Steelers trap run game.
  • Injuries hampered his first 3 seasons in the NFL until the 1989 season, where John established himself as a starter in 14 contests.
  • He signed as a Plan B free agent with the Cleveland Browns in 1991.
  • Started all 16 games for the first time in his career that year at LG.
  • Retired after the 1992 NFL season due to injury (rotator cuff).

NOTES:

Rienstra was a fearsome OL, who left it all on the field in some 7 injury riddled seasons of play, and 20 some odd scars from his playing days. He earned his nickname for his hard charging style of play, and preference to go for defenders throats. A collegiate power lifter- Rienstra at his peak lifted some 785 pounds.