Ozzie just keeps signing after all these years, and after getting him back in 2019, I thought I was done. Then I got hooked on all the set needs and realized all the cards I hadn’t gotten The Wiz on. I figured I might as well get the rest out there I could, biting my nails on the Whizzer White cards which while rare are still fairly common on the secondary market- just jacked up in price by opportunists. Although it took a bit longer than usual, the autographs were as advertised, knocking out these very final photographic cards.
Anthony Miller doesn’t sign TTM, so after not seeing anything for him since I got his autograph at a paid signing way back in…. 2015- I jumped at the chance to get him for a very affordable price on all my set needs that developed over the last few years. There might be one or two more in the late future but for right now I consider myself quite sated.
Most of the usual suspects are all here. The Fleer 1990 is very nice, and the ink was absorbed on the canvas quite nicely.
I think the 1989 Pro Set card was a featured photo on the Pro Set 1989 box somewhere. It was one of the lesser known error cards because eventually it was corrected. On the back of his card the stat line incorrectly states 14.8 as his TDs for 1988.
The Action Packed 1990 card also has an error that was uncorrected. In the blurb on the back of the card, Miller’s bio reads that he had 76 catches when he had 75.
I think it’s interesting that Miller’s Gameday card has an empty bleacher very close to him in the background. I suspect that this photo was taken at a training camp.
Rufus Porter was a big, rangy LB that played college ball at Southern.
Going undrafted in 1988, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks and was a surprising diamond in the rough found by the franchise.
Recorded 16 special teams tackles, and saw time as a defensive end and nickle situations later in the season.
Recorded 10.5 sacks, and led Seattle with 4 forced fumbles in ’89.
Had another 10 sack appearance in ’91, and a 9.5 effort in ’92.
After two consecutive down seasons with the Seahawks, Rufus took his game to New Orleans in ’96.
Earned a gameball for his play against the Colts that season.
Played one final season in Tampa in 1997.
ACCOLADES:
1988, ’89 Pro Bowl
Steve Largent Award 1991
Fleer 1990, #272
NOTES:
Rufus was blessed to come onto the NFL scene and get in on nearly all the big sets from the Big Bang of cards during the late 80s and early 90s. As he was on all my set needs, I got him on two cards back in 2021 and then realized he was in every other set. I didn’t want to put him on blast so soon after he started signing so I waited 2 years to ask for his autograph on these remaining set needs.
Oddly Rufus appears in the Action Packed series 3 times, almost scoring a trifecta at #256 in every set- only to appear as #257 in 1992.
It can not be emphasized how awesome many of these cards are. The neck roll was obligatory for many of the linebackers during this period and the Action Packed 1990 and the Skybox Impact ’92 really show it off. If you wanted to be an intimidator, a neck roll was a first good step.
Porter appears in all Tecmo Super Bowl games. He was affectionately referred to as ‘ROOF!’, By the Kingdome faithful who would yell his name after he made a big play.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
