Tag Archives: playoff 1994

NFL, University of Texas

Malone, Van

CARDS: Playoff 1994, UT Upper Deck 2011 HACK
ACQUIRED: TTM 2025, C/o Work
SENT: 9/29 RECEIVED: 10/14 (15 Days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Van Malone played DB at Texas from 1990-’93.
  • Hard hitting safety and fearsome special teams player.
  • Drafted in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
  • Saw action in 55 contests over NFL career, starting in 19 of them.
  • Posted 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 102 total tackles over 4 seasons.
  • Finished 1997 on IR and signed with the Arizona Cardinals after the season, but was released with an injury settlement.
  • Went into coaching and philantropy.
  • Climbed the coaching ranks from high school into college, where as of 2020 he is the Assistant Head Coach at Kansas State.

NOTES:

When I started the UT Upper Deck HACK collection, I thought to myself, I need deep cut players. Guys like Van Malone. Here at Texas, we all knew about the hard hitting, in the box, enforcing safety that was Van Malone. Like many other Lifetime Longhorns, I was surprised he was not in the set. I think the card I made completely encapsulates him and I captured it perfectly!

He hadn’t signed in a while, but I was confident, he’d take one look at the card, smile, and sign away. I tossed in the 1994 Playoff card to go along with it and crossed my fingers, sending it off to K-State. I was surprised to get it back just a bit over two weeks later, both signed in blue.

NFL

Jeffires, Haywood (6)

Pinnacle 1991, #111

Playoff 1994, #46 Upper Deck 1993, #129

CARDS: Playoff 1994, Upper Deck 1993, Pinnacle 1992
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o Home
SENT: 8/21 RECEIVED: 8/29 (8 DAYS)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

A rare signer, I felt it’d be best if I take advantage of his current signing window and get Haywood on a few cards. Among the players, he was quite outspoken about it being a mistake the Oilers left H-Town. I wonder if he also turned and embraced the Titans as one with the Oilers like many of his backpedaling teammates.

NFL, NFLE, University of Texas

Gunn, Lance

Cards: Classic 1993, ProSet 1993, Playoff 1994
Acquired: TTM 2019, C/o Home
Sent: 10/25 Received: 11/5 (11 days)

Lance played college ball for the Texas Longhorns from 1989-1992 at safety. A hard hitting rangy product and solid special teams contributor, he had 298 total tackles, 6 sacks, and 10 interceptions (1 TD) over his 4 years in Austin.

He’d be selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round of the 1993 draft. Lance ended up starting 8 games for Cinci at strong safety recording 25 solo stops and 3 assists, along with one fumble recovery- before a knee injury ultimately cut short his season and his NFL career.

Lance reappeared on the football scene in 1997 playing one year for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the NFLE. He decided to hang up his cleats in 1998 after he donated a kidney to his father.

As a footnote, Lance decided to give football one more shot in 1999 with the Texas Terminators of the IPFL. He made it through training camp and was going to be their starting safety, but right before the first game of the season, Frito Lay made him an offer to come on board that he could not refuse. As of 2019, Lance lives in the Austin area.

I was pretty much ducking out of trading cards by this point. The price to value ratio, combined with the design was just not that great. I do remember being at Cowboys Training Camp at St. Edwards that Summer in 1993, and picking up a few packs of Classic 1993 at Mr. K’s Sports Cards. I was happy to pull the Classic 93 card of Lance while walking back to camp- and then now getting it signed a bit over 26 years later.

NFLTACSACFUMINT YDSAVGTDLG
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