Tag Archives: pittsburgh steelers

NFL, WLAF

Austin, Teryl

CARD: Pro Set 1991 World League Helmet Insert
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o The Pittsburgh Steelers
SENT: 1/22 RECEIVED: 4/11 (79 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Teryl Austin played DB for at Pitt from 1984-87.
  • Had outstanding 1985, notching 7 picks for 186 yards.
  • Also used as return man, finishing with 96 punt returns for 640 yards.
  • Going undrafted in 1988, he eventually joined the World League of American Football in 1991.
  • Played for the Montreal Machine during inaugural season.
  • Made the jump to coaching later that year, joining Penn State for 1991 and 1992.
  • Over the 90s got more seasoning first as a DB coach at Wake Forest (1993-95) and then later as a Defensive Assistant at Syracuse (1996-98) and Michigan (1999-02).
  • Saw first turn in pros with the Seahawks (2003-06) and then Cardinals (07-09) as a DB coach.
  • After one year stint as DC at Florida (2010), worked for the Ravens as a Secondary Coach from 2011-13.
  • Then took reins with Lions (2014-17) and Bengals (2018) as defensive coordinator.
  • In 2019, joined Steelers as Senior Defensive Assistant and Secondary Coach, and in 2022 was promoted to defensive coordinator.

NOTES:

Another success story, Teryl has quietly made the puddle jump up the ranks of football coaching ranks after getting some seasoning in the World League.

Teryl came to my attention around 7 or 8 years ago, when he was considered for the head coaching position at the University of Texas. He actually played– so I wanted to get him on something. Since many players did not have cards who were in the World League, I thought this helmet card was the next best thing.

WLAF

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N/A1.00199.009
NFL

Hoge, Merril (2)

Action Packed All-Madden Team 1990, #37
Action Packed 1990, #223
Pro Set 1989, #348
Skybox Premium 1993, #105
Skybox 1992, #193

CARDS: Skybox 1993 Premium, Skybox 1992, Proset 1989, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed All Madden Team 1990
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 7/6 RECEIVED: 8/10 (35 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

The Skybox 1992 set was something completely different at the time and I really enjoyed it. The 1993 Premium set was even more… different. In fact at the time initially I was not a fan of it, however the choice simplicity has really grown on me over the years, and in 2022, the set really has resonated with me. If anything could be more minimal than Skybox 1992, this was it. -Now there’s a certain line to me where minimal just becomes nonsensical, and that to me is Pro Set Platinum 1991. (It’s just a photo with the logo on the front.)

1993 was the crash and burn year for me with trading cards, so I really didn’t get as much of a chance with the 93 Premium set as I’d have liked. I curtailed my spending with girls and Nintendo on my mind, and with there being so many options out there, trading cards quickly became a fleeting fancy at Hollywood Video or something to be snobbish about for the next… 15 or so years.

The All-Madden Team subset was really a filler for me at the time. When I got out of school my mom would stop at 7-11 and I’d pick up a pack to keep the habit going when there wasn’t any other cards to buy. Hoge’s card again is an excellent looking canvas. The AMAD logo is a bit overpowering, but otherwise, it gets by. (There seems to be a heavy amount of artifacts on the card itself, but that was probably from the scanner glass.)

Merril had really good luck with some amazing cards during his run in the NFL. Outside of my personal hiccup, Hoge is a voracious TTM signer and I was not disappointed to see that he decided to sign all 5 cards that I sent him. I could say that all of these were set needs, but that still doesn’t really explain away the fact that I had him sign 5 cards for me. I rarely go for such large numbers anymore, and I figured instead of waiting another 7 years or so, I’d just knock him out now.

NFL

Graham, Scottie

1992 Classic, #56
Star Pics 1992, #80

CARDS: Classic 1992, Star Pics 1992
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Work
SENT: 7/12 RECEIVED: 8/2 (21 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Played four years at FB for the Buckeyes from 1988-91.
  • Dealt with injury over career at Columbus but still rushed for 1768 yards and 19 TDs over college career.
  • Selected in the 7th round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers but didn’t make squad.
  • Played the ’92 season for the Jets.
  • Signed by Vikings in 1993, and ended up leading the team in rushing with 488 yards and 3 TDs- all career highs.
  • Played with Vikings through the 1996 season.
  • Finished career playing for the Bengals in 1997.
  • Worked in the NFLPA for 16 years.
  • Joined Arizona State in 2015 working in student development.
  • In 2021, joined the Arizona coaching staff as their RB coach.

NOTES:

Scottie had a short but solid career and I really liked his college cards that came out at the beginning of his time in the league.

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